Returning home, sad and solitary, he attempted to mount to his usual
place, but even this exertion was more than he could accomplish. One
black and burning thought tormented him, and he sat down by his own
cheerless hearth, more cheerless than he had ever felt before. Matty
was preparing dinner; but it was a meagre and homely fare--a little
oaten bread, and one spare collop which had been given her by a
neighbour. Scanty as was the meal, it was better than the humble
viands which sometimes supplied their board. Matty knew not the real
cause of her husband's dumps, supposing it to be the usual workings of
remorse, if not repentance, to which Mike was subject whenever his
pocket was empty and the burning spark in his throat unquenched. She
invited him to partake, but he could not eat. He sat with eyes
half-shut, fixed on the perishing embers, and replied not to the
remonstrances of his dame.

"Why, Mike, I say," cried the kind-hearted woman, "what ails thee?
Cheer up, man, and finish thy collop. Thou mayest fret about it as
thou likes, but thou cannot undo a bad stitch by wishing. If it will
make thee better for time to come, though, I'll not grumble. Come,
come, goodman, if one collop winna content thee, I wish we'd two,
that's all."

Scarce was the last word from her lips, when lo! a savoury and smoking
rasher was laid on the table by some invisible hand. Michael was
roused from his lethargy by this unlucky wish. Darting a terrified
look on the morsel, he cried out--

"Woman, woman! what hast thou done? I wish thou wert far enough for
thy pains."

Immediately she disappeared--whisked off by the same invisible hands;
but whither he could not tell.

"Oh me--oh me!" cried the afflicted tailor at this double mishap;
"what shall I do now? I shall assuredly starve; and yet I've one wish
left. Humph, I'd better be wary in making it though. Best take time to
consider, lest I throw this needlessly after the rest."

Mike could not make up his mind as to what he would have, nor indeed
could he bend down his thoughts steadfastly to any subject. He was in
a continual flutter. His brain was in a whirl. He looked round for
some relief. The house was in sad disorder, and he thought on his
absent wife.

"Dear me," thought he, as he fetched a scrap of wood to the fire, "I
wish Matty were here;" and his wife was immediately at his side.

Mike, now grown desperate, revealed to her the fearful cause of these
disasters, and the