lly
believed that she saw it move. Fear of incurring the displeasure of what
it contained, and a superstitious reluctance harshly to thrust a person
from her door who had eaten of her food, prevented her from desiring the
woman to depart.

"In the name of Goodness," she replied, "I will have nothing to do wid
your gift. Providence, blessed be His name, has done well for me an'
mine; an' it mightn't be right to go beyant what it has pleased _Him_ to
give me."

"A rational sentiment!--I mean there's good sense in what you say,"
answered the stranger: "but you need not be afraid," and she accompanied
the expression by holding up the bottle and kneeling. "Now," she added,
"listen to me, and judge for yourself, if what I say, when I swear it,
can be a lie." She then proceeded to utter oaths of the most solemn
nature, the purport of which was to assure Mrs Sullivan that drinking of
the bottle would be attended with no danger.

"You see this little bottle? Drink it. Oh, for my sake and your own,
drink it; it will give wealth without end to you and to all belonging to
you. Take one-half of it before sunrise, and the other half when he goes
down. You must stand while drinking it, with your face to the east, in
the morning; and at night, to the west. Will you promise to do thus?"

"How would drinkin' the bottle get me money?" inquired Mrs Sullivan, who
certainly felt a strong tendency of heart to the wealth.

"That I can't tell you now, nor would you understand it, even if I
could; but you will know all when what I say is complied with."

"Keep your bottle, dacent woman. I wash my hands out of it: the saints
above guard me from the timptation! I'm sure it's not right, for as I'm
a sinner, 'tis gettin' stronger every minute widin me! Keep it! I'm loth
to bid any one that _ett_ o' my bread to go from my hearth, but if you
go, I'll make it worth your while. Saints above! what's comin' over me?
In my whole life I never had such a hankerin' afther money! Well, well,
but it's quare entirely!"

"Will you drink it?" asked her companion. "If it does hurt or harm to
you or yours, or anything but good, may what is hanging over me be
fulfilled!" and she extended a thin, but, considering her years, not
ungraceful arm, in the act of holding out the bottle to her kind
entertainer.

"For the sake of all that's good and gracious, take it without
scruple--it is not hurtful, a child might drink every drop that's in it.
Oh, for the sake of