laisther. That was ever an' always the carrecther of the same Daltons;
an', if all accounts be thrue, the hand of God is upon them, an' will be
upon them till the bloody deed is brought to light."

"How is that?" inquired the other, with intense interest, whilst her
eyes became riveted upon Nelly's hard features.

"Why, a murdher that was committed betther than twenty years ago in this
neighborhood."

"A murdher!" exclaimed the stranger. "Where?--when?--how?"

"I can tell you where, an' I can tell you when," replied Nelly; "but
there I must stop--for unless I was at the committin' of it, you might
know very well I couldn't tell you how."

"Where then?" she asked, and whilst she did so, it was by a considerable
effort that she struggled to prevent her agitation from being noticed by
the prophet's wife.

"Why, near the Grey Stone at the crossroads of Mallybenagh--that's the
where!"

"An' now for the when?" asked the stranger, who almost panted with
anxiety as she spoke.

"Let me see," replied Nelly, "fourteen and six makes twenty, an' two
before that or nearly--I mane the year of the rebellion, Why it's not
all out two-and-twenty years, I think."

"Aisey," said the other, "I'm but very weak an' feeble--will you jist
wait till I rest a minute upon this green bank by the road."

"What ails you?" asked Nelly. "You look as if you got suddenly ill."

"I did get a little--but it'll soon pass away," she answered--"thrue
enough," she added in a low voice, and as if in a soliloquy; "God is a
just Judge--he is--he is! Well, but--oh, I'll soon get better--well, but
listen, what became of the murdhered man?--was the body ever got?"

"Nobody knows that--the body was never got--that is to say nobody knows
where it's now lyin', snug enough too."

"Ha!" thought the stranger, eying her furtively--"snug enough!--there's
more knowledge where that came from. What do you mane by snug enough?"
she asked abruptly.

"Mane!" replied the other, who at once perceived the force of the
unguarded expression she had used;--"mane, why what could I mane, but
that whoever did the deed, hid the body where very few would be likely
to find it."

Her companion now stood up, and approaching the prophet's wife, raised
her hand, and said in a tone that was both startling and emphatic--

"I met you this day as you may think, by accident; but take my word for
it, and, as sure as we must both account for our acts, it was the hand
o' God that bro