sion disposed of, the
beneficiary became normal again.

"Look!" she resumed, while she bestowed the sovereign in an incredibly
old bag-purse with a brass rim; "tell him there's always one foolish
in a family, and what it is with Masther Larry, he's too give-ish!
That's what he is!"

"You can tell him so yourself," replied Christian. "He'll be home in a
week."

"Very good, faith! There's a welcome before him whatever time he'll
come! Sure I thought he'd be kept back in England till the Christmas?"

"He's finished with school now," said Christian. "He's going abroad
for a bit after Christmas, and then he's going to Oxford!"

The glory in Christian's voice conveyed more to Mrs. Twomey than any
statement of fact could achieve.

"Well, well! I'm proud out of him, the poor child! But I wisht it was
home in his own house he was to be," she replied, raising her skirt,
and stuffing the purse into a large pocket that hung round her waist
over a red flannel petticoat; "han't he lessons enought learnt?"

"Oh, but he _loves_ going to Oxford, Mrs. Twomey," said
Christian; "he's looking forward to it awfully; and _I'm_ going
to France to do lessons, too! I'll be talking French to you, Mrs.
Twomey, when I come back!"

Mrs. Twomey uttered a screech of well-simulated horror.

"For God's sake, child, do not!" she exclaimed; "didn't I know one o'
thim in Boyshton, a docther he was, and a German. He had as many
slishes and sloshes as'd fill a book! Sure I thought I'd lose me life
thrying could I make off at all what he said to me!"

"Well, I shall be slishing and sloshing to you when I come home, Mrs.
Twomey!" said Christian, who was skilled in converse with such as Mrs.
Twomey; "but it will be in French. I suppose you talked German to your
Boston doctor?"

"H'th indeed! Little enough I said to him! I never had anny wish for
thim docthors at all. Look at the little rakeen that's after gettin'
the Dispinsary at Cunnock-a-Ceoil! Three hundred pound the father ped
for it for him! A low, hungry little fella, that'd thravel the
counthry for the sake of a ha'penny--God!"

The flow of Mrs. Twomey's eloquence ceased in shock, as Major
Talbot-Lowry and Miss Coppinger emerged from the dairy behind her.

"Well, Mary," said Dick, "who is it who's so hard up for ha'pence?"

Mrs. Twomey's equanimity was not slow to re-establish itself. She and
the Major were "the one age," and they had grown up together.

"Why then, your Honour knows h