m Biddy, till we get home our own meldhre, and I'll have a dish of
stirabout ready to make for you when you come home. Sure, Larry, who'd
forgive you, if I, your own wife, wouldn't? But it's I that wants it
from you, Larry; and in the presence of God and ourselves, I now beg
your pardon, and ax your forgiveness for all the sin I done to you.' She
dropped on her knees, and cried bitterly; but he raised her up, himself
a choking at the time, and as the poor crathur got to her feet, she laid
herself on his breast, and sobbed out, for she couldn't help it. They
then went away, though Larry, to tell the thruth, wouldn't have gone
with them at all, only that the sacks were borried from his brother, and
he had to bring them home, in regard of Tom wanting them the very next
day.

"The night was as dark as pitch--so dark, faiks, that they had to get
long pieces of bog fir, which they lit, and held in their hand, like the
lights that Ned there says the lamplighters have in Dublin to light the
lamps with.

"At last, with a good dale of trouble, they got to the still-house; and,
as they had all taken a drop before, you may be sure they were better
inclined, to take another now. They, accordingly, sat down about the
fine rousing fire that was under the still, and had a right good jorum
of strong whiskey that never seen a drop of water. They all were in very
good spirits, not thinking of to-morrow, and caring at the time very
little about the world as it went.

"When the night was far advanced, they thought of moving home; however,
by that time they weren't able to stand: but it's one curse of being
drunk, that a man doesn't know what he's about for the time, except some
few, like that poaching ould fellow, Billy M'Kinny, that's cuinninger
when he's drunk than when he's sober; otherwise they would not have
ventured out in the clouds of the night, when it was so dark and severe,
and they in such a state.

"At last they staggered away together, for their road lay for a good
distance in the same direction. The others got on, and reached home as
well as they could; but, although Sally borried the dish of male from
her sister-in-law, to have a warm pot of stirabout for Larry, and sat
up till the night was more than half gone, waiting for him, yet no Larry
made his appearance. The childher, too, all sat up, hoping he'd
come home before they'd fall asleep and miss the supper: at last the
crathurs, after running about, began to get sleep