a stirring
Celtic air, and instantly her warlike followers rushed into the midst
of the hall, and began dancing, in the strangest, maddest way
imaginable. Faster and louder played the harper, wilder and more
furiously they danced; they wheeled and leaped and shook their arms in
the air, and shouted fierce Celtic battle-cries, till all the court
ladies trembled, and not a few of the courtiers drew near the throne
for fear, and even the Queen had to thank her rouge for not looking
pale. However, it all ended like a modern Irish jig, in a harmless
"whoop!" and the fiery dancers quietly returned to their places about
their mistress. "That, your Majesty," said Grace, proudly, "is rale
Irish dancing."

"And by our faith, brave Lady Grace, we hope it may ever remain _Irish_
dancing. The fashion suits not our peaceful court," replied Elizabeth,
laughing.

Grace O'Malley returned to Ireland loaded with princely gifts. It is
not recorded in history that Elizabeth ever returned her visit, though
at parting, Grace gave her Majesty a cordial invitation to come over to
Connaught and see some hunting and fighting that were no shams.

"The O'Malley," as Grace called herself, after the fashion of great
Irish chiefs, landed first at Howth, intending to pay the Earl a visit.
But it happened to be dinner time, and the castle gates were shut, as
they always were at that hour, by command of his lordship, who was a
high liver, and had a particular objection to being disturbed at his
meals. When Grace haughtily demanded admittance, the warder not having
a proper sense of the honor she was intending to do his master,
sturdily refused. This surly, inhospitable reception so enraged the
chieftainess, that she was quite ready to storm the castle, and slay
the fat Earl at his own dinner-table, with all his guests and
retainers. But she had not with her a sufficient force for this; so
was obliged to return to her ship, where she strode up and down the
deck in a terribly wrathful state, and made all ring again with her
threats and imprecations against the Earl, for the insult she had
received. Suddenly a gleam of malicious joy flashed over her dark
face. She commanded her men to land her again, and as soon as she
reached the shore, she rushed up to a cottage, where she remembered
that the nurse of the young lord, the Earl's little son, was living.
She caught the child from the woman's arms, telling her to tell her
master that _she_ woul