at the
door.

Barney's hair stood erect upon his head, and he looked aghast.

"Well, Masther Harry," said he, "I'm but a poor man, and I wouldn't take
the wealth of the parish and do that. Come away, sir; let us lave it; as
I tould you, they say there's a curse upon it, and upon every one that
makes or meddles wid it. Some people say it's to stand there till the
day of judgment."

Having now refreshed themselves, they left Bet Harramont's cabin, with
all its awful associations, behind them, and resumed their sport, which
they continued until evening, when, having killed as many hares as
they could readily carry, they took a short cut home through the lower
fields. By this way they came upon a long, green hill, covered in some
places with short furze, and commanding a full view of the haunted
house, which lay some four or five hundred yards below them, with its
back door lying, as usual, open.

"Let us beat these furze," said Woodward, "and have one run more, if we
can, before getting home; it is just the place for a hare."

"With all my heart," replied Barney; "another will complete the half
dozen."

They accordingly commenced searching the cover, which they did to no
purpose, and were upon the point of giving up all hope of I success,
when, from the centre of a low, broad clump of furze, out starts a hare,
as white almost as snow. Barney for a moment was struck dumb; but at
length exerting his voice, for he was some distance from Woodward, he
shouted out--

"O, for goodness' sake, hould in the dogs, Masther Harry!"

It was too late, however; the gallant, animals, though fatigued by their
previous exertions, immediately gave noble chase, and by far the most
beautiful and interesting course they had had that day took place upon
the broad, clear plain that stretched before them. It was, indeed,
to the eye of a sportsman, one of intense and surpassing interest--an
interest which, even to Woodward, who only laughed at Barney's story
of the witch, was, nevertheless, deepened tenfold by the coincidence
between the two circumstances. The swift and mettlesome dogs pushed her
hard, and succeeded in turning her several times, when it was observed
that she made a point to manage her running so as to approximate to
the haunted house--a fact which was not unobserved by Barney, who now,
having joined Woodward, exclaimed--

"Mark it, Masther Harry, mark my words, she's alive still, and will be
wid the _Shan-dhinne-dhuv_ i