| CHAPTER | |
| XXXIII. | [CAPTAIN CLAYTON'S LOVE-MAKING.] |
| XXXIV. | [LORD CASTLEWELL'S LOVE-MAKING.] |
| XXXV. | [MR. O'MAHONY'S APOLOGY.] |
| XXXVI. | [RACHEL WRITES ABOUT HER LOVERS.] |
| XXXVII. | [RACHEL IS ILL.] |
| XXXVIII. | [LORD CASTLEWELL IS MUCH TROUBLED.] |
| XXXIX. | [CAPTAIN CLAYTON'S FIRST TRIUMPH.] |
| XL. | [YORKE CLAYTON AGAIN MAKES LOVE.] |
| XLI. | [THE STATE OF IRELAND.] |
| XLII. | [LORD CASTLEWELL'S FAREWELL.] |
| XLIII. | [MR. MOSS IS FINALLY ANSWERED.] |
| XLIV. | [FRANK JONES COMES BACK AGAIN.] |
| XLV. | [MR. ROBERT MORRIS.] |
| XLVI. | [CONG.] |
| XLVII. | [KERRYCULLION.] |
| XLVIII. | [THE NEW ARISTOCRACY FAILS.] |
| [XLIX.] |
THE LANDLEAGUERS.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
CAPTAIN CLAYTON'S LOVE-MAKING.
The household at Castle Morony was very sad for some time after the trial. They had hardly begun to feel the death of Florian while the excitement existed as they felt it afterwards. Mr. Jones, his father, seemed to regard the lost boy as though he had been his favourite child. It was not many months since he had refused to allow him to eat in his presence, and had been persuaded by such a stranger as was Captain Clayton, to treat him with some show of affection. When he had driven him into Ballyglunin, he had been stern and harsh to him to the very last. And now he was obliterated with sorrow because he had been robbed of his Florian. The two girls had sorrows of their own; though neither of them would permit her sorrow to create any quarrel between her and her sister. And Frank, who since his return from the North had toiled like a labourer on the property—only doing double a labourer's work—had sorrow, too, of his own. It was understood that he had altogether separated himself from Rachel O'Mahony. The cause of his separation was singular in its nature.
It was now November, and Rachel had already achieved a singularly rapid success at Covent Garden. She still lived in Cecil Street, but there was no lack of money. Indeed, her name had risen into such repute that some Irish people began to think that her father was the proper man for Cavan, simply because she was a great singer. It cannot be said, however, that this was the case among the men who were regarded as the leaders of the party, as they still doubted O'Mahony's obedience. But money at any rate poured into Rachel's lap, and with the money that which was quite as objectionable to poor Frank. He had begun by asserting that he did not wish to live idle on the earnings of a singer; and, therefore, as the singer had said, "he and she were obliged to be two." As she explained to her father, she was badly treated. She was very anxious to be true to her lover; but she did not like living without some lover to whom she might be true. "You see, as I am placed I am exposed to the Mosses. I do want to have a husband to protect me." Then a lover had come forward. Lord Castlewell had absolutely professed to make her the future Marchioness of Beaulieu. Of this there must be more hereafter; but Frank heard of it, and tore his hair in despair.
And there was another misery at Castle Morony. It reached Mr. Jones's ears that Peter was anxious to give warning. It certainly was the case that Peter was of great use to them, and that Mr. Jones had rebuked him more than once as having made a great favour of his services. The fact was that Peter, if discharged, would hardly know where to look for another place where he could be equally at home and equally comfortable. And he was treated by the family generally with all that confidence which his faithfulness seemed to deserve. But he was nervous and ill at ease under his master's rebukes; and at last there came an event which seemed to harrow up his own soul, and instigated him to run away from County Galway altogether.
"Miss Edith, Miss Edith," he said, "come in here, thin, and see what I have got to show you." Then, with an air of great mystery, he drew his young mistress into the pantry. "Look at that now! Was ever the like of that seen since the mortial world began?" Then he took out from a dirty envelope a dirty sheet of paper, and exposed it to her eyes. On the top of it was a rude coffin. "Don't it make yer hair stand on end, and yer very flesh creep, Miss Edith, to look at the likes o' that!" And below the coffin there was a ruder skull and two cross-bones. "Them's intended for what I'm to be. I understand their language well enough. Look here," and he turned the envelope round and showed that it was addressed to Peter McGrew, butler, Morony Castle. "They know me well enough all the country round." The letter was as follows: