en he uttered the previous part of his observation, looked
upon him with a flash of indignant astonishment; but when he had
concluded, her countenance fell back into its original expression. It
was evident that, while she, with the feelings of a woman and a mother,
instituted a parallel between their personal merits alone, the husband
viewed their attachment through that calculating spirit which had
regulated his whole life.

"You're thinkin' of her money now," she added; "but remimber,
Fardorougha, that it wasn't born wid her. An' I hope, Connor, it's not
for her money that you have any grah for her?"

"You may swear that, mother; I love her little finger betther than all
the money in the king's bank."

"Connor, avich, your mother has made a fool of you, or you wouldn't
spake the nonsense you spoke this minute."

"My word to you, father, I'll take all the money I'll get; but what am I
to do? Bodagh Buie an' his wife will never consent to allow her to marry
me, I can tell you; an' if she marries me without their consent, you
both know I have no way of supportin' her, except you, father, assist
me."

"That won't be needful, Connor; you may manage them; they won't see her
want; she's an only daughter; they couldn't see her want."

"An' isn't he an only son, Fardorougha?" exclaimed the wife. "An' my
sowl to happiness but I believe you'd see him want."

"Any way," replied her husband, "I'm not for matches against the consint
of parents; they're not lucky; or can't you run away wid her, an' thin
refuse marryin' her except they come down wid the cash?"

"Oh, father!" exclaimed Connor, "father, father, to become a villain!"

"Connor," said his mother, rising up in a spirit of calm and mournful
solemnity, "never heed; go to bed, achora, go to bed."

"Of coorse I'll never heed, mother," he replied; "but I can't help
sayin' that, happy as I was awhile agone, my father is sendin' me to bed
with a heavy heart. When I asked your advice, father, little I thought
it would be to do--but no matter; I'll never be guilty of an act that
'ud disgrace my name."

"No, avillish," said his mother, "you never will; God knows it's as much
an' more than you an' other people can do, to keep the name we have in
decency."

"It's fine talk," observed Fardorougha, "but what I advise has been done
by hundreds that wor married an' happy afterwards; how--an--iver you
needn't get into a passion, either of you; I'm not pressin' you,'
Connor,