uld ever cause her to violate
that promise. Although Judy had, through fear of displeasing her
patrons, given up all public practice of her religion, she nevertheless
never denied that she was a "Catholique," and never omitted to recite
full five decades of the beads after going to bed. She declared she
could not fall asleep till she complied with this rather lazy effort of
prayer. Besides these rather faint evidences of her faith, she often
told her loved Ali' that she intended calling in the priest at the hour
of her death; and she confided to the honor of the young lady this
secret desire of hers, and elicited many promises from her Ali' to send
for his reverence when she would perceive her end approach. "This is
rather a singular notion of yours," Alia used to say. "If you are a
Catholic, and believe your faith the best, or the only true one, why do
you not practise its teachings, and fulfil all the requirements of your
church? I am sure neither father nor mother would blame you."

"O miss, I feard, I feard," the poor, timid soul would answer. "But tink
of vat I tol' you; when I go to die, send for the _bon_ priest, who know
how to do the '_parle Francaise_,' and I pray for you when I go to
heaven."

"I shall do that for you, poor aunt Judy, or even attend you now, while
you are in health, to the Catholic church, where you can go to the
sacraments, and become a member again of that church which you have so
long neglected, but which yet seems still to retain a strong hold of
your affections and heart. Won't this be the best course, aunt Judy? I
will attend you to the church of that zealous young Irish priest whom I
see so often hurrying along here to his sick calls up town; and as I
suspect I am 'Irish' myself, I hope he will not be displeased at my
call."

"O, you no Irish, miss, at all, but good Yankee. But tish better not go
for de priest till he come to me when I go to die. Now I have religion
here in _mon coeur_; ven I die, I profess her open."

"Well, Judy, act as you wish; but it appears to me your conduct is
singular. I shall do my part, however; and if there is a priest to be
had in the city when you take to your death bed, you must have him to
attend you."

It was by such communings and conversations as the foregoing, during the
leisure hours of aunt Judy and her loved Ali', that mutual confidence
and disinterested friendship grew into maturity between them--the
childish and helpless simplicity of the