old hag stirrin' the turf fire on the hearth to give us a bit of
loight; an' then we saw the ould crayture, who looked as broad as she
was long, sittin' in a big armchere, an' starin' at us with large, open
eyes. But though she was breythin' hard loike a grampus, she didn't
spake nothin'!

"`What's the mather, my good woman?' says Mahony, going up to her an'
spaking kindly to the poor crayture. `Let me feel your pulse.'

"He caught hold of her hand, which hung down the side of the chere and
fumbled at the wrist for some toime, the ould woman starin' an' sayin'
nothin' at all at all!

"`Faith, Garry O'Neil, I can't foind any pulse on her at all at all.
She must be di'd, worse luck!'

"`Och, you omahdaun; can't ye say her eyes open?' says I. `Git out o'
the way an' let me thry!'

"Begorrah, though, I couldn't fale any pulse at all aythar.

"`She's in a faint, I think,' says Terence, pretendin' for to know all
about it. `We had jist sich a case in hospital t'other day. It's oine
of suspended animation.'

"`Blatheration, Terence,' I cried at hearing this. `You'll be a case of
suspended animation yoursilf by-and-bye.'

"`Faith, how's that?' says he. `What do you mean?'

"`Why, whin you're hung, me bhoy! for your ignorance of your profession.
Sure, one can say with half an eye the poor crayture is sufferin' from
lumbago or peritonitas on the craynium, faith!'

"As we were arguin' the p'int, the ould hag who had introduced us
brought our discussion to an end jist as Terence made up his mind that
the case was cholera or elephantiasis or something else equally
ridiculous!

"`Bad cess to the obstinate cantankerous ould crayture,' cried she,
catching the poor sick woman by the scruff of the neck an' shakin' her
violently backwards an' forrads, afther which she banged the poor thing
violently on the sate of the chere. `Will ye now spake to their
honours, or will ye not? Won't ye now? She be that stubborn!' said
she, turnin' to us; `did ye ivver see anythin' loike it afore?'

"Mahony then tould her to put out her tongue, but the divvle a bit of
her tongue saw we! Nor would she say a worrd as to her ailment, to give
us a clue, though I believe on me oath, colonel, we mintioned ivery
complaint known in the Pharmacopaia, Terence even axin' civilly if she
had chilblames in the throat, for it was the depth of winter at the
toime, to prevent her talkin'!

"But our coaxin' was all in vain, loike the ould hag's sh