The leg of the bird and the berry and the ivy leaf were even larger
than Oisin had said. And after that they all believed the stories that
Oisin told them, and all of them agreed that a man who had lived in
the days when there were such trees and such beasts and such men in
Erin should be his own judge as to how much he needed to eat. And so
after that all of St. Patrick's men treated him as well as did St.
Patrick himself.

"But Oisin died only a little while after that, the last of the great
heroes of Erin. He had lived for more than three hundred years, and it
seemed to him no more than the life of a young man."

[Illustration: ]

X

THE IRON CRUCIFIX

Kathleen had not been at home long, of course, before Peter and Ellen
came to see her, and Terence came with them. It seemed to Kathleen
that she had never seen him look as he did then. She had never seen
him look so evil or so crafty or so sad. She felt afraid of him,
because he looked so evil and so crafty, and she felt sorry for him,
because he looked so sad. She sat in the corner of the room that was
farthest from him, and it was also the farthest from all the others,
as they were all sitting near together. Then, when all the others were
busy talking among themselves, Terence suddenly came and sat close to
her, and between her and the others, so that she could not get away
from him.

"What did you do all the year that you was inside the hill?" he said.

"I don't know," Kathleen answered; "it seemed only a day to me, and I
can't remember and I can't think what it was that I did to fill all
that time."

"And how did you like the fairies?" said Terence.

"The Good People? They were very kind to me and I liked them very
much, but I wouldn't have let them keep me--I wouldn't have stayed--so
long, if I had known."

"You wouldn't have let them? You wouldn't have stayed? And what would
you have done?"

"I don't know," said Kathleen.

"And who was there besides the fairies?" Terence asked.

"Why, there was--oh, I don't want to talk to you about it, and I don't
think you ought to make me."

"You don't need," said Terence. "I know who was there. I know who he
is and what he is, and I know the kind of talk that he talked to you.
He made love to you. I know that well enough. That's what he would do.
But do you mind the promise that your father made to my father the day
after we was born? I want you should remember that promise."

"It was no promis