In the meantime, the baronet's trial, which was in a political, indeed, we might say, a national point of view, of far more importance than Reilly's, was to come on next day.

In the general extent of notoriety or fame, Reilly had got in advance--though not much--of his implacable rival.

The two trials were, in fact, so closely united by the relative position of the parties that public opinion was strangely and strongly divided between them.

Reilly and his _Cooleen Bawn_ had, by the unhappy peculiarity of their fate, excited the interest of all the youthful and loving part of society--an interest which was necessarily reflected upon Whitecraft, as Reilly's rival, independently of the hold which his forthcoming fate had upon grave and serious politicians.

Reilly's leading counsel, Fox, a man of great judgment and ability, gave it as his opinion that in consequence of the exacerbated state of feeling produced against the Catholics by the prosecution of Whitecraft--to appease whom, the opinion went that it was instituted--it seemed unlikely that Reilly had a single chance.