d incredulity was given in return, after which she
proceeded--

"Bartle, don't be bringin' yourself to the fair wid sich folly. My eyes
is jist as God made them; but I can tell you that before a month o'
Sundays passes, I wouldn't be surprised if you seen Connor married
to--you wouldn't guess!"

"Not I; divil a hap'orth I know about who he's courtin'."

"No less than our great beauty, Bodagh Buie's daughter, Una O'Brien.
Now, Bartle, for goodness sake, don't let this cross your lips to a
livin' mortal. Sure I heard him tellin' all to the father and mother
last night--they're promised to one another. Eh! blessed saints, Bartle,
what ails you? you're as white as a sheet. What's wrong? and what did
you start for?"

"Nothin'," replied Flanagan, coolly, "but a stitch in my side. I'm
subject to that--it pains me very much while it lasts, and laves me
face, as you say, the color of dimity; but about Connor, upon my throth,
I'm main proud to hear it; she's a purty girl, an' besides he'll have a
fortune that'll make a man of him. I am, in throth, heart proud to
hear it. It's a pity Connor's father isn't as dacent as himself. Arrah,
Biddy, where does the ould codger keep his money?"

"Little of it in the house any way--sure, whenever he scrapes a guinea
together he's away wid it to the county ---- county ---- och, that
countryman that keeps the money for the people."

"The treasurer; well, much good may his thrash do him, Biddy, that's
the worst I wish him. Come now and I'll lave your pitchers at home, and
remember you owe me something for this."

"Good will, I hope."

"That for one thing," he replied, as they went along; "but we'll talk
more about it when we have time; and I'll thin tell you the truth about
what brought me to hire wid Fardorougha Donovan."

Having thus excited that most active principle called female curiosity,
both entered the kitchen, where they found Connor and his mother in
close and apparently confidential conversation--Fardorougha himself
having as usual been abroad upon his farm for upwards of an hour before
any of them had risen.

The feelings with which they met that morning at breakfast may be easily
understood by our readers without much assistance of ours. On the part
of Fardorougha there was a narrow, selfish sense of exultation, if not
triumph, at the chance that lay before his son of being able to settle
himself independently in life, without the necessity of making any
demand upon th