"God forgive you, Feemy," he said; "but that's a cruel word to come from you!"—and he left the room. He met the two girls in the passage, for Biddy had returned from Mrs. Mehan's, whither she had gone after Ussher had passed, and she was now horrified to find that her mistress's plans had been, as she thought, defeated by her brother, and her departure prevented.
"Good God! Mr. Thady," said she, with pretended astonishment, "what ails the misthress then?"
"Go in to her, Biddy, she'll want you; Captain Ussher is dead," and he went into his father's room.
Here a still more distressing scene awaited him. He felt that if he meant to escape he should not lose much time, but he could not leave his father in ignorance of what had taken place. Larry was sitting, as usual, over the fire with his pipe in his mouth, and was nearly asleep, when Thady came in. The noise of the closing door roused him, however; but he only put his empty glass to his lips, and when he found there was nothing in it he turned round again dissatisfied to the fire.
"Larry," said his son, "I've bad news for you."
"You've always bad news. I niver knew you have anything else."
"I'm going to lave you, father, altogether."
"Faix, then, that's no such bad news," said the cross old man. "The door's open, and you've my lave; may be we 'll do as well without you, as we're like to do with you."
Thady made no answer to this piece of silly ill-nature, but continued—"Larry, you'll be sorry to hear what I've to tell you, but I'd sooner you should hear it from me than from another. Myles Ussher is dead; it was I, father, that killed him."
At the first declaration the old man had turned round in his chair, and he sat staring at his son; but when he heard the second and more dreadful part of the story, his jaw dropped, and he sat for some time the picture of an idiot.