rty's Hos

marriage was in question. So little had been given to the Irish in these days, that they were bound to take what they could get. Lord Scroope and the Countess, had they known the priest's views on this matter, would have regarded him as an unscrupulous intriguing ruffian, prepared to destroy the happiness of a noble family by a wicked scheme. But his views of life, as judged from the other side, admitted of some excuse. As for a girl breaking her heart, he did not, perhaps, much believe in such a catastrophe. Of a sore heart a girl must run the chance,-as also must a man. That young men do go about promising marriage and not keeping their promise, he knew well. None could know that better than he did, for he was the repository of half the love secrets in his parish. But all that was part of the evil coming from the fall of Adam, and must be endured till,-till the Pope should have his own again, and be able to set all things right. In the meantime young women must do the best they could to keep their lovers;-and should one lover break away, then must the deserted one use her experience towards getting a second. But how was a girl to have a lover at all, if she were never allowed to see a man? He had been bred a priest from his youth upwards, and knew nothing of love; but neverthe

ing Fred's absence hardly a word had been spoken concerning him in the cottage. Mrs. O'Hara had feared the subject, and Kate had thought of him much too often to allow

e, mo

he was back at Ennis. Barney had to

ing such weather

so high now as they were in October, and the m

r since she had lived in these parts had seen the canoes from Liscannor and Lahinch ab

this Kate made no answer. "He is to sleep at Father Marty's

ant all his time for the boatin

I don't doubt. Shall you

see any one up here. It's as good as a trea

is not like old

Corcoran, because you see with Corcoran the excitement is ver

. Nevil

l more to you than h

like him very much indeed if the

t da

of answering, got up and threw herself at her mother's knees, and buried her face in her

wo, as she lay wakeful in her bed she would have thought of her dreams. But she would have thought of them as only dreams. She would have been sure that she could have loved him had any fair ending been possible for such love; but she would have assured herself that she had been on her guard, and that she was safe in spite of her dreams. But now the flame in her heart had been confessed and in some degree sanctioned, and she would foster it rather than quench it. Even shou

he considered himself entitled to regulate it, in obedience to any remonstrances from Scroope Manor. Objections to the society of a Roman Catholic priest because of his religion he would have regarded as old-fashioned fanaticism. As for Earls and their daughters he would no doubt have enough of them in his future life, and this special Earl and his daughters had not fascinated him. He had chosen to come to Ireland with his regiment for this year instead of at once assuming the magnificence of his position in England, in order tha

skey had come from Cork and had been in the priest's keeping for the last dozen years. He good-humouredly acknowledged that the wine was nothing, but expressed an opinion that Mr. Neville might find

means dull. As Neville had not left Ennis till late in the day,-after what he called a hard day's work in the warrior line,-they did not sit down till past eight o'clock; nor did any one talk of moving till past midnight. Fred certainly made for himself more than two glasses of punch, and he would have sworn that the priest had done so also. Father Marty, however, was said by those who knew him best to be very rigid in this matter, and to have the faculty of making his drink go a long way. Young Mr. Finucane took three or four,-perhaps five or six,-and then volunteered to join Fred Neville in a day's shooting under the rocks. But Fred had not been fou

ough, Fath

rrow a doubt of that."

uldn't I?" a

ral after knowing them as you have done. If you didn't go they'd be thinking there

hat was coming fairly well, and he also

re all alone, with sorrow a human being in

they want

en, and because one of them is

h beautiful,"

fashion, too, she can look afther her daughter. I shouldn't like to be the man to

my mis

n the world. They tell me you'r

little one," said

a fillip with his fingers. "The only lord that matters me is me bishop. But with them women yonder, the title and the money and all the grandeur goes a long

hey ride a ra

t them! You wouldn't wish to injure that y

that I shoul

fair at all. That's the long and the short of it, Mr. Neville. You see what they are. They're ladies, if there is a lady living in the Queen's dominions. Th

l not nee

if it isn't past one I'm a sinner. It's Friday morning and I mus'n't ate a morsel myself, poor papist that I am; but I'll g

hich perhaps owed something of its warmth to th

re of it

our friend, at any rate I

Mr. Neville,-which I take to be

said Fred, enthusiastically

t they should walk up together to the cottage before he went down to his boat. "What's the good of an ould man like me going bothering? And, signs on, I'm going into Ennistimon to see Pat O'Leary about the milk he's send

in the direction away from the Hag's Head and from Mrs. O'Hara's cottage; and he therefore postponed his expedition till after his visi