I hope in
God we'll never either know or see him."

"You know," proceeded Barney, "that he keeps' the haunted house, and
appears in the neighborhood of it?"

"Yes, we know that, achora," replied the cook, sweetly.

"Well, you can't forget Bet Harramount, the witch, that lived for some
time in Rathfillan? She that was hunted in the shape of a white hare by
pious Father McFeen's famous greyhound, Koolawn."

"Doesn't all the world know it, Barney, avillish?" said Nanse.

"Divil the word she'll let out o' the poor boy's lips," said the cook,
with a fair portion of venom. Nanse made no reply, but laughed with
a certain description of confidence, as she glanced sneeringly at the
cook, who, to say the truth, turned her eyes with a fiery and impulsive
look towards the ladle.

"Well," proceeded Barney, "you all know that the divil took her and her
imp, the white cat, away on the night of the great storm that took place
then?"

"We do! Sure we have heard it a thousand times."

"Very well--I want to show you that Bet Harramount, the white witch,
and the Black Speacthre are sweethearts, and are leadin' a bad life
together."

"Heavenly father! Saints above! Blessed Mother!" were ejaculated by the
whole kitchen. Barney, in fact, was progressing with great effect.

"O, yez needn't be surprised," he continued, "for it was well known
that they had many private meetin's while Bet was livin' in Rathfillan.
But it was thought the devil had taken her away from the priest and
magisthrate on the night o' the storm, and so he did; and he best knew
why. Listen, I say--Masther Harry and I went out this day to coorse
hares; we went far up into the mountains, and never pulled bridle till
we came to the cabin where the witch lived, the same that Koolawn
chased her into in the shape of a white hare, after taking a bite out
of her--out of the part next her scut. Well, we sat down in the cursed
cabin, much against my wishes, but he would rest nowhere else--mark
that--so while we were helpin' ourselves to the ham and brandy, I up and
tould him the history of Bet Harramount from a to izzard. 'Well,' said
he, 'to show you how little I care about her, and that I set her at
defiance, I'll toss every atom of her beggarly furniture out of the
door;' and so he did--but by dad I thought he done it in a jokin' way,
as much as to say, I can take the liberty where another can't. I knew,
becoorse, he was wrong; but that makes no maxim--I'll go on wid m