le the estate should
ever come to you. Now, by what I propose, your father would sell
the estate while still he had the power; he would get comfortably
settled--and I'd take care to manage the annuity so that the other
creditors couldn't touch it; and you'd get a handful of money to set
you up something more decently than the way you're going on here with
your tenants."

"But my sisther, Mr. Keegan; when the home came to be taken from over
her head, what would become of Feemy? She and the owld man could
hardly live on a pound a week. And when the owld man should die--"

"Why, nonsense, man! Isn't your sister as good as married? or if not,
a strapping girl like her is sure of a husband. Besides, when she's a
hundred pounds in her pocket, she won't have to go far to look for a
lover. There's plenty in Carrick would be glad to take her."

"Take her, Mr. Keegan! Do you think I'd be offering her that way to
any huckster in Carrick that wanted a hundred pound;--or that she
would put up with the like of that?--Bad as we are, we an't come to
that yet."

"There you go with your family pride, Thady; but family pride won't
feed you, and the offer I've made will; so you'd better bring the old
man round to accept it."

"Make it L80 a year for my father, and L250 for Feemy, and I'll do
the best I can."

"Not a penny more than I offered. Indeed, Mr. Flannelly would get the
property cheaper if he sold it the regular way under the mortgage,
so that he doesn't care about it: only he'd sooner you got the
difference than strangers.--Well, you won't get the old man to take
the offer--eh?"

"I can't advise him to sell his property, and his house, and
everything, so for nothing."

"Then you know we must sell it for him."

"Will you give me till Monday," said Thady, "till I ask some friend
what I ought to do?"

"Some friend;--what friend do you want to be asking--some attorney?
Dolan, I suppose, who of course would tell you not to part with
the property, that he might make a penny of it. No, Master Thady,
that won't do; either yes or no--no or yes; I don't care which; but
an answer, if you please, as Flannelly is determined he will do
something."

"It's no lawyer I want to spake to, Mr. Keegan; I've had too much of
lawyers; but it's my friend, Father John."

"What, the priest! thank ye for nothing; I'll have no d----d priest
meddling; and to tell you the truth at once, it's either now or
never. And think where your father 'll