"What's the delay?" asked O'Hara.
"Why, the chief murners is not arrived yit."
"What murners are you talkin' about, man?" said the other.
"Why, you know, at a grand berrin' they have always thief murners, and there's a pair that I ordhered to be brought here for that same."
"Myself doesn't know anything about murners," said O'Hara, "for I never seen anything finer than the keeners[[6]] at a berrin'; but Larry's up to the ways of the quolity, as well as of his own sort."
"But you wouldn't have keeners for the Tithe, would you? Sure, the keeners is to say all the good they can of the departed, and more if they can invint it; but, sure, the divil a good thing at all they could say of the Tithe, barrin' it was lies they wor tellin', and so it would only be throwin' away throuble."
"Thrue for you, Lanigan."
"Besides, it is like a grand berrin' belongin' to the quol'ty to have chief murners, and you know the Tithe was aiqual to a lord or a king a'most for power."
In a short time the "murners," as Larry called them, arrived in custody of half a dozen of Larry's chosen companions, to whom he had entrusted the execution of the mission. These chief mourners were two tithe proctors, who had been taken forcibly from their homes by the Lanigan party, and threatened with death unless they attended the summons of Larry to be present at "The Berrin'."
Their presence was hailed with a great shout, and the poor devils looked excessively frightened; but they were assured by O'Hara they had nothing to fear.