, now," said "His Majesty," "we're accustomed to danger.
We don't moind throifles like this--not a bit av it:

"'For divil a bit av me cares,
I'm randy to tackle the foe;
If alive, let him fight if he dares,
If he's dead, to the dogs let him go.'"

By this time the noise and the flaming torches had seemed to rouse up
Katie and Dolores. Both of these now stood up, blinking and
shrinking, clinging timidly to one another, and looking like two
frightened children just awakened. They seemed so surprised, so
confused, and so terrified, that the heart of "His Majesty" swelled
with pity and compassion.

"Ladies! jools!" said he, "don't, don't give way. Shure it's all over
now, so it is, an' yez needn't be a bit afraid any more."

"What's all over?" asked Katie, in a tone of alarm.

"What? Why--shure nothin'."

"There was some one in the room," said Mrs. Russell, in frightened
tones.

"Some one in the room!" cried Katie, in a voice so full of terror
that it became a positive shriek. "Oh! oh! oh! Who? who? What? what?"

Never was terror more eloquently depicted on any human face than on
Katie's expressive countenance on this occasion. She flung herself
into Dolores's arms and clung to her. Dolores said nothing, but clung
to Katie in silence.

"Alarrums av this sort," said "His Majesty," "isn't shuited to their
delicate, narvous systems--so they isn't. I've got a dhrop av whiskey
about me, if--But I suppose they wouldn't care for it."

With these words "His Majesty" approached Katie for the purpose of
soothing her, or of paying her some delicate compliment, but Katie
contrived to keep Dolores between herself and the royal wooer till
the R. W. felt baffled.

"Shure it's very disthressin', so it is," said he, as he turned away.
"But I'll take a luk round."

He looked all around, walked by the walls, gravely peered into the
fireplace, and at length came back.

"There's no one here," said he.

"But I saw some one," said Mrs. Russell.

"Shure, thin, it was no livin' man ye saw, an' there ye have it."

"No living man!" screamed Mrs. Russell.

"Shure no; how could it have been? Wouldn't I a seen him, an' me wid
a loight?"

"Then it's a ghost!" said Mrs. Russell, with another scream.

"Divil a one else," said "His Majesty." "It's the castle ghost--only
I don't see why he came in modern coschume. But perhaps it isn't the
castle ghost. It may be the last prisoner that was shot."

This last s