had been a grief and pain that he should never have heard from his
father, who, it now appeared, had been prevented by death from
ever communicating with him.

The officers received him cordially. They had little doubt that he
was the son of the Murroch Kennedy, of Dillon's regiment,
although, after they separated, some wonder was expressed as to
the reason why the latter had committed his son to the care of so
notorious a traitor as John O'Carroll.

Desmond had been specially introduced to two of the young
lieutenants, Patrick O'Neil and Phelim O'Sullivan, and these took
him off with them to their quarters.

"And what is the last news from Ireland? I suppose that the
confiscations have ceased, for the excellent reason that they have
seized the estates of every loyal gentleman in the country?"

"That was done long ago, in the neighbourhood of Kilkargan, and,
so far as I know, everywhere the feeling is as bitter as ever,
among those who have been dispossessed, and also among the tenants
and peasantry, who have found themselves handed over to the
mercies of Dutchmen, or other followers of William. At Kilkargan
there was not that grievance; but, although they had still one of
the old family as their master, they could not forgive him for
deserting to the side of the usurper, nor for changing his
religion in order to do pleasure to William. Certainly, he can
have derived but little satisfaction from the estates. He seldom
showed himself out of doors, never without two or three armed
servants, all of whom were strangers from the north, and he was