Dwyer. I must, therefore, suppose his
motives to have originated out of
circumstances connected with this story which
may not have come to my ear, and perhaps
never will.

Colonel O'Mara felt the death of his
son more deeply than I should have
thought possible; but that son had been
the last being who had continued to
interest his cold heart. Perhaps the pride
which he felt in his child had in it more of
selfishness than of any generous feeling.
But, be this as it may, the melancholy
circumstances connected with Ellen
Heathcote had reached him, and his
conduct towards her proved, more strongly
than anything else could have done, that
he felt keenly and justly, and, to a certain
degree, with a softened heart, the fatal
event of which she had been, in some
manner, alike the cause and the victim.

He evinced not towards her, as might
have been expected, any unreasonable
resentment. On the contrary, he exhibited
great consideration, even tenderness, for
her situation; and having ascertained
where his son had placed her, he issued
strict orders that she should not be