“At this Denis would laugh heartily.  ’Well said, Honor Magrath, but not Kelly, Well, it’s one comfort that our childher aren’t likely to follow your side of the house, any way.  Come here, Lanty; come over, acushla, to your father!  Lanty, ma bouchal, what ’ill you do when you grow a man?”

“‘I’ll buy a horse of my own to ride on, daddy.’

“’A horse, Lanty! and so you will, ma bouchal; but that’s not it—­sure that’s not what I mane, Lanty.  What ’ill you do to the Caseys?”

“’Ho, ho! the Caseys!  I’ll bate the blackguards wid your blackthorn, daddy!’

“’Ha, ha, ha! that’s my stout man, my brave little soger! Wus dha lamh avick!—­give me your hand, my son!  Here, Nelly,’ he would say to the child’s eldest sister, ’give him a brave whang of bread, to make him able to bate the Caseys.  Well, Lanty, who more will you leather, ahagur?’

“‘All the Orangemen; I’ll kill all the Orangemen!’

“This would produce another laugh from the father, who would again kiss and shake hands with his son, for these early manifestations of his own spirit.

“‘Lanty, ma bouchal,’ he would say, ’thank God, you’re not a Magrath; ’tis you that’s a Kelly, every blessed inch of you! and if you turn out as good a buillagh balthah as your father afore you, I’ll be contint, avour-neen!’

“‘God forgive you, Denis,’ the-wife would reply, ’it’s long before you’d think of larning him his prayers, or his cateehiz, or anything that’s good!  Lanty, agra, come over to myself, and never heed what that man says; for, except you have some poor body’s blessing, he’ll bring you to no good.’

“Sometimes, however, Kelly’s own natural good sense, joined with the remonstrances of his wife, prevailed for a short time, and he would withdraw himself from the connection altogether; but the force of habit and of circumstances was too strong in him, to hope that he could ever overcome it by his own firmness, for he was totally destitute of religion.  The peaceable intervals of his life were therefore very short.

“One summer evening I was standing in my own garden, when I saw a man galloping up towards me at full speed.  When he approached, I recognized him as one of the Murphy faction, and perceived that he was cut and bleeding.

“‘Murphy,’ said I, ‘What’s the matter!’

“‘Hard fighting, sir,’ said he, ’is the matter.  The Caseys gathered all their faction, bekase they heard that Denis Kelly has given us up, and they’re sweeping the street wid us.  I’m going hot foot for Kelly, sir, for even the very name of him will turn the tide in our favor.  Along wid that, I have sent in a score of the Duggans, and, if I get in Denis, plase God we’ll clear the town of them!’

“He then set off, but pulled up abruptly, and said,

“’Arrah, Mr. Darcy, maybe you’d be civil enough to lind me the loan of a sword, or bagnet, or gun, or anything that way, that would be sarviceable to a body on a pinch?’