Year: 1878

|


fl st day set at liberty. Nothing bu


that and the haunting afterwards would ha'
| egualled your 6essits."


DARCY sesm ed disposed to linger over tn 9
latt meal in Mrs. DAly's little sitting room
bat Connor, rho ives struggling to keep up hi
| spirits to the last moment, aud sigus!ly failing
every now and then, was 10 haste to be gone
Their plan was to wait at the old still til
midnight, and the NJ arch sol t ward with tn,
comrades, who were to join them there, con ii
IDENTIFY expecting that before the morning
dawned they should find themselves at th,
head of such force that only organized
body of troops would attempt to stop thei
progress.


The true hearted among the soldiers will
Ellen. when, after tea, she came into tie hal
with him to slip the little purse of money abe
had got together into his soldiers knap.sack


bot copposing no one joins you at the still
tonight 7" she asked.


1--WE shall go alone to Tipperary," Darcy,
who was standing near, answered. Il read
what you are thinking in your face. The
domicilary visits, of which we have had a
specimen. show greater alertness on the par
of the authorities than we expected, and it is
possible that very many arrests on suspicion
have been m ade to-day, aid That most of those
who epmpathise with Us about here are put
ont of the way of helping us but we two have
escaped for the present, and an hour or two's
travelling will take among friends
who will have had better luck than ourselves.
At all events we are determined to show
among them, however it may be going"


"And how shall know how it is goingT


at will be in the air; no fear of your not
knowing.


Ellen now rose from her knees by the KNAPP
sack, and DARCY came near and took her
hands in his.


81 have been asking myself all day" he said,
whether l am most 81 ad or most sorry for the
circumstances that make my Individual fate
of no special consequence to any human being
When the doubt that for the last six weeks
has been growing upon me predominates,
CoD aH
thankful, to You for leaving me the lonely
man am. If, as l begin to fear. glorious
stroggle even ia denied to Us, and only the
bitter dregs of ignomin ions failure given us
to wiring out, it will be something in the toc-
ture of it to know that my share of the shame
and ridicule that will be cast on Us will weigh
on no one but myself; that can be tossed
away o tool broken from ell it's uses without
involving any other life in the ignominious
ruin"


mo. Darcy, no." Ellen said, looking up to
him with eyes full of tears /; you csu't, you
must not say so, or you will break our hearts.
Yon are brother to Pelham and me almost as
dear as Connor, and whatever happens to you,
and wherever you go, our thoughts and our
love will follow you and not only oure, but
those of the hundreds whose hearts your words
have touched, and who will have better or
worse hopes for Ireland all their lives you
prove yourself strong or weak in whatever
me-a title bit of 1.-The green" that is to pledge
you not to throw your life away in any mo-
ment of bitterness, but to keep it for Ireland's
service when the way of serving her best is
clearer to ALL"


Ellen took Marmaduke Pslhsm's ring from
her finger ss she spoke and put it into D'Arcy's
hauds, W no tried to speak in answer, but failed,
aud after STOPPING down and pressing the lips
that trembled too much for speech on the
hands he still held, he walked away down the
hall, and leaned against the open door of the
house, till Connor came from the inner room,
where he had been taking leave of his mother
to join lin. slender silver thread of the
waxing harvest moon was beginning to show
in the sky when the youpg men left tie house
arm in arm, and crossing the level space at
the back, were seon climbing the side of Lac
ma Weel. Ellen watched them till they were
no more thar black spec cks against the green.
and then went back to sit by her mothers
sofa, and listen with a heavy foreboding heart
to her regret at Connor's wandering habits,
and thhnkfulpess that Pelham was different,
and could be trusted always to stay by her
What stHUtd 5ts do If auythiug ever happened
to take Pelham awsyf


CHAPTER XxXVH.