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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1839 Excerpt:...A TRIAL BY BATTLE. When De Lacy entered the house, he left Rory standing without, looking after the spiteful old tinker, with his teeth set and his hand clenched; and could he at the moment have encountered Regan, and had his blow been gifted with death, he would have struck him--so fearfully are generous natures excited on the sudden by insult; for, that the malicious story emanated from Regan, he had no doubt. But a few minutes calmed the fierceness of his passion, though he changed not his belief as to the promulgator of the scandal; and when he reflected that it was the brother of the girl he loved, who was the offender, it perplexed him how to act under the circumstances. Should he tamely submit to such an insinuation against his character? Against this his nature rebelled; yet to make a wider breach with Regan, was what he could wish to escape, for Kathleen's sake. To balance these considerations quietly in his own mind, he walked down to the river, where, undisturbed, he might take a ruminating ramble. In the mean while, De Welskein was closeted with De Lacy, who, when he heard the charge against Rory, connected with the singularity of the words he had overheard the tinker utter, and Rory's seeming confusion at the time, was shaken for a moment by the suddenness and distinctness of the accusation against him; but as soon as he had time to recover from the surprise, his better judgment acquitted Rory of the guilt with which he was charged. He told De Welskein it was impossible; that he knew Rory well, that he was of a chivalrous nature above the taint of so foul a thing as treachery, and he would stake his life on his fidelity. "You've done that already," said De Welskein. "And would do it again," replied De Lacy. "You don't k...