MacCarthy more, or, The fortunes of an Irish chief in the reign of ...

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158 MacCartiiy More; or,
that now remained, and even tliis poor retinue their
master found it hard to support. He had even
raised mortgages on some of his [ands, still lioping
that tlie day might soon eome when, restored to
home and freedom, lie could retrieve his fast-
breaking fortunes.
Vain, alas ! his hopes !—jMontli followed montli,
and matters grew worse instead of better. Florence
was still a prisoner, notwithstanding his earnest pe-
tition to the Queen,—less and less grew the remit-
tances from ruined Ireland, and the temporary ex-
pedients, whereby the harassed chieftain had hith-
erto eked them out, began at last to fail ; he could
not go on mortgaging for ever, and he had borrowed
so often that he had well nigh exhausted that wretch-
ed source of supply. To crown his misery he saw his
cheiished wife pining, day by day, pining like a
prisoned dove, for air and sunshine, for her own free
hills and streams, and. the world of beauty that lay
around her ancestral home. Debarred by her pre-
sent condition from appearing at court, or visiting
the few friends she had in London, Lady Ellen w^as
virtually a prisoner in the heart of smoky London.
This restraint anvl the many inconveniences to
^ ''ii(
she was subjected were trying enough to tL I's
daughter, and truth to tell, she felt them , but
worse than all was the separation from her mo> aer
even when a mother's loving care was most needed.
Under such circumstances it is not strange that the
young lady became more petulant and more irrita*