filly you wor afther, Dinny," said a cousin with
a wink; and Dinny grinned, and his sweetheart blushed, while the rest
of the girls tittered, the mother pretending not to hear the joke, and
bidding Dinny go mind his business by attending to the horse.

But lest I should tire my reader by keeping him so long on the road, I
will let him find the rest of his way as well as he can to a certain
romantic little valley, where a comfortable farm-house was situated
beside a small mountain stream that tumbled along noisily over its
rocky bed, and in which some ducks, noisier than the stream, were
enjoying their morning bath. The geese were indulging in dignified
rest and silence upon the bank; a cock was crowing and strutting with
his usual swagger amongst his hens; a pig was endeavouring to save his
ears, not from this rural tumult, but from the teeth of a half-terrier
dog, who was chasing him away from an iron pot full of potatoes which
the pig had dared to attempt some impertinent liberties with; and a
girl was bearing into the house a pail of milk which she had just taken
from the cow that stood placidly looking on, an admirable contrast to
the general bustle of the scene.

Everything about the cottage gave evidence of comfort on the part of
its owner, and, to judge from the numbers without and within the house,
you would say he did not want for friends; for all, as they arrived at
its door, greeted Phelim O'Hara kindly, and Phelim welcomed each new
comer with a heartiness that did honour to his grey hairs. Frequently
passing to and fro, busily engaged in arranging an ample breakfast in
the barn, appeared his daughter, a pretty round-faced girl, with black
hair and the long and silky-lashed dark grey eyes of her country, where
merriment loves to dwell, and a rosy mouth whose smiles served at once
to display her good temper and her fine teeth; her colour gets fresher
for a moment, and a look of affectionate recognition brightens her eye,
as a lithe young fellow springs briskly over the stepping stones that
lead across the stream, and trips lightly up to the girl, who offers
her hand in welcome. Who is the happy dog that is so well received by
Honor O'Hara, the prettiest girl in that parish or the next, and the
daughter of a "snug man" into the bargain?--It is the reader's old
acquaintance, Larry Lanigan;--and maybe Larry did not give a squeeze
extraordinary to the hand that was presented to him. The father
received him w