omed, as autocrats usually
are, to scold a good deal; and now she was using her tongue pretty
freely. It wasn't the girls, however, she was rating, for they could
answer for themselves;--and did, when they thought it necessary. But
now, they were demure, conscious, and quiet. Mrs. Kelly was denouncing
one of the reputed sins of the province to which she belonged, and
describing the horrors of "schaming."

"Them underhand ways," she declared, "niver come to no good. Av' it's
thrue what Father Connel's afther telling me, there'll harum come of
it before it's done and over. Schaming, schaming, and schaming for
iver! The back of my hand to such doings! I wish the tongue had been
out of Moylan's mouth, the ould rogue, before he put the thing in his
head. Av' he wanted the young woman, and she was willing, why not
take her in a dacent way, and have done with it. I'm sure she's ould
enough. But what does he want with a wife like her?--making innimies
for himself. I suppose he'll be sitting up for a gentleman now--bad
cess to them for gentry; not but that he's as good a right as some,
and a dale more than others, who are ashamed to put their hand to a
turn of work. I hate such huggery muggery work up in a corner. It's
half your own doing; and a nice piece of work it'll be, when he's got
an ould wife and a dozen lawsuits!--when he finds his farm gone, and
his pockets empty; for it'll be a dale asier for him to be getting the
wife than the money--when he's got every body's abuse, and nothing
else, by his bargain!"

It was very apparent that Martin's secret had not been well kept, and
that the fact of his intended marriage with Anty Lynch was soon likely
to be known to all Dunmore. The truth was, that Moylan had begun to
think himself overreached in the matter--to be afraid that, by the very
measure he had himself proposed, he would lose all share in the great
prize he had put in Martin's way, and that he should himself be the
means of excluding his own finger from the pie. It appeared to him that
if he allowed this, his own folly would only be equalled by the young
man's ingratitude; and he determined therefore, if possible, to prevent
the match. Whereupon he told the matter as a secret, to those whom he
knew would set it moving. In a very short space of time it reached the
ears of Father Connel; and he lost none in stepping down to learn the
truth of so important a piece of luck to one of his parishioners, and
to congratulate