" After receiving Flora's answers to a few brief questions, she stationed herself within sight of the outer door, that she might ask Fitzgerald for more minute directions concerning what they were to do.

"How noble and kind Mr. Fitzgerald is, to wish to marry me now that everything is so changed!" "You are not changed, darling," she replied; "except that I think you are a little better, and that seemed unnecessary.

Mr. Fitzgerald charged me not to let you go out of doors.

Mr. Fitzgerald appeared to take no share in the excitement.

The scenery of the South was in the full glory of June, when Mr. Fitzgerald, Rosa, and Floracita were floating up the Savannah River in a boat manned by negroes, who ever and anon waked the stillness of the woods with snatches of wild melody.

But when Mr. Fitzgerald heard of it, he interdicted such visits in the future.

"I thought you wouldn't have much difficulty, for there are only two plantations on the island, this and Mr. Fitzgerald's.

Fearing that Mr. Fitzgerald's suspicions might be excited by an apparent cessation of correspondence, she continued to write occasionally under cover to him, in a style adapted to his views, in case he should take a fancy to open the letters.

What the devil can you ask more?" exclaimed Fitzgerald.

All at once he said, "Fitzgerald, did you ever find those handsome octoroon girls?" "What octoroon girls?" inquired the other.

" There was a momentary silence before Mr. Fitzgerald answered, "One of them is dead.

" "She is not in strong health at present," rejoined Fitzgerald.

One day Mrs. Fitzgerald and her mother received an invitation to the Welby plantation, to meet some Northern acquaintances who were there; and as Mrs. Fitzgerald's strength was not yet fully restored, Mrs. Welby proposed that they should remain all night.

Mr. Duroy went on to speak of Tom's visit to Madame; and slowly and cautiously he prepared the way for his account of the conversation between Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Bruteman.

The day after the second appearance of the Señorita Campaneo, Mrs. Delano was surprised by another call from the Fitzgeralds.

"Did your friends the Fitzgeralds return with you?" inquired Mrs. Delano.

Notes: [Footnote 125: Mr. Froude says four great familiesthe Fitzgeralds of Kildare, the Boyles, the Ponsonbys, and the Beresfordsreturned a majority of the House of Commons ("English in Ireland," ii., 5); and besides those peers, the arrangement for the Union proved that the influence of the Loftuses and the Hills fell little short of them.]

Of these the Fitzgeralds, Carews, Barrys, and Cogans, are descended from her first husband, Gerald of Windsor.

Maurice Fitzgerald, the eldest of the brothers, became the ancestor both of the Earls of Kildare and Desmond; William, the younger, obtained an immense grant of land in Kerry from the McCarthys, indeed as time went on the lordship of the Desmond Fitzgeralds grew larger and larger, until it covered nearly as much ground as many a small European kingdom.

The White Knight, the Knight of Glyn, and the Knight of Kerry were all three Fitzgeralds, all descended from the same root, and all owned large tracts of country.

Allen, the archbishop, and the great enemy of the Fitzgeralds made an attempt to escape to England, but was caught and savagely murdered by some of the Geraldine adherents upon the sea coast near Clontarf.

The Pale, however, had now caught the fire, and though Kildare, its natural leader, still hung back, Lord Baltinglass and some of the bolder spirits flew to arms, and threw themselves into the Wicklow highlands where they joined their forces with those of the O'Byrnes, and were presently joined by Sir John of Desmond and a handful of Fitzgeralds.

It will be time enough to compare La Vendée with Ireland when the peasantry take the field against the British Government with Beresfords, Fitzgeralds, and Bourkes at their head.

Next door to Marna there was a young Irishwoman of whom the Fitzgeralds saw a good deal, the mother of five little children, with not more than sixteen months between the ages of any of them.

She told him about her dinner with the Fitzgeralds and about the opera, but she held back her discovery, so to speak, of the baby, and the episode of Marna's wistful tears when she heard the music, and her amazing volte-face at remembering the baby's feeding-time.