me locked in!"

"Oh that, indeed!" said Mike, his face brightening for a moment, but
immediately clouding over again, "but a man told me that same night,
that he h'ard ye sayin' ye'd never spake to me agin nor so much as
look at me."

"He tould you a lie then," said Roseen with flashing eyes; "I never
said that--oh, aye, to be sure, I believe I did though, but ye have no
call to be castin' that up at me, Mike; if I did itself, I done it for
love of you. Now! When me grandfather tould me he was goin' to put
your father and mother out on the road I begged and prayed an' done
everythin' I could to persuade him to give up the notion, an' at last
says I, 'Well, grandfather,' says I, 'I'll promise never to speak to
Mike agin,' says I,' nor so much as look at him,' says I, 'if ye'll
only let them stop in it.' Sure, whoever it was went carryin' stories
to ye must have been hard set to find somethin' to say if they brought
up that, an' you had no call to be listenin' to them. I'd soon stop
the mouth of any wan that went about makin' out tales about you."

Never had she looked more bewitching than in her anger; her great blue
eyes, open to their fullest extent, were flashing with scorn and wrath
though the big tears still hung on their long lashes. The little
curled upper lip showed glistening white teeth, the colour came and
went in the pretty dimpled cheeks--cheeks that looked so soft and
inviting. Mike bit his lips and thrust his hands in the depths of his
ragged pockets, clenching them in the effort to preserve his
self-control. He could not help a flash of joy lighting up his face
for a moment, but he turned away to hide it. Wasn't she the jewel of
the world altogether, an' how could he ever have been such a gomeril
as to doubt her? But all the same he must mind himself. It was not for
the likes of him to be thinking of her that way. Sure, what matter if
she had been his sweetheart twenty times over in days gone by--she
could never be his sweetheart now. Stiffening himself therefore and
again resuming his lofty tone, he proceeded: "Indeed I am truly
grateful to you, Miss Rorke, for all your goodness an' all ye done for
me father and mother. Jack McEvoy's afther tellin' me that they are in
the height o' comfort. Indeed I'd never have thought of lookin' for
them there at all; I never have expected you to be puttin' yourself
about that way for them."

"An' why wouldn't they be with me?" cried Roseen quickly. "Isn't it
the