“Enacted! well, that’s, appropriate at any rate,” said the schoolmaster; “but in the mane time, Mr. Hycy, take care that the farce won’t become a tragedy on your hands, and you yourself the hero of it.  Proceed, girsha.”

“How do you know,” asked Chevydale, “that this charge is true?”

“If I don’t know it,” she replied, “my aunt here does,—­and I think so does Mr. Harry Clinton an’ others.”

“Pray, my woman, what do you know about this matter?” asked Chevydale, addressing Kate.

“Why that it was Mr. Hycy Burke that gave the Hogans the money to make the Still, set it up—­and to Teddy Phats to buy barley; and although he didn’t tell them it was to ruin Bryan M’Mahon he did it, sure they all knew it was—­’spishly when he made them change from Glendearg above, where they were far safer, down to Ahadarra.”

“I assure you, gentlemen,” said Hycy, “that the respectability of the witnesses you have fished up is highly creditable to your judgments and sense of justice;—­a common vagabond and notorious thief on the one hand, and a beggarman’s brat on the other.  However, proceed—­I perceive that I shall be obliged to sink under the force of such testimony—­ha! ha! ha!”

At this moment old Jemmy Burke, having accidentally heard that morning that such an investigation was to take place, and likely to bear upon the conduct of his eldest son, resolved to be present at it, and he accordingly presented himself as Hycy had concluded his observations.

The high integrity of his character was at once recognized—­he was addressed in terms exceedingly respectful, if not deferential, by the two magistrates—­Chevydale having at once ordered the servant in attendance to hand him a chair.  He thanked him, however, but declined it gratefully, and stood like the rest.

In the meantime the investigation proceeded.  “Mr. Burke,” said Chevydale, addressing himself to the old man, whose features, by the way, were full of sorrow and distress—­“it may be as well to state to you that we are not sitting now formally in our magisterial capacity, to investigate any charges that may be brought against your son, but simply making some preliminary inquiries with respect to other charges, which we have been given to understand are about to be brought against the notorious Hogans.”

“Don’t lay the blame upon the Hogans,” replied Kate, fiercely—­“the Hogans, bad as people say they are, only acted under Hycy Burke.  It was Hycy Burke.”

“But,” said Chevydale, probably out of compassion for the old man, “you must know we are not now investigating Mr. Burke’s conduct.”

“Proceed, gintlemen,” said his father, firmly but sorrowfully; “I have heard it said too often that he was at the bottom of the plot that ruined Bryan M’Mahon, or that wint near to ruin him; I wish to have that well sifted, gintlemen, and to know the truth.”

“I can swear,” continued Kate, “that it was him got up the whole plan, and gave them the money for it.  I seen him in our house—­or, to come nearer the truth, in Gerald Cavanagh’s kiln, where we live—­givin’ them the money.”