irl, seeing that everything must be and was
above board--"an answer to the letther he sent her."

"Did he send you a letther?" asked her father, seriously; "an' you never
let us know a word about it?--did he send you a letther?"

Kathleen paused a moment and seemed to consult Hanna's looks, who had
now joined them. At length she replied, slowly, and as if in doubt
whether she ought to speak in the affirmative or not--"no, he sent me no
letter."

"Well now, take care, Kathleen," said her mother; "I seen a letther in
your hands this very mornin'."

Kathleen blushed deeply; but as if anxious to give the conversation
another turn, and so to relieve herself, she replied, "I can't prevent
you, mother, or my father either, from sending back whatever answer you
wish; but this I say that, except the one I gave already, Hycy Burke
will never receive any message or any answer to a message from me; an'
now for the present let us drop it."

"Very well," said her mother; "in the mane time, my good girsha, sit
down. Is it thrue that Jemmy Burke's house was robbed a couple o' nights
ago?"

"True enough," said the girl.

"And how much did he lose?" asked M'Mahon; "for there's disputes about
it--some say more and some say less."

"Between seventy and eighty pounds," replied Nanny; "the masther isn't
sure to a pound or so; but he knows it was near eighty, any way."

"That's just like him," said Cavanagh; "his careless way of managin'.
Many a time I wondher at him;--he slobbers everything about that you'd
think he'd beggar himself, an' yet the luck and prosperity flows to him.
I declare to my goodness I think the very dirt under his feet turns to
money. Well, girsha, an' have they any suspicion of the robbers?"

"Why," said the girl, "they talk about"--she paused, and it was
quite evident from her manner that she felt not only embarrassed, but
distressed by the question. Indeed this was no matter of surprise; for
ever since the subject was alluded to, Kate Hogan's black piercing eyes
had not once been removed from hers, nor did the girl utter a single
word in reply to the questions asked of her without first, as it were,
consulting Kate's looks.

A moment's reflection made Cavanagh feel that the question must be a
painful one to the girl, not only on her own account, but on that of
Kate herself; for even then it was pretty well known that Burke's family
entertained the strongest suspicion that the burglary had been committed