n. Sure what could
anybody do agin the lightnin', that's a sort of miracle, you may say,
unless it was wid another one?"

"And I dunno has people any call to be settin' themselves up to thry do
them," said Mrs. Brian. "We'd better lave the like to Them that
understands the nathur of such things."

"Ah, I should suppose we'd a right to be thryin' whativer we get the
chance to," said Theresa, "and that's little enough, the Lord knows.
Plinty of things there is kep' up out of the raich of our meddlin' wid
them."

"Ay bedad, or else it's the quare regulatin' we'd be givin' them now and
agin--we would so," said Ody, regretfully. "Och, but there's an odd few
good jobs I'd give more than a thrifle to be puttin' me hand to this
minyit if I could get a hould of them."

"And that's the way it is, I'm afeared, wid the lightnin'-blindin',"
said Theresa. "Howane'er, up at Laraghmena we'd ha' done the best we
could for her, if she'd ha' been contint to ha' sted there; we'd ha'
conthrived among us all to keep her well enough. But not a bit of her
would for all we could do or say. She wouldn't be a burden on the
neighbours she said. You see she's proud in her mind, the crathur,
that's what it is, goodness help her."

"And when a body has that sort of a notion," said Ody, "you might as
aisy crack an egg ind-ways as get it out of their head."

"So that's the way of it," said Theresa. "But if you could be tellin' me
whether it's wrong I done or right, you know more than meself. Felix 'ud
be for killin' me if he knew, that's sartin, and small blame to him I
was thinkin' part of the while comin' along. For bad work there's apt to
ha' been, sure enough, in anythin' that inds in landin' a body in the
Union."

The blind woman in her corner across the hearth seemed to have caught
the last word, for she abruptly said, "Ay, ay, it's there I'm goin', and
the first of the Morroughs iver wint on the rates, or the Conroys
aither. But I'm not takin' their name along wid me; troth no; sorra the
Ellen Morrough 'ill they find in it."

"Sure not at all, woman dear," said Theresa. "Why, Mrs. Doyne, it's
great work the two of us had this day comin' along the road, plannin' a
fine name for Mrs. Morrough to have in the Union', for she sez it's none
any dacint poor people own she'll be bringin' into it. So we've settled
she's to be Mrs. Skeffington Yelverton. That's an iligant soundin' one,
isn't it, ma'am?"

Everybody expressed admiration, and a f