you're once here. But did he railly sthrike you in arnest?"

"He did, and knocked her down," said Jane.

"But won't you get your brother his dinner?" said Anty; "he must be
very hungry, afther his ride--and won't you see your mother afther your
journey, Mr Martin? I'm shure she's expecting you."

This, for the present, put an end to the conversation; the girls went
to get something for their brother to eat, and he descended into the
lower regions to pay his filial respects to his mother.

A considerable time passed before Martin returned to the meal the
three young women had provided for him, during which he was in close
consultation with the widow. In the first place, she began upbraiding
him for his folly in wishing to marry an old maid for her money; she
then taxed him with villany, for trying to cheat Anty out of her
property; and when he defended himself from that charge by telling her
what he had done about the settlement, she asked him how much he had to
pay the rogue of a lawyer for that "gander's job". She then proceeded
to point out all the difficulties which lay in the way of a marriage
between him, Martin, and her, Anty; and showed how mad it was for
either of them to think about it. From that, she got into a narrative
of Barry's conduct, and Anty's sufferings, neither of which lost
anything in the telling; and having by this time gossiped herself
into a good humour, she proceeded to show how, through her means and
assistance, the marriage might take place if he was still bent upon
it. She eschewed all running away, and would hear of no clandestine
proceedings. They should be married in the face of day, as the
Kellys ought, with all their friends round them. "They'd have no
huggery-muggery work, up in a corner; not they indeed! why should
they?--for fear of Barry Lynch?--who cared for a dhrunken blackguard
like that?--not she indeed! who ever heard of a Kelly being afraid of a
Lynch?--They'd ax him to come and see his sister married, and av' he
didn't like it, he might do the other thing."

And so, the widow got quite eloquent on the glories of the wedding, and
the enormities of her son's future brother-in-law, who had, she assured
Martin, come down and abused her horribly, in her own shop, before all
the town, because she allowed Anty to stay in the house. She then
proceeded to the consequences of the marriage, and expressed her hope
that when Martin got all that ready money he would "do something for