I04 GARRYOWEN 



county, was pretty much under the thumb of the 

 Tyrant. But he was, unlike French, a diplomat. 



" That's Hennessey," said Mr French, when the 

 turning of the road suddenly showed them the 

 long, straggling street of Drumboyne, the market 

 cross,- the hounds, the master and his whips, and 

 about two dozen horsemen, mounted on all sorts 

 and conditions of nags, all congregated about the 

 cross. " We're just in time. The first meet of 

 the season, too, and a grand day for the scent." 



Violet Grimshaw, who had never until this seen 

 a meet of the hounds, except in the illustrated 

 papers, looked before her with interest, not unmixed 

 with amusement, at the crowd surrounding the cross. 



All sorts of rabble had gathered from north, 

 south, east and west. Gossoons without a shoe 

 to their feet; chaps from " over bey ant the big 

 bog " in knee-breeches, and armed with shil- 

 lelaghs; dirty Kttle girls dragging younger sisters 

 by the hand to have a look at the " houn's " ; 

 Father Roche, from Cloyne, who had stopped to 

 say a cheery word to Hennessey ; Long Doolan, 

 the rat-catcher, in an old red waistcoat; Billy 

 Sheelan of the station inn, the same who had 

 directed Mr Dashwood on his fishing expedition, 

 and who, by popular report, was ruining his mother 

 and " di'inking the inn dry " — all these, and a lot 

 more, were chattering and laughing, shouting one 

 to the other and giving advice to the Hunt ser- 

 vants, when French and his companion, rounding 

 the turn of the road, made their appearance. 



