' that--that--no--no--I'm too poor for such a boast, but say that you
will be able to take good care of anything you get."

At this moment the door, which Connor had not bolted, as his father
would have done, opened, and Bartle, wrapped in the treble folds of a
winnow--cloth, made a distant appearance.

"Beg pardon, Connor; I forgot to say that Una's brother, the young
priest out o' Maynooth, will be at home from his uncle's, where it
appears he is at present; an' Miss Una would wish that the proposal 'ud
be made while he's at his father's. She says he'll stand her friend,
come or go what will. I forgot, begad, to mintion it before--so beg
pardon, an' wishes you all good--night!"

This information tended to confirm them in the course recommended by
Fardorougha. It was accordingly resolved upon that he (Fardorougha)
himself should wait upon Bodagh Buie, and in the name of his son
formally propose for the hand of his daughter.

To effect this, however, was a matter of no ordinary difficulty, as they
apprehended that the Bodagh and his wife would recoil with indignation
at the bare notion of even condescending to discuss a topic which, in
all probability, they would consider as an insult. Not, after all, that
there existed, according to the opinion of their neighbors, such a vast
disparity in the wealth of each; on the contrary, many were heard
to assert, that of the two Fardorougha had the heavier purse. His
character, however, was held in such abhorrence by all who knew him, and
he ranked, in point of personal respectability and style of living,
so far beneath the Bodagh, that we question if any ordinary occurrence
could be supposed to fall upon the people with greater amazement than
a marriage, or the report of a marriage, between any member of the two
families. The O'Donovans felt, however, that it was better to make
the experiment already agreed on, than longer to remain in a state of
uncertainty about it. Should it fail, the position of the lovers, though
perhaps rendered somewhat less secure, would be such as to suggest, as
far as they themselves were concerned, the necessity of a more prompt
and effectual course of action. Fardorougha expressed his intention of
opening the matter on the following day; but his wife, with a better
knowledge of female character, deemed it more judicious to defer it
until after the interview which was to take place between Connor and Una
on the succeeding Thursday. It might be bette