ng voice round the corner, "King William's a
Protestant."

"What do I care about Protestants?" shouted King William, getting
excited. "If I didn't know ye for a dacent woman I'd 'a' let the divil
have ye; but sez I to myself, sez I: 'Where would the childer be
without their wee sweetie shop?'"

Jane was losing her head. The whispers round the corner began again.
King William took no notice, but went on: "An' he'll let you off this
wanst, Mrs M'Rea; but ye'll go down first thing in the mornin', an'
take the pledge with Father Ryan."

"Did yer honour say Father Ryan?" gasped Mrs "M'Rea.

"'Deed, I did; an' who else would I be sayin'?" said King William.

"But I'm a Protestant, yer honour," said Mrs M'Rea.

"So ye are; an' I'm tellin' ye, Mrs M'Rea, ye'll be sorry for it.
Sure, there's niver a Protestant in heaven but myself, an' me got in by
the skin a' my teeth. There's nothin' but rows an' rows a' Popes
there. Sure, there's many the time I be sorry for ye when I hear ye
down here shoutin' 'Clitter clatter' an' wearin' or'nge scarfs when I
know where ye're goin' through it."

"Och-a-nee, an' me knew no better," said Mrs M'Rea.

"Ye did know better wanst, an' ye know better again now. Go down to
Father Ryan, an' take the pledge; an' let me hear no more about it, or
it'll not be tellin' ye, for divil a fut I'll stir out of heaven again
for you or anybuddy else." Mrs M'Rea was rocking to and fro on her
knees. The clouds once more hid the moon, and in the darkness Mick and
Patsy seized King William, and hurried her away.

"Ye very near spoilt it all," said Mick.

"But I didn't," said Jane. "Let's hide, an' see what she'll do."

Mrs M'Rea only got up from her knees, and went into the cottage, and
shut the door. It was late when they got home. Jane crept upstairs,
and changed her clothes before she went into the kitchen for supper.

Next morning Teressa came with the strange news that Mrs M'Rea had been
converted, and had been to Father Ryan to take the pledge. "Small
wonder, for the divil himself come to see her," said Teressa. "An'
sure, I seen him myself wid me own two eyes. As I was goin' home last
night who should come after me but a black baste wid the ugliest face
on him ye iver seen. An' it wasn't long after that the neighbours
heard her yellin' 'Murder!' She sez herself that he come to her as
bould as brass, like a wee ould black man, an' poked holes in her wid a
fiery fork, an' by strake