It went to my heart to see the two poor rooms into which I was ushered-- one occupied as a bedroom and sitting-room by the old couple, the other as a kitchen and bedroom by Biddy. The walls were plain plaster, behind which you could hear rats running. The ceiling was low and black with smoke, the windows small and broken. The furniture, once good, was faded and in rents; and the few luxuries, such as books and pictures, looked so forlorn that the place would have seemed more comfortable without them. All this I took in as I advanced into the room at Biddy's heels. "Plaze, yer honour, this is Barry Gallagher from Knockowen with a message for yez." Mr Lestrange sat dozing beside the fire, with a _Moniteur_ on his knee. His wife, a sweet and placid-looking woman, sat opposite him knitting. At the sound of Biddy's announcement both started to their feet. "A message!" exclaimed Mr Lestrange; "what message?" "None too cheery," said I, anxious not to raise false hopes. I then recounted my adventures by the road, and ended up with reciting the contents (or most of them) of the letter from my lady at Knockowen. I took care to omit the little sentence about Miss Kit's interest in Captain Lestrange's movements, which did not seem to me worth recalling. Mr Lestrange's face fell heavily as he heard me out. "No money!" he groaned. "We are still penned here. Yes, to be sure, you did well to destroy the letter. I thought Alice would have sent something--" "Maybe she will bring some help with her," said his lady. The selfish old man laughed bitterly. "She brings herself and her girl--a pretty help in times like these. Thank God, there is no room in the house for them!" "You forget they cannot have heard of our losses. When last they heard of us we had received Gorman's money for the mortgage, and were in comfort. It is since then that all has been confiscated." "That mortgage was robbery itself," said Mr Lestrange. "Gorman knew I was hard hit, and not likely to stand out for a bargain, and he took advantage of it. The estates are worth treble what he gave." "That is past and gone," said the lady. "We must be patient. Perhaps Felix will help us." "My nephew is a selfish man," said the old gentleman; "besides, he has but his pay. And now he has no expectations from us we need not expect him to come near us." All this talk went on while Biddy and I stood near, hearing it all. At last the sturdy Biddy could stand it no longer. "Hoot! take shame to yourself, Mr Lestrange. Thank God you're not one of the fifty that ride in the tumbrel the morrow; thank God you've got a sweet wife that will bear with your grumblings; and thank God you've got a body like me that's not afraid to tell you what I think of yez. Hold yer tongue now, and get to your beds."