ed with a pleasant chill, there was no discomfort.
After the Philosopher had drawn a few mouthfuls of smoke he passed his
pipe on to the next person, and in this way his pipe made the circuit of
the party.

"When I put the children to bed," said the Thin Woman, "I came down the
road in your wake with a basin of stirabout, for you had no time to take
your food, God help you! and I was thinking you must have been hungry."

"That is so," said the Philosopher in a very anxious voice: "but I don't
blame you, my dear, for letting the basin fall on the road--"

"While I was going along," she continued, "I met these good people and
when I told them what happened they came with me to see if anything
could be done. The time they ran out of the hedge to fight the policemen
I wanted to go with them, but I was afraid the stirabout would be
spilt."

The Philosopher licked his lips.

"I am listening to you, my love," said he.

"So I had to stay where I was with the stirabout under my shawl--"

"Did you slip then, dear wife?"

"I did not, indeed," she replied: "I have the stirabout with me this
minute. It's rather cold, I'm thinking, but it is better than nothing at
all," and she placed the bowl in his hands.

"I put sugar in it," said she shyly, "and currants, and I have a spoon
in my pocket."

"It tastes well," said the Philosopher, and he cleaned the basin so
speedily that his wife wept because of his hunger.

By this time the pipe had come round to him again and it was welcomed.

"Now we can talk," said he, and he blew a great cloud of smoke into the
darkness and sighed happily.

"We were thinking," said the Thin Woman, "that you won't be able to come
back to our house for a while yet: the policemen will be peeping about
Coille Doraca for a long time, to be sure; for isn't it true that if
there is a good thing coming to a person, nobody takes much trouble to
find him, but if there is a bad thing or a punishment in store for a
man, then the whole world will be searched until he be found?"

"It is a true statement," said the Philosopher.

"So what we arranged was this--that you should go to live with these
little men in their house under the yew tree of the Gort. There is not a
policeman in the world would find you there; or if you went by night to
the Brugh of the Boyne, Angus Og himself would give you a refuge."

One of the Leprecauns here interposed.

"Noble Sir," said he, "there isn't much room in our house bu