"you said you didn't marry because no man would have you. Peter has
been waiting for you ever since you were a girl of sixteen years old,
and I may say it for him, since he doesn't say much himself, that you
have nearly broken his heart."

"I'm sure I never meant it. I like Peter."

"You acted out of recklessness without knowing what you were doing."

A continual smile floated round Peter's moustache, and he looked like a
man to whom rebuffs made no difference. His eyes were patient and
docile; and whether it was the presence of this great and true love by
her side, or whether it was the presence of the priest, Kate did not
know, but a great change came over her, and she said:--

"I know that Peter has been very good, that he has cared for me this
long while .... If he wishes to make me his wife--"

When Kate gave him her hand there was a mist in his eyes, and he stood
trembling before her.

III

Next morning, as Father Maguire was leaving the house, his servant
handed him a letter. It was from an architect who had been down to
examine the walls of the church. The envelope that Father Maguire was
tearing open contained his report, and Father Maguire read that it
would require two hundred pounds to make the walls secure. Father
Maguire was going round to the church to marry Mary Byrne and Ned
Kavanagh, and he continued to read the report until he arrived at the
church. The wedding party was waiting, but the architect's report was
much more important than a wedding, and he wandered round the old walls
examining the cracks as he went. He could see they were crumbling, and
he believed the architect was right, and that it would be better to
build a new church. But to build a new church three or four thousand
pounds would be required, and the architect might as well suggest that
he should collect three or four millions.

And Ned and Mary noticed the dark look between the priest's eyes as he
came out of the sacristy, and Ned regretted that his reverence should
be out of his humour that morning, for he had spent three out of the
five pounds he had saved to pay the priest for marrying him. He had
cherished hopes that the priest would understand that he had had to buy
some new clothes, but the priest looked so cross that it was with
difficulty he summoned courage to tell him that he had only two pounds
left.

"I want two hundred pounds to make the walls of the church safe. Where
is the money to come from? All the mon