ade himself that it was right for him to allow the Kavanaghs to
continue a dissolute life of drinking and dancing. They were the talk
of the parish; and he would have spoken against them from the altar,
but his uncle had advised him not to do so. Perhaps his uncle was
right; he might be right regarding the Kavanaghs. In the main he
disagreed with his uncle, but in this particular instance it might be
well to wait and pray that matters might improve.

Father Tom believed Ned Kavanagh to be a good boy. Ned was going to
marry Mary Byrne, and Father Tom had made up this marriage. The Byrnes
did not care for the marriage--they were prejudiced against Ned on
account of his family. But he was not going to allow them to break off
the marriage. He was sure of Ned, but in order to make quite sure he
would get him to take the pledge. Next morning when the priest had done
his breakfast, and was about to unfold his newspaper, his servant
opened the door, and told him that Ned Kavanagh was outside and wanted
to see him.

It was a pleasure to look at this nice, clean boy, with his winning
smile, and the priest thought that Mary could not wish for a better
husband. Ned's smile seemed a little fainter than usual, and his face
was paler; the priest wondered, and presently Ned told the priest that
he had come to confession, and going down on his knees, he told the
priest that he had been drunk last Saturday night, and that he had come
to take the pledge. He would never do any good while he was at home,
and one of the reasons he gave for wishing to marry Mary Byrne was his
desire to leave home. The priest asked him if matters were mending, and
if his sister showed any signs of wishing to be married.

"Sorra sign," said Ned.

"That's bad news you're bringing me," said the priest, and he walked up
and down the room, and they talked over Kate's wilful character.

"From the beginning she did not like living at home," said the priest.

"I don't care about living at home," said Ned.

"But for a different reason," remarked the priest. "You want to leave
home to get married, and have a wife and children, if God is pleased to
give you children."

Kate had been in numerous services, and the priest sat thinking of the
stories he had heard. He had heard that Kate had come back from her
last situation in a cab, wrapped up in blankets, saying she was ill. On
inquiry it was found that she had only been three or four days in her
situation; three