t out, and in a few minutes returned, bringing Anty with
her, trembling from head to foot. The poor young woman had not exactly
heard what had passed between the attorney and the mother and her son,
but she knew very well that his visit had reference to her, and that it
was in some way connected with her brother. She had, therefore, been in
a great state of alarm since Meg and Jane had left her alone. When Mrs
Kelly came into the little room where she was sitting, and told her
that Mr Daly had come to Dunmore on purpose to see her, her first
impulse was to declare that she wouldn't go to him; and had she done
so, the widow would not have pressed her. But she hesitated, for she
didn't like to refuse to do anything which her friend asked her; and
when Mrs Kelly said, "Martin says as how the man can't hurt you, Anty,
so you'd betther jist hear what it is he has to say," she felt that she
had no loophole of escape, and got up to comply.

"But mind, Anty," whispered the cautious widow, as her hand was on the
parlour door, "becase this Daly is wanting to speak to you, that's no
rason you should be wanting to spake to him; so, if you'll be said by
me, you'll jist hould your tongue, and let him say on."

Fully determined to comply with this prudent advice, Anty followed the
old woman, and, curtseying at Daly without looking at him, sat herself
down in the middle of the old sofa, with her hands crossed before her.

"Anty," said Martin, making great haste to speak, before Daly could
commence, and then checking himself as he remembered that he shouldn't
have ventured on the familiarity of calling her by her Christian name
in Daly's presence--"Miss Lynch, I mane--as Mr Daly here has come all
the way from Tuam on purpose to spake to you, it wouldn't perhaps be
manners in you to let him go back without hearing him. But remember,
whatever your brother says, or whatever Mr Daly says for him--and it's
all--one you're still your own mistress, free to act and to spake, to
come and to go; and that neither the one nor the other can hurt you, or
mother, or me, nor anybody belonging to us."

"God knows," said Daly, "I want to have no hand in hurting any of you;
but, to tell the truth, Martin, it would be well for Miss Lynch to have
a better adviser than you or she may get herself, and, what she'll
think more of, she'll get her friends--maning you, Mrs Kelly, and your
family--into a heap of throubles."

"Oh, God forbid, thin!" exclaimed An