the black fellow than either o' them. She only thinks of the luck that's
before her; but, afther all, Tom acts more from hatred to him than from
Ginty's promises. He has no bad feelin' against the young man himself;
but it's the others he's bent on punishing. God direct myself, I wish
at any rate that I never had act or hand in it. As for your time o' life
and mine, Polly, you know that age puts it out of our power ever to be
much the betther one way or the other, even if Ginty does succeed in her
devilry. Very few years now will see us both in our graves, and I don't
know but it's safer to lave this world with an aisy conscience, than to
face God with the guilt of sich a black saicret as that upon us."

"Well, but haven't you promised them not to tell?"

"I have--an' only that I take sich delight in waitin' to see the black
scoundrel punished till his heart 'll burst--I think I'd come out
with it. That's one raison; and the other is, that I'm afraid of the
consequences. The law's a dangerous customer to get one in its crushes,
an' who can tell how we'd be dealt with?"

"Troth, an' that's true enough," she replied.

"And when I promised poor Edward on his death-bed," proceeded the old
man, "I made him give me a sartin time; an' I did this in ordher to
allow Ginty an opportunity of tryin' her luck. If she does not manage
her point within that time, I'll fulfil my promise to the dyin' man."

"But, why," she asked, "did he make you promise to do it when he
could--ay, but I forgot. It was jist, I suppose, in case he might be
taken short as he was, and that you wor to do it for him if he hadn't
an opportunity? But, sure, if Ginty succeeds, there's an end to your
promise."

"Well, I believe so," said the old man; "but if she does succeed, why,
all I'll wondher at will be that God would allow it. At any rate she's
the first of the family that ever brought shame an' disgrace upon the
name. Not but she felt her misfortune keen enough at the time, since
it turned her brain almost ever since. And him, the villain--but no
matter--he, must be punished."

"But," replied the wife, "wont Ginty be punishin' him?"

"Ah, Polly, you know little of the plans--the deep plans an' plots that
he's surrounded by. We know ourselves that there's not such a plotter in
existence as he is, barin' them that's plottin' aginst him. Lord bless
us! but it's a quare world--here is both parties schamin' an'
plottin' away--all bent on risin' themsel