girls handed round the nuts. Nobody could
find the nutcrackers and Joe was nearly getting cross over it and asked
how did they expect Maria to crack nuts without a nutcracker. But Maria
said she didn't like nuts and that they weren't to bother about her.
Then Joe asked would she take a bottle of stout and Mrs. Donnelly said
there was port wine too in the house if she would prefer that. Maria
said she would rather they didn't ask her to take anything: but Joe
insisted.

So Maria let him have his way and they sat by the fire talking over old
times and Maria thought she would put in a good word for Alphy. But Joe
cried that God might strike him stone dead if ever he spoke a word to
his brother again and Maria said she was sorry she had mentioned the
matter. Mrs. Donnelly told her husband it was a great shame for him to
speak that way of his own flesh and blood but Joe said that Alphy was no
brother of his and there was nearly being a row on the head of it. But
Joe said he would not lose his temper on account of the night it was
and asked his wife to open some more stout. The two next-door girls
had arranged some Hallow Eve games and soon everything was merry again.
Maria was delighted to see the children so merry and Joe and his wife in
such good spirits. The next-door girls put some saucers on the table
and then led the children up to the table, blindfold. One got the
prayer-book and the other three got the water; and when one of the
next-door girls got the ring Mrs. Donnelly shook her finger at the
blushing girl as much as to say: O, I know all about it! They insisted
then on blindfolding Maria and leading her up to the table to see
what she would get; and, while they were putting on the bandage, Maria
laughed and laughed again till the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of
her chin.

They led her up to the table amid laughing and joking and she put her
hand out in the air as she was told to do. She moved her hand about here
and there in the air and descended on one of the saucers. She felt a
soft wet substance with her fingers and was surprised that nobody spoke
or took off her bandage. There was a pause for a few seconds; and then
a great deal of scuffling and whispering. Somebody said something about
the garden, and at last Mrs. Donnelly said something very cross to one
of the next-door girls and told her to throw it out at once: that was no
play. Maria understood that it was wrong that time and so she had to do
it