gentleman who came in it, he was brought into the hall.  The circumstance now made some noise.  It was whispered about, that one of Mr. S------’s tenants, a drunken fellow from the country, wanted to break in forcibly to see him; but then it was also asserted, that his skull was broken, and that he lay dead in the hall.  Several of the gentlemen above stairs, on hearing that a man had been killed, immediately assembled about him, and, by the means of restoratives, he soon recovered, though the blood streamed copiously from the wound in the back of his head.

“Who are you, my good man?” said Mr. S------.

Owen looked about him rather vacantly; but soon collected himself, and implied in a mournful and touching tone of voice—­“I’m one of your honor’s tenants from Tubber Derg; my name is Owen M’Carthy, your honor--that is, if you be Mr. S------.”

“And pray, what brought you to town, M’Carthy?”

“I wanted to make an humble appale to your honor’s feelins, in regard to my bit of farm.  I, and my poor family, your honor, have been broken down by hard times and the sickness of the sason—­God knows how they axe.”

“If you wish to speak to me about that, my good man, you must know I refer all these matters to my Agent.  Go to him—­he knows them best; and whatever is right and proper to be done for you, he will do it.  Sinclair, give him a crown, and send him to the ------ Dispensary, to get his head dressed, I say, Carthy, go to my Agent; he knows whether your claim is just or not, and will attend to it accordingly.”

“Plase, your honor, I’ve been wid him, and he says he can do nothin’ whatsomever for me.  I went two or three times, and couldn’t see him, he was so busy; and, when I did get a word or two wid him, he tould me there was more offered for my land than I’m payin’; and that if I did not pay up, I must be put out, God help me!”

“But I tell you, Carthy, I never interfere between him and my tenants.”

“Och, indeed! and it would be well, both for your honor’s tenants and yourself, if you did, sir.  Your honor ought to know, sir, more about us, and how we’re thrated.  I’m an honest man, sir, and I tell you so for your good.”

“And pray, sir,” said the Agent, stepping forward, for he had arrived a few minutes before, and heard the last observation of M’Carthy—­“pray how are they treated, you that know so well, and are so honest a man?—­As for honesty, you might have referred to me for that, I think,” he added.

“Mr. M------,” said Owen, “we’re thrated very badly.  Sir, you needn’t
look at me, for I’m not afeerd to spake the thruth; no bullyin’, sir,
will make me say anything in your favor that you don’t desarve.  You’ve
broken the half of them by severity; you’ve turned the tenants aginst
yourself and his honor here; and I tell you now, though you’re to the
fore, that, in the coorse of a short time, there’ll be bad work upon the
estate, except his honor, here, looks into his own affairs, and hears
the complaints of the people.  Look at these resates, your honor; they’ll
show you, sir,—­”

“Carthy, I can hear no such language against the gentleman to whom I entrust the management of my property; of course, I refer the matter solely to him.  I can do nothing in it.”