ayson; and that there may,
I pray God this day; meadows an' all--O above all, the meadows, for I'm
not in the hay business myself."

"So," said Murray, laughing, "you would cut off your nose to vex your
face."

"I would any day, even if should suffer myself by it; and now good-bye,
Jemmy Murray, to the dioual I pitch the whole thing! Rapin' hooks!"
And as he spoke, off went the furious little extortioner, irretrievably
offended.

The subject of Margaret's marriage, however, was on that precise period
one on which her father and friends had felt and expressed much concern.
Many proposals had been made for her hand during Art's apprenticeship;
but each and all not only without success, but without either hope or
encouragement. Her family were surprised and grieved at this, and the
more so, because they could not divine the cause of it. Upon the subject
of her attachment to Maguire, she not only preserved an inviolable
silence herself, but exacted a solemn promise from her lover that he
should not disclose it to any human being. Her motive, she said, for
keeping their affection and engagement to each other secret, was to
avoid being harassed at home by her friends and family, who, being once
aware of the relation in which she stood towards Art, would naturally
give her little peace. She knew very well that her relations would not
consent to such a union, and, in point of mere prudence and forethought,
her conduct was right, for she certainly avoided much intemperate
remonstrance, as afterwards proved to be the case when she mentioned it.
Her father on this occasion having amused them at home by relating the
tift which had taken place between Cooney Finnigan and himself, which
was received with abundant mirth by them all, especially by Margaret,
seriously introduced the subject of her marriage, and of a recent
proposal which had been made to her.

"You are the only unmarried girl we have left now," he said, "and surely
you ought neither to be too proud nor too saucy to refuse such a match
as Mark Hanratty--a young man in as thrivin' a business as there is in
all Ballykeerin; hasn't he a good shop, good business, and a good back
of friends in the country that will stand to him, an' only see how he
has thruv these last couple o' years. What's come over you at all? or do
you ever intend to marry? you have refused every one for so far widout
either rhyme or raison. Why, Peggy, what father's timper could stand
this work?"