ary, Biddy may go with you."

"Long life to you, Miss; and about the things then you know--the
plates, and the knives, and the glasses?"

"Oh! Mary, I'll not have you bringing the glasses down there at all;
sure Mrs. Mehan's glasses enough of her own, and she selling whiskey.
You may take the knives, and the forks, and the plates; though you
must leave us enough for ourselves--and there an't so many of them in
it after all."

"Well, Miss Feemy, that's very good of you now. And you'll be
bringing your own sweetheart with you, won't you, dear?--and it's I'd
be sorry you'd be at my wedding, and no one fit to dance with your
father's daughter."

"Oh! if you mean Captain Ussher, he told me Pat asked him himself,
and he'd sure be there."

"And who else should I main, alanna; sure isn't he your own beau, and
ain't you to be married to him, Miss Feemy?"

"Nonsense, Mary."

"Well, now, but sure you wouldn't be ashamed of telling me--isn't you
going to have him, Miss?"

"But musn't I wait to be asked, like another?--Sure, Mary, you didn't
go asking Denis McGovery, did you?"

"No, then, indeed I didn't, darling; and glad enough he was to be
axing me."

"Well, and musn't I be the same?"

"Oh! in course; but, Miss Feemy, the Captain's been up here coorting
at Ballycloran now these six months; sure he axed you before this,
Miss Feemy?"

Feemy was rather puzzled; she didn't like to say she was not engaged;
she had a presentiment Mary Brady was fishing to find out if the
report about the Captain's inconstancy was true, and as matters stood
she did not exactly like to say that the affair was arranged.

"Well, Mary, then I'll tell you exactly how it is--but mind, I don't
want it talked about yet for rasons; so you won't say anything about
it if I tell you?"

"Och then! is it I? Sorrow a word in life shall any one be the better
av me, and you know, Miss Feemy, I wouldn't tell you a lie for
worlds."

"Well, then, it's jist this way--I and the Captain is engaged, but
there's rasons for him why we couldn't be married just immediately;
so you see that's why I don't want it talked about."

"Ah! well dear, I knew there was something av that in it, and a nice
handsome gentleman like the Captain wouldn't be trating the likes of
you that way."

"What way, Mary?"

"Why they do be saying--"

"Who do be saying?"

"Why, jist through the counthry,--people you know, Miss, who must
always have their gag; they do be saying--t