theen's a made
boy, I think."

"_Dher cheerna!_ you _are_ up," said Teddy, giving him a furious glance
as he spoke; "there must be no saycrits, I say."

"You're a blasted liar, I tell you--I am not, but I suspect--that's
all."

"What brought you up dhis night?" asked Teddy, suspiciously.

"Because I hard he was to come," replied his companion; "but whether or
not I'd be here."

"_Tha sha maigh_--it's right--may be so--shiss, it's all right, may be
so--well?"

Teddy, although he said it was all right, did not seem however to think
so. The furtive and suspicious glance which he gave Hogan from under his
red beetle brows should be seen in order to be understood.

"Well?" said Hogan, re-echoing him--"it is well; an' what is more, my
Kate is to be up here wid a pair o' geese to roast for us, for we must
make him comfortable. She wint to thry her hand upon somebody's roost,
an' it'll go hard if she fails!"

"Fwhail!" exclaimed Teddy, with a grin--"ah, the dioual a fwhail!"

"An' another thing--he's comin' about Kathleen Cavanagh--Hycy is. He
wants to gain our intherest about her!"

"Well, an' what harm?"

"Maybe there is, though, it's whispered that he--hut! doesn't he say
himself that there isn't a girl of his own religion in the parish he'd
marry--now I'd like to see them married, Teddy, but as for anything
else--"

"Hee! hee! hee!--well," exclaimed Teddy, with a horrible grimace that
gave his whole countenance a facequake, "an' maybe he's right. Maybe it
'udn't be aisy to get a colleen of his religion--I tink his religion is
fwhere Phiddher Fwhite's estate is--beyant the beyands, Avhere the mare
foaled the fwhiddler--hee! hee! hee!"

"He had better thry none of his sckames wid any of the Cavanaghs,"
said Bat, "for fraid he might be brought to bed of a mistake some fine
day--that's all I say; an' there's more eyes than mine upon him."

This dialogue was nearly lost in the loudness of a debate which had
originated with Keenan and certain of his friends in the lower part of
the still-house. Some misunderstanding relative to the families of the
parties about to be united had arisen, and was rising rapidly into a
comparative estimate of the prowess and strength of their respective
factions, and consequently assuming a very belligerent aspect, when a
tall, lank, but powerful female, made her appearance, carrying a large
bundle in her hand.

"More power, Kate!" exclaimed Hogan. "I knew she would," he added,
d