CHAPTER IV. A SCENE AT THE ASSIZES
Although Mr. Hickman O'Reilly affected an easy unconcern regardingthe issue of the trial, he received during the morning more than onedespatch from the court-house narrating its progress. They were briefbut significant; and when Hefferuan, with his own tact, inquired if thenews were satisfactory, the reply was made by putting into his hands aslip of paper with a few words written in pencil: "They are beaten,-theverdict is certain."
"I concluded," said Heffernan, as he handed back the paper, "that thecase was not deemed by you a very doubtful matter."
"Neither doubtful nor important," said Hickman, calmly; "it was aneffort, in all probability suggested by some crafty lawyer, to breakseveral leases on the ground of forgery in the signatures. I amsure nothing short of Mr. Darcy's great difficulties would ever havepermitted him to approve of such a proceeding."
"The shipwrecked sailor will cling to a hen-coop," said Heffernan. "Bythe way, where are these Darcys? What has become of them?"
"Living in Wales, or in Scotland, some say."
"Are they utterly ruined?"
"Utterly, irretrievably. A course of extravagance maintained for yearsat a rate of about double his income, loans obtained at any sacrifice,sales of property effected without regard to loss, have overwhelmed him;and the worst of it is, the little remnant of fortune left is likelyto be squandered in vain attempts to recover at law what he has lost byrecklessness."
Heffernan walked on for some moments in silence, and, as if ponderingover Hickman's words, repeated several times, half aloud: "No doubt ofit,--no doubt of it." Then added, in a louder tone: "The whole historyof this family, Mr. O'Reilly, is a striking confirmation of a remark Iheard made, a few days since, by a distinguished individual,--to _you_I may say it was Lord Cornwallis. 'Heffernan,' said he, 'this country isin a state of rapid transition; everything progresses but the old gentryof the land; they alone seem rooted to ancient prejudices, and fastconfirmed in bygone barbarisms.' I ventured to ask him if he couldsuggest a remedy for the evil, and I 'll never forget the tone withwhich he whispered in my ear, 'Yes; supersede them!' And that, sir,"said Heffernan, laying his hand confidentially on O'Reilly's arm,--"thatis and must be the future policy regarding Ireland."
Mr. Heffernan did not permit himself to risk the success of his strokeby a word more, nor did he even dare to cast a look at his companion andwatch how his spell was working. As the marksman feels when he has shothis bolt that no after-thought can amend the aim, so did he wait quietlyfor the result, without a single effort on his part. "The remark is anew one to me," said O'Reilly, at length; "but so completely does itaccord with my own sentiments, I feel as if I either had or might havemade it myself. The old school you speak of were little calculated toadvance the prosperity of the country; the attachment of the people tothem was fast wearing out."
"Nay," interposed Heffernan, "it was that very same attachment,that rude remnant of feudalism, made the greatest barrier againstimprovement. The law of the land was powerless in comparison with theobligations of this clanship. It is time, full time, that the peopleshould become English in feeling, as they are in law and in language;and to make them so, the first step is, to work the reformation inthe gentry. Now, at the hazard of a liberty which you may deem animpertinence, I will tell you frankly, Mr. O'Reilly, that you, youyourself, are admirably calculated to lead the van of this greatmovement. It is all very natural, and perhaps very just, that in amoment of chagrin with a minister or his party, a man should feelindignant, and, although acting under a misconception, throw himselfinto a direct opposition; yet a little reflection will show that such aline involves a false position. Popularity with the masses could neverrecompense a man like you for the loss of that higher esteem you mustsacrifice for it; the _devoirs_ of your station impose a very differentclass of duties from what this false patriotism suggests; besides, iffrom indignation--a causeless indignation I am ready to prove it--youseparate yourself from the Government, you are virtually suffering yourown momentary anger to decide the whole question of your son's career.You are shutting the door of advancement against a young man withevery adventitious aid of fortune in his favor; handsome, accomplished,wealthy,-what limit need there be to his ambition? And finally, somefellow, like our friend the Counsellor, without family, friends, orfortune, but with lungs of leather and a ready tongue, will beat youhollow in the race, and secure a wider influence over the mass of thepeople than a hundred gentlemen like you. You will deem it, probably,enough to spend ten or fifteen thousand on a contested election, and togive a vote for your party in Parliament; he, on the other hand,will write letters, draw up petitions, frame societies, meetings,resolutions, and make speeches, every word of which will sink deeplyinto the hearts of men whose feelings are his own. You, and othersin your station, will be little better than tools in his hands; andpowerful as you think yourselves to-day, with your broad acres and yourcottier freeholders, the time may come when these men will be lessat _your_ bidding than _his_, and for this simple reason,--the man ofnothing will always be ready to bid higher for mob support than he whohas a fortune to lose."
"You have put a very strong case," said O'Reilly; "perhaps I shouldthink it stronger, if I had not heard most of the arguments before,from yourself, and know by this time how their application to me has notsustained your prophecy."
"I am ready to discuss that with you, too," said Heffer-nan. "I know howit all happened: had I been with you the day you dined with Castlereagh,the misunderstanding never could have occurred; but there was a fatalityin it all. Come," said he, familiarly, and he slipped his arm, as hespoke, within O'Reilly's, "I am the worst diplomatist in the world, andI fear I never should have risen to high rank in the distinguishedcorps of engineers if such had been my destination. I can lay down theparallels and the trenches patiently enough, I can even bring up myartillery and my battering-train, but, hang it! somehow, I never canwait for a breach to storm through. The truth is, if it were not fora very strong feeling on the subject I have just spoken of, you neverwould have seen me here this day. No man is happier or prouder to enjoyyour hospitality than I am, but I acknowledge it was a higher sentimentinduced me to accept your invitation. When your note reached me, Ishowed it to Castlereagh.
"'What answer have you sent?' said he.
"'Declined, of course,' said I.
"'You are wrong, Heffernan,' said his Lordship, as he took from me thenote which I held ready sealed in my hand; 'in my opinion, Heffernan,you are quite wrong.'
"'I may be so, my Lord; but I confess to you I always act from the firstimpulse, and if it suggests regret afterwards, it at least saves troubleat the time.'
"'Heffernan,' said the Secretary, as he calmly read over the lines ofyour letter, 'there are many reasons why you should go: in the firstplace, O'Reilly has really a fair grudge against us, and this note showsthat he has the manliness to forget it. Every line of it bespeaks thegentleman, and I 'll not feel contented with myself until you convey tohim my own sorrow for what is past, and the high sense I entertain ofhis character and conduct.'
"He said a great deal more; enough, if I tell you he induced me torescind my first intention, and to become your guest; and I may say thatI never followed advice the consequences of which have so thoroughlysustained my expectations."
"This is very flattering," said O'Reilly; "it is, indeed, more than Ilooked for; but, as you have been candid with me, I will be as open withyou: I had already made up my mind to retire, for a season at least,from politics. My father, you know, is a very old man, and not withoutthe prejudices that attach to his age; he was always averse to thoseambitious views a public career would open, and a degree of coldnesshad begun to grow up between us in consequence. This estrangement is nowhappily at an end; and in his consenting to our present mode of life andits expenditure, he is, in reality, paying the recompense of his formeropposition. I will not say what changes time may work in my opinion ormy line of acting; but I will pledge myself that, if I do resume thepat
h of public life, you are the very first man I will apprise of theintention."
A cordial shake-hands ratified this compact; and Heffer-nan, who now sawthat the fortress had capitulated, only stipulating for the honorsof war, was about to add something very complimentary, when BeechamO'Reilly galloped up, with his horse splashed and covered with foam.
"Don't you want to hear O'Halloran, Mr. Heffernan?" cried he.
"Yes, by all means."
"Come along, then; don't lose a moment; there's a phaeton ready for youat the door, and if we make haste, we'll be in good time."
O'Reilly whispered a few words in his son's ear, to which the otherreplied, aloud,--
"Oh! quite safe, perfectly safe. He was obliged to join his regiment,and sail at a moment's notice."
"Young Darcy, I presume?" said Heffernan, with a look of maliciousintelligence. But no answer was returned, and O'Reilly continued toconverse eagerly in Beecham's ear.
"Here comes the carriage, Mr. Heffernan," said the young man; "so slipin, and let's be off." And, giving his horse to a servant, he took hisseat beside Heffernan, and drove off at a rapid pace towards the town.
After a quick drive of some miles, they entered the town, and had nonecessity to ask if O'Halloran had begun his address to the jury. Thestreets which led to the square before the court-house, and the squareitself, was actually crammed with country-people, of all sexes and ages;some standing with hats off, or holding their hands close to theirears, but all, in breathless silence, listening to the words of theCounsellor, which were not less audible to those without than within thebuilding.
Nothing short of Beecham O'Reilly's present position in the county,and the fact that the gratification they were then deriving was of hisfamily's procuring for them, could have enabled him to force a passagethrough that dense crowd, which wedged up all the approaches. As it was,he could only advance step by step, the horses and even the pole of thecarriage actually forcing the way through the throng.
As they went thus slowly, the rich tones of the speaker swelled on theair with a clear, distinct, and yet so soft and even musical intonationthat they fell deeply into the hearts of the listeners. He was evidentlybent as much on appealing to those outside the court as to the jury, forhis speech was less addressed to the legal question at issue than tothe social condition of the peasantry; the all but absolutism of alandlord,--the serf-like slavery of a tenantry, dependent on the willor the caprice of the owners of the soil! With the consummate art ofa rhetorician, he first drew the picture of an estate happilycircumstanced, a benevolent landlord surrounded by a contented tenantry,the blessings of the poor man, "rising like the dews of the earth, anddescending again in rain to refresh and fertilize the source it sprangfrom." Not vaguely nor unskilfully, but with thorough knowledge, of hissubject, he descanted on the condition of the peasant, his toils, hisstruggles against poverty and sickness borne with long-suffering andpatience, from the firm trust that, even in this world, his destinieswere committed to no cruel or unfeeling taskmaster. Although generally astudied plainness and even homeliness of language pervaded all he said,yet at times some bold figure, some striking and brilliant metaphor,would escape him, and then, far from soaring--as it might be suspectedhe had--above the comprehension of the hearers, a subdued murmur ofdelight would follow the words, and swelling louder and louder, burstforth at last into one great roar of applause. If a critical ear mightcavil at the incompleteness or inaptitude of his similes, to the warmimagination and excited fancy of the Irish peasant they had no suchblemishes.
It was at the close of a brilliant peroration on this theme, thatHeffernan and Beecham O'Reilly reached the courthouse, and withdifficulty forcing their way, obtained standing-room near the bar.
The orator had paused, and turning round he caught Beecham's eye: theglance exchanged was but of a second's duration, but, brief as it was,it did not escape Heffernan's notice, and with a readiness he knew wellhow to profit by, he assumed a quiet smile, as though to say that he,too, had read its meaning. The young man blushed deeply; whatever hissecret thoughts were, he felt ashamed that another should seem to knowthem, and in a hesitating whisper, said,--
"Perhaps my father has told you--"
A short nod from Heffernan--a gesture to imply anything or nothing--wasall his reply, and Beecham went on,--
"He's going to do it, now."
Heffernan made no answer, but, leaning forward on the rail, settledhimself to listen attentively to the speaker.
"Gentlemen of the jury," said O'Halloran, in a low and deliberate tone,"if the only question I was interested in bringing before you this daywas the cause you sit there to try, I would conclude here. Assured asI feel what your verdict will and must be, I would not add a word more,nor weaken the honest merit of your convictions by anything like anappeal to your feelings. But I cannot do this. The law of the land, inthe plenitude of its liberty, throws wide the door of justice, that allmay enter and seek redress for wrong, and with such evident anxiety thathe who believes himself aggrieved should find no obstacle to his right,and that even he who frivolously and maliciously advances a chargeagainst another suffers no heavier penalty for his offence than thecosts of the suit. No, my Lords, for the valuable moments lost in avexatious cause, for the public time consumed, for insult and outragecast upon the immutable principles of right and wrong, you have nothingmore severe to inflict than the costs of the action!--a pecuniary fine,seldom a heavy one, and not unfrequently to be levied upon insolvency!What encouragement to the spirit of revengeful litigation! Howsuggestive of injury is the system! How deplorable would it be ifthe temple could not be opened without the risk of its altar beingdesecrated! But, happily, there is a remedy--a great and nobleremedy--for an evil like this. The same glorious institutions that havebuilt up for our protection the bulwark of the law, have created anotherbarrier against wrong,--grander, more expansive, and more enduringstill; one neither founded on the variable basis of nationality or oflanguage, nor propped by the artifices of learned, or the subtletiesof crafty men; not following the changeful fortunes of a politicalcondition, or tempered by the tone of the judgment-seat, but of alllands, of every tongue and nation and people, great, enduring, andimmutable,--the law of Public Opinion. To the bar of this judgment-seat,one higher and greater than even your Lordships, I would now summonthe plaintiff in this action. There is no need that I should detailthe charge against him; the accusation he has brought this day is ourindictment,--his allegation is his crime."
The reader, by this time, may partake of Mr. Heffernan's prescience, anddivine what the secret intelligence between the Counsellor and Beechamportended, and that a long-meditated attack on the Knight of Gwynne, inall the relations of his public and private life, was the chief dutyof Mr. O'Halloran in the action. Taking a lesson from the great andillustrious chief of a neighboring state, O'Reilly felt that Usurpationcan never be successful till Legitimacy becomes odious. The "prestige"of the "old family" clung too powerfully to every class in the countyto make his succession respected. His low origin was too recent, hismoneyed dealings too notorious, to gain him acceptance, except on theruins of the Darcys. The new edifice of his own fame must be erected outof the scattered and broken materials of his rival's house. If any onewas well calculated to assist in such an emergency, it was O'Halloran.
It was by--to use his own expression--"weeding the country of such men"that the field would be opened for that new class of politicians whowere to issue their edicts in newspapers, and hold their parliaments inpublic meetings. Against exclusive or exaggerated loyalty the strugglewould be violent, but not difficult; while against moderation, soundsense and character, the Counsellor well knew the victory was not soeasy of attainment. He himself, therefore, had a direct personal objectin this attack on the Knight of Gwynne, and gladly accepted the specialretainer that secured his services.
By a series of artful devices, he so arranged his case that the Knightof Gwynne did not appear as an injured individual seeking redressagainst the collusive gu
ilt of his agent and his tenantry, but as aruined gambler, endeavoring to break the leases he had himself grantedand guaranteed, and, by an act of perfidy, involve hundreds of innocentfamilies in hopeless beggary. To the succor of these unprotected peopleMr. Hickman O'Reilly was represented as coming forward, this nobleact of devotion being the first pledge he had offered of what might beexpected from him as the future leader of a great county.
He sketched with a masterly but diabolical ingenuity the whole careerof the Knight, representing him at every stage of life as the pamperedvoluptuary seeking means for fresh enjoyment without a thought of theconsequences; he exhibited him dispensing, not the graceful dutiesof hospitality, but the reckless waste of a tasteless household, tocounterbalance by profusion the insolent hauteur of his wife, "thatsame Lady Eleanor who would not deign to associate with the wives anddaughters of his neighbors!" "I know not," cried the orator, "whetheryou were more crushed by _his_ gold or by _her_ insolence: it was timethat you should weary of both. You took the wealth on trust, and therank on guess,--what now remains of either?"
He drew a frightful picture of a suffering and poverty-enslavedtenantry, sinking fast into barbarism from hopelessness,--unhappily, noIrishman need depend upon his imagination for the sketch. He contrastedthe hours of toil and sickness with the wanton spendthrift in hispleasures,--the gambler setting the fate of families on the die,reserving for his last hope the consolation that he might still betraythose whom he had ruined, land that when he had dissipated the lastshilling of his fortune, he still had the resource of putting his honorup to auction! "And who is there will deny that he did this?" criedO'Halloran. "Is there any man in the kingdom has not heard of hisconduct in Parliament--that foul act of treachery which the justice ofHeaven stigmatized by his ruin! How on the very night of the debate hewas actually on his way to inflict the last wound upon his country, whenthe news came of his own overwhelming destruction! And, like as you haveseen sometime in our unhappy land the hired informer transferred fromthe witness-table to the dock, this man stands now forth to answer forhis own offences!
"It was full time that the rotten edifice of this feudalist gentryshould fall; honor to you on whom the duty devolves to roll away thefirst stone!"
A slight movement in the crowd behind the bar disturbed the silence inwhich the Court listened to the speaker, and a murmur of disapprobationwas heard, when a hand, stretched forth, threw a little slip of paper onthe table before O'Halloran. It was addressed to him; and believing itcame from the attorney in the cause, he paused to read it. Suddenly hisfeatures became of an ashy paleness, his lip trembled convulsively, andin a voice scarcely audible from emotion, he addressed the bench,--
"My Lords, I ask the protection of this Court. I implore your Lordshipsto see that an advocate, in the discharge of his duty, is not the markof an assassin. I have just received this note--" He attempted to readit, but after a pause of a second or two, unable to utter a word, hehanded the paper to the bench.
The judge perused the paper, and immediately whispered an order thatthe writer, or at least the bearer, of the note should be taken intocustody.
"You may rest assured, sir," said the senior judge, addressingO'Halloran, "that we will punish the offender, if he be discovered,with the utmost penalty the law permits. Mr. Sheriff, let the court besearched."
The sub-sheriff was already, with the aid of a strong police force,engaged in the effort to discover the individual who had thus dared tointerfere with the administration of justice; but all in vain. The courtand the galleries were searched without eliciting anything that couldlead to detection; and although several were taken up on suspicion, theywere immediately afterwards liberated on being recognized as personswell known and in repute. Meanwhile the business of the trial stoodstill, and O'Halloran, with his arms folded, and his brows bent in asullen frown, sat without speaking, or noticing any one around him.
The curiosity to know the exact words the paper contained was meanwhileextreme, and a thousand absurd versions gained currency; for, in theabsence of all fact, invention was had recourse to. "Young Darcy ishere,--he was seen this morning on the mail,--it was he himself gave theletter." Such were among the rumors around; while Con Hefferman, coollytapping his snuff-box, asked one of the lawyers near him, but in a voiceplainly audible on either side, "I hope our friend Bagenal Daly is well;have you seen him lately?"
From that moment an indistinct murmur ran through the crowd that it wasDaly had come back to "the West" to challenge the bar, and the wholebench, if necessary. Many added that there could no longer be any doubtof the fact, as Mr. Heffernan had seen and spoken to him.
Order was at last restored; but so completely had this new incidentabsorbed all the interest of the trial, that already the galleries beganto thin, and of the great crowd that filled the body of the court, manyhad taken their departure. The Counsellor arose, agitated and evidentlydisconcerted, to finish his task: he spoke, indeed, indignantly of thelate attempt to coerce the free expression of the advocate "by a brutalthreat;" but the theme seemed one he felt no pleasure in dwelling upon,and he once more addressed himself to the facts of the case.
The judge charged briefly; and the jury, without retiring from the box,brought in a verdict for Hickman O'Reilly.
When the judges retired to unrobe, a messenger of the court summonedO'Halloran to their chamber. His absence was very brief; but when hereturned his face was paler, and his manner more disturbed than ever,notwithstanding an evident effort to seem at ease and unconcerned. Bythis time Hickman O'Reilly had arrived in the town, and Heffernan wascomplimenting the Counsellor on the admirable display of his speech.
"I regret sincerely that the delicate nature of the position in which Istood prevented my hearing you," said O'Reilly, shaking his hand.
"You have indeed had a great loss," said Heffernan; "a more brilliantdisplay I never listened to."
"Well, sir," interposed the little priest of Curraghglass, who, notaltogether to the Counsellor's satisfaction, had now slipped an arminside of his, "I hope the evil admits of remedy; Mr. O'Halloran intendsto address a few words to the people before he leaves the town."
Whether it was the blank look that suddenly O'Reilly's features assumed,or the sly malice that twinkled in Heffernan's gray eyes, or that hisown feelings suggested the course, but the Counsellor hastily whispereda few words in the priest's ear, the only audible portion of which wasthe conclusion: "Be that as it may, I 'll not do it."
"I 'm ready now, Mr. O'Reilly," said he, turning abruptly round.
"My father has gone over to say good-bye to the judges," said Beecham;"but I'll drive you back to the abbey,--the carriage is now at thedoor."
With a few more words in a whisper to the priest, O'Halloran moved onwith young O'Reilly towards the door.
"Only think, sir," said Father John, dropping behind with Heffernan,from whose apparent intimacy with O'Halloran he augured a similarity ofpolitics, "it is the first time the Counsellor was ever in our town,the people have been waiting since two o'clock to hear him on the'veto,'--sorra one of them knows what the same 'veto' is,--but it willbe a cruel disappointment to see him leave the place without so much assaying a word."
"Do you think a short address from _me_ would do instead?" saidHeffernan, slyly; "I know pretty well what's doing up in Dublin."
"Nothing could be better, sir," said Father John, in ecstasy; "if theCounsellor would just introduce you in a few words, and say that, fromgreat fatigue, or a sore throat, or anything that way, he deputed hisfriend Mr.--"
"Heffernan's my name."
"His friend Mr. Heffernan to state his views about the 'veto,'--mind,it must be the 'veto,'-you can touch on the reform in Parliament, theoppression of the penal laws, but the 'veto' will bring a cheer thatwill beat them all."
"You had better hint the thing to the Counsellor," said Heffernan; "I amready whenever you want me."
As the priest stepped forward to make the communication to O'Halloran,that gentleman, leaning on Beecham O'Rei
lly's arm, had just reachedthe steps of the courthouse, where now a considerable police-force wasstationed,--a measure possibly suggested by O'Reilly himself.
The crowd, on catching sight of the Counsellor, cheered vociferously;and, although they were not without fears that he intended to departwithout speaking, many averred that he would address them from thecarriage. Before Father John could make known his request, a young man,dressed in a riding-costume, burst through the line of police, and,springing up the steps, seized O'Halloran by the collar.
"I gave you a choice, sir," said he, "and you made it;" and at the sameinstant, with a heavy horsewhip, struck him several times across theshoulders, and even the face. So sudden was the movement, and so violentthe assault, that, although a man of great personal strength, O'Halloranhad received several blows almost before he could defend himself,and when he had rallied, his adversary, though much lighter and lessmuscular, showed in skill, at least, he was his superior. The struggle,however, was not to end here; for the mob, now seeing their favoritechampion attacked, with a savage howl of vengeance dashed forward, andthe police, well aware that the youth would be torn limb from limb,formed a line in front of him with fixed bayonets. For a few momentsthe result was doubtful; nor was it until more than one retired into thecrowd bleeding and wounded, that the mob desisted, or limited their rageto yells of vengeance.
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Meanwhile the Counsellor was pulled back within the court-house by hiscompanions, and the young man secured by two policemen,--a circumstancewhich went far to allay the angry tempest of the people without.
As, pale and powerless from passion, his livid cheek marked with a deepblue welt, O'Halloran sat in one of the waiting-rooms of the court,O'Reilly and his son endeavored, as well as they could, to calm down hisrage; expressing, from time to time, their abhorrence of the indignityoffered, and the certain penalty that awaited the offender. O'Hallorannever spoke; he tried twice to utter something, but the words died awaywithout sound, and he could only point to his cheek with a tremblingfinger, while his eyes glared like the red orbs of a tiger.
As they stood thus, Heffernan slipped noiselessly behind O'Reilly, andsaid in his ear,--
"Get him off to the abbey; your son will take care of him. I havesomething for yourself to hear."
O'Reilly nodded significantly, and then, turning, said a few words in alow, persuasive tone to O'Halloran, concluding thus: "Yes, by all means,leave the whole affair in my hands. I 'll have no difficulty in making abench. The town is full of my brother magistrates."
"On every account I would recommend this course, sir," said Heffernan,with one of those peculiarly meaning looks by which he so well knew howto assume a further insight into any circumstance than his neighborspossessed.
"I will address the people," cried O'Halloran, breaking his long silencewith a deep and passionate utterance of the words; "they shall see inme the strong evidence of the insolent oppression of that faction thatrules this country; I 'll make the land ring with the tyranny thatwould stifle the voice of justice, and make the profession of the bar aforlorn hope to every man of independent feeling."
"The people have dispersed already," said Beecham, as he came back fromthe door of the court; "the square is quite empty."
"Yes, I did that," whispered Heffernan in O'Reilly's ear; "I made theservant put on the Counsellor's greatcoat, and drive rapidly off towardsthe abbey. The carriage is now, however, at the back entrance to thecourt-house; so, by all means, persuade him to return."
"When do you propose bringing the fellow up for examination, Mr.O'Reilly?" said O'Halloran, as he arose from his seat.
"To-morrow morning. I have given orders to summon a full bench ofmagistrates, and the affair shall be sifted to the bottom."
"You may depend upon that, sir," said the Counsellor, sternly. "Now I'll go back with you, Mr. Beecham O'Reilly." So saying, he moved towardsa private door of the building, where the phaeton was in waiting,and, before any attention was drawn to the spot, he was seated in thecarriage, and the horses stepping out at a fast pace towards home.
"It's not Bagenal Daly?" said O'Reilly, the very moment he saw thecarriage drive off.
"No, no!" said Heffernan, smiling.
"Nor the young Darcy,--the captain?"
"Nor him either. It's a young fellow we have been seeking for in vainthe last month. His name is Forester."
"Not Lord Castlereagh's Forester?"
"The very man. You may have met him here as Darcy's guest?"
O'Reilly nodded.
"What makes the affair worse is that the relationship with Castlereaghwill be taken up as a party matter by O'Halloran's friends in the press;they will see a Castle plot, where, in reality, there is nothing toblame save the rash folly of a hot-headed boy."
"What is to be done?" said O'Reilly, putting his hand to his forehead,in his embarrassment to think of some escape from the difficulty.
"I see but one safe issue,--always enough to any question, if men haveresolution to adopt it."
"Let me hear what you counsel," said O'Reilly, as he cast a searchingglance at his astute companion.
"Get him off as fast as you can."
"O'Halloran! You mistake him, Mr. Heffernan; he'll prosecute thebusiness to the end."
"I'm speaking of Forester," said Heffernan, dryly; "it is _his_ absenceis the important matter at this moment."
"I confess I am myself unable to appreciate your view of the case," saidO'Reilly, with a cunning smile; "the policy is a new one to me whichteaches that a magistrate should favor the escape of a prisoner who hasjust insulted one of his own friends."
"I may be able to explain my meaning to your satisfaction," saidHeffernan, as, taking O'Reilly's arm, he spoke for some time in a lowbut earnest manner. "Yes," said he, aloud, "your son Beecham was theobject of this young man's vengeance; chance alone turned his anger onthe Counsellor. His sole purpose in 'the West' was to provoke your sonto a duel, and I know well what the result of your proceedings to-morrowwould effect. Forester would not accept of his liberty on bail, norwould he enter into a security on his part to keep the peace. You willbe forced, actually forced, to commit a young man of family and highposition to a gaol; and what will the world say? That in seekingsatisfaction for a very gross outrage on the character of his friend, ayoung Englishman of high family was sent to prison! In Ireland, the talewill tell badly; _we_ always have more sympathy than censure forsuch offenders. In England, how many will know of his friendsand connections, who never heard of your respectable bench ofmagistrates,--will it be very wonderful if they side with theircountryman against the stranger?"
"How am I to face O'Halloran if I follow this counsel?" said O'Reilly,with a thoughtful but embarrassed air. "Then, as to Lord Castlereagh,"continued Heffernan, not heeding the question, "he will take yourinterference as a personal and particular favor. There never was a morefavorable opportunity for you to disconnect yourself with the wholeaffair. The hired advocate may calumniate as he will, but he can showno collusion or connivance on your part. I may tell you, in confidence,that a more indecent and gross attack was never uttered than this samespeech. I heard it, and from the beginning to the end it was a tissue ofvulgarity and falsehood. Oh! I know what you would say: I complimentedthe speaker on his success, and all that; so I did, perfectly true, andhe understood me, too,--there is no greater impertinence, perhaps,than in telling a man that you mistook his bad cider for champagne! Butenough of him. You may have all the benefit, if there be such, of thetreason, and yet never rub shoulders with the traitor. You see I ameager on this point, and I confess I am very much so. Your son Beechamcould not have a worse enemy in the world of Club and Fashion than thissame Forester; he knows and is known to everybody."
"But I cannot perceive how the thing is to be done," broke in O'Reilly,pettishly; "you seem to forget that O'Halloran is not the man to be putoff with any lame, disjointed story."
"Easily enough," said Heffernan, coolly; "there is no difficultywhatever. You can blunder in
the warrant of his committal; you candesignate him by a wrong Christian name; call him Robert, not Richard;he may be admitted to bail, and the sum a low one. The rest followsnaturally; or, better than all, let some other magistrate-you surelyknow more than one to aid in such a pinch--take the case upon himself,and make all the necessary errors; that's the best plan."
"Conolly, perhaps," said O'Reilly, musingly; "he is a great friend ofDarcy's, and would risk something to assist this young fellow."
"Well thought of," cried Heffernan, slapping him on the shoulder;"just give me a line of introduction to Mr. Conolly on one of yourvisiting-cards, and leave the rest to me."
"If I yield to you in this business, Mr. Heffernan," said O'Reilly,as he sat down to write, "I assure you it is far more from my implicitconfidence in your skill to conduct it safely to the end, than fromany power of persuasion in your arguments. O'Halloran is a formidableenemy."
"You never were more mistaken in your life," said Heffernan, laughing,"such men are only noxious by the terror they inspire; they are therattlesnakes of the world of mankind, always giving notice of theirapproach, and never dangerous to the prudent. He alone is to be dreadedwho, tiger-like, utters no cry till his victim is in his fangs."
There was a savage malignity in the way these words were utteredthat made O'Reilly almost shudder. Heffernan saw the emotion he hadunguardedly evoked, and, laughing, said,--
"Well, am I to hold over the remainder of my visit to the abbey as adebt unpaid? for I really have no fancy to let you off so cheaply."
"But you are coming back with me, are you not?"
"Impossible! I must take charge of this foolish boy, and bring him up toDublin; I only trust I have a vested right to come back and see you at afuture day."
O'Reilly responded to the proposition with courteous warmth; and withmutual pledges, perhaps of not dissimilar sincerity, they parted,--theone to his own home, the other to negotiate in a different quarter andin a very different spirit of diplomacy.
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. 2 (of 2) Page 4