spect what the priest was driving at, "do you
think that I have been so long listening to your advice, not to know
that such a coorse was my duty?"

"That's the way," continued the priest, "to punish them like a
Christian."

"Ay, to punish them, your reverence, as you say--an' in troth, I'm the
man myself that 'ud go any length to do it."

"But where are you bound to now, Con, and what--ahem--what is that you
are carrying?" asked the priest.

"Why then, it's the butt-end of a sack o' pittities," replied Con,
giving an answer only to the easiest side of the query.

"Well, but who are you bringing them?" he asked again, "because, thank
God, there's not much poverty in this neighborhood at present."

"Well, then, God forgive me!" replied the other, concealing his
benevolence by a grin, which he could not prevent at his own ingenuity,
but which he endeavored to conceal as well as he could; "God forgive me!
but hearin' that Goodison the parson here, and his family were in great
distress, I thought I might as well have my revenge aginst him, by
fetchin' him a load o' praties, which is all I can spare the poor
ould--hem--the heretical ould creature--and so, says I to myself, it's
a good opportunity of heapin' the coals upon him that you spoke about,
sir. And upon my conscience, as far as a good weighty butt o' praties
goes, I'll punish him this very night."

The priest gave a short hiccup or two, as if laboring under some
momentary affection of the throat, which soon extended to the eyes, for
with some difficulty he put up his naked hand and wiped away a kind of
moisture, that in ordinary cases would have very much resembled tears.

"Ah, I see, Con!" he said, after clearing his throat a little, "you
had a grudge against him like myself, and you determined to--ay--just
so--you see, Con, here's the way of it; he didn't visit me yet since I
came to the parish--do you understand?--and I tell you, flesh or blood
couldn't overlook such a slight; so I'm glad, at all events, that you
had the spirit to follow my advice--for the truth is, I'm goin' to have
my revenge as well as yourself; but when one does take his revenge, Con,
it's always best to take it like a Christian. So now that we understand,
one another, let us go up to the glebe--otherwise I'll drop.--However,
salvation to me!" he exclaimed with a smile, "if we'll bear their
burthens much longer! I have a butt of meal here, I saw his son to-day,
too, without a stitch t