‘Of myself and of him. I do not say I love this man; but I do say his conduct now shall decide if he be worth loving. There’s the bell for dinner. You shall hear all I have to say this evening. What an interest it gives to life, even this much of plot and peril! Short of being with the rebel himself, Kate, and sharing his dangers, I know of nothing could have given me such delight.’ She turned back as she left the door, and said, ‘Make Mr. Walpole take you down to dinner to-day; I shall take Mr. O’Shea’s arm, or your brother’s.’ The address of Archibald Casey, which Nina had used on this occasion, was that of a well-known solicitor in Dublin, whose Conservative opinions placed him above all suspicion or distrust. One of his clients, however--a certain Mr. Maher--had been permitted to have letters occasionally addressed to him to Casey’s care; and Maher, being an old college friend of Donogan’s, afforded him this mode of receiving letters in times of unusual urgency or danger. Maher shared very slightly in Donogan’s opinions. He thought the men of the National party not only dangerous in themselves, but that they afforded a reason for many of the repressive laws which Englishmen passed with reference to Ireland. A friendship of early life, when both these young men were college students, had overcome such scruples, and Donogan had been permitted to have many letters marked simply with a D., which were sent under cover to Maher. This facility had, however, been granted so far back as ‘47, and had not been renewed in the interval, during which time the Archibald Casey of that period had died, and been succeeded by a son with the same name as his father. When Nina, on looking over Donogan’s note-book, came upon this address, she saw also some almost illegible words, which implied that it was only to be employed as the last resort, or had been so used--a phrase she could not exactly determine what it meant. The present occasion--so emergent in every way--appeared to warrant both haste and security; and so, under cover to S. Maher, she wrote to Donogan in these words:-- ‘I send you the words, in the original handwriting, of the instructions with regard to you. You will do what your honour and your conscience dictate. Do not write to me; the public papers will inform me what your decision has been, and I shall be satisfied, however it incline. I rely upon you to burn the inclosure.’