' says she, 'the spirit has him, body an' bones!' says she. 'Oh,
holy St. Bridget--oh, Mother iv Marcy--oh, Father O'Flaherty!' says she,
screechin' murdher from out iv her bed.

Well, Bill Malowney was not a minute remimberin' himself, an' so out wid
him quite an' aisy, an' through the kitchen; bud in place iv the door
iv the house, it's what he kem to the door iv Father O'Flaherty's little
room, where he was jist wakenin' wid the noise iv the screechin' an'
battherin'; an' bedad, Bill makes no more about it, but he jumps, wid
one boult, clever an' clane into his raverance's bed.

'What do ye mane, you uncivilised bliggard?' says his raverance. 'Is
that a venerable way,' says he, 'to approach your clargy?' says he.

'Hould your tongue,' says Bill, 'an' I'll do ye no harum,' says he.

'Who are you, ye scoundhrel iv the world?' says his raverance.

'Whisht!' says he? 'I'm Billy Malowney,' says he.

'You lie!' says his raverance for he was frightened beyont all
bearin'--an' he makes but one jump out iv the bed at the wrong side,
where there was only jist a little place in the wall for a press,
an' his raverance could not as much as turn in it for the wealth iv
kingdoms. 'You lie,' says he; 'but for feared it's the truth you're
tellin',' says he, 'here's at ye in the name iv all the blessed saints
together!' says he.

An' wid that, my dear, he blazes away at him wid a Latin prayer iv the
strongest description, an', as he said himself afterwards, that was iv
a nature that id dhrive the divil himself up the chimley like a puff iv
tobacky smoke, wid his tail betune his legs.

'Arra, what are ye sthrivin' to say,' says Bill; says he, 'if ye don't
hould your tongue,' says he, 'wid your parly voo;' says he, 'it's what
I'll put my thumb on your windpipe,' says he, 'an' Billy Malowney never
wint back iv his word yet,' says he.

'Thundher-an-owns,' says his raverance, says he--seein' the Latin took
no infect on him, at all at all an' screechin' that you'd think he'd
rise the thatch up iv the house wid the fair fright--'and thundher and
blazes, boys, will none iv yes come here wid a candle, but lave your
clargy to be choked by a spirit in the dark?' says he.

Well, be this time the sarvint boys and the rest iv them wor up an' half
dressed, an' in they all run, one on top iv another, wid pitchforks and
spades, thinkin' it was only what his raverence slep' a dhrame iv the
like, by means of the punch he was afther takin' just