was always the
winner, paid over the guineas and told Sculloge to go to the Devil with
them.

Instead of following this bit of advice, however, the young farmer went
home and began to pay his debts, and next week he went to the glen
and won another game, and made the Druid rebuild his mill. So Sculloge
became prosperous again, and by and by he tried his luck a third time,
and won a game played for a beautiful wife. The Druid sent her to his
house the next morning before he was out of bed, and his servants came
knocking at the door and crying, "Wake up! wake up! Master Sculloge,
there's a young lady here to see you." "Bedad, it's the vanithee [129]
herself," said Sculloge; and getting up in a hurry, he spent three
quarters of an hour in dressing himself. At last he went down stairs,
and there on the sofa was the prettiest lady ever seen in Ireland!
Naturally, Sculloge's heart beat fast and his voice trembled, as he
begged the lady's pardon for this Druidic style of wooing, and besought
her not to feel obliged to stay with him unless she really liked him.
But the young lady, who was a king's daughter from a far country, was
wondrously charmed with the handsome farmer, and so well did they get
along that the priest was sent for without further delay, and they were
married before sundown. Sabina was the vanithee's name; and she warned
her husband to have no more dealings with Lassa Buaicht, the old man of
the glen. So for a while all went happily, and the Druidic bride was as
good as she was beautiful But by and by Sculloge began to think he was
not earning money fast enough. He could not bear to see his wife's white
hands soiled with work, and thought it would be a fine thing if he could
only afford to keep a few more servants, and drive about with Sabina
in an elegant carriage, and see her clothed in silk and adorned with
jewels.

"I will play one more game and set the stakes high," said Sculloge to
himself one evening, as he sat pondering over these things; and so,
without consulting Sabina, he stole away to the glen, and played a game
for ten thousand guineas. But the evil Druid was now ready to pounce
on his prey, and he did not play as of old. Sculloge broke into a cold
sweat with agony and terror as he saw the left hand win! Then the face
of Lassa Buaicht grew dark and stern, and he laid on Sculloge the curse
which is laid upon the solar hero in misfortune, that he should never
sleep twice under the same roof, or a