e soon recovered, however, and relieved them from the apprehension of
her death, which they thought had actually taken place. "Mary," said the
husband, "something quare entirely has happened, or you wouldn't be in
this state!"

"Did any of you see a strange woman lavin' the house, a minute or two
before ye came in?" she inquired.

"No," they replied, "not a stim of any one did we see."

"_Wurrah dheelish!_ No?--now is it possible ye didn't?" She then
described her, but all declared they had seen no such person.

"Bartley, whisper," said she, and beckoning him over to her, in a
few words she revealed the secret. The husband grew pale, and crossed
himself. "Mother of Saints! childhre," said he, "a _Lianhan Shee!_"
The words were no sooner uttered than every countenance assumed the
pallidness of death: and every right hand was raised in the act of
blessing the person, and crossing the forehead. "The _Lianhan Shee!!_"
all exclaimed in fear and horror--"This day's Friday, God betwixt us
an' harm!"*

* This short form is supposed to be a safeguard against
the Fairies. The particular day must be always named.

It was now after dusk, and the hour had already deepened into the
darkness of a calm, moonless, summer night; the hearth, therefore, in a
short time, became surrounded by a circle, consisting of every person in
the house; the door was closed and securely bolted;--a struggle for the
safest seat took place, and to Bartley's shame be it spoken, he lodged
himself on the hob within the jamb, as the most distant situation
from the fearful being known as the _Lianhan Shee_. The recent terror,
however, brooded over them all; their topic of conversation was the
mysterious visit, of which Mrs. Sullivan gave a painfully accurate
detail; whilst every ear of those who composed her audience was set,
and every single hair of their heads bristled up, as if awakened into
distinct life by the story. Bartley looked into the fire soberly, except
when the cat, in prowling about the dresser, electrified him into a
start of fear, which sensation went round every link of the living chain
about the hearth.

The next day the story spread through the whole neighborhood,
accumulating in interest and incident as it went. Where it received the
touches, embellishments, and emendations, with which it was amplified,
it would be difficult to say; every one told it, forsooth, exactly as
he heard it from another; but indeed it is not impr