ke her aff wid him."

"Does she know when he's comin'?" Patsy asked.

"Not her, the black-mouthed Protestant divil," said Teressa.

"Whist!" said Lull, "that's no talk before the chile."

"And a fine child he is," said Teressa, "an' a fine man he'll be makin'
one a' these days."

But Patsy had heard enough, and was off to tell the others. They were
playing in the schoolroom when he brought the news. Mrs M'Rea was
drunk again, and had cursed the Pope on Father Ryan's doorstep, and the
devil was coming to take her away if she did not stop drinking. It was
bitter news, for Mrs M'Rea kept the one sweetie shop in the village.

"I'll go an' see her," said Jane.

"What good'll that do?" said Mick.

"I'll tell her the divil's comin'," said Jane.

"She won't heed ye," said Mick.

"I know," said Fly, who had said nothing so far but had been thinking
seriously; "let's send her a message from the divil to tell her to give
over or he'll come for her."

This plan commended itself to the others as a brilliant solution of a
difficulty. Mrs M'Rea had been known to see devils and rats before
when she was drunk--they had only been dancing devils, and had come to
no good purpose that the children knew of--she would, therefore, be
quite prepared for another visit, and a devil with a warning would have
to be taken seriously. It was well worth trying, for Mrs M'Rea, in
spite of her drunken habits and the fact that she was a turncoat--had
been born a Roman Catholic, and had married into the other camp--was a
great favourite with the children. She often gave them sweets when
they had not a farthing between them to pay.

As the idea was hers Fly was to go with the message. Mick raked down a
handful of soot from the chimney, and rubbed her face and hands till
they were black, then dressed her in a pair of old bathing-drawers and
a black fur cape. Patsy got the pitchfork from the stable for her to
carry in her hand.

Fly started off for the village. The others waited patiently for her
to come back. She was gone nearly two hours, and came back wet to the
skin, and frightened at the success of her mission.

"Go on; tell us right from the start," said Jane.

"Well, when I got outside the gate who should I meet but Teressa goin'
home, so I just dodged down behind her, an' barked--an' she tuk to her
heels, an' run the whole way. An' when we come to the village I hid
behind a tree, an' then I dodged round to Mrs M'Rea's. Th