udent respect for that gentleman's cloth prevented his
doing so.

'But supposin', Ma'am,' said his reverence, referring to the astounding
allegation of her marriage with Nutter; 'for the sake of argumint, it
should turn out to be so, in coorse you would not like to turn the poor
woman out iv doors, without a penny in her pocket, to beg her bread?'

'Your friend up stairs, Sir, intended playing the lady for the rest of
her days,' answered M. M., with a cat-like demureness, sly and cruel, 'at
my cost and to my sorrow. For twenty long years, or nigh hand it, she
has lived with my husband, consuming my substance, and keeping me in
penury. What did she allow me all that time?--not so much as that
crust--ha! ha!--no, not even allowed my husband to write me a line, or
send me a shilling. I suppose she owes me for her maintenance here--in
my house, out of my property--fully two thousand pounds. Make money of
that, Sir;--and my lawyer advises me to make her pay it.'

'Or rather to make her account, Ma'am; or you will, if she's disposed to
act fairly, take anything you may be advised, to be reasonable and
equitable, Ma'am,' interposed Dirty Davy.

'That's it,' resumed Madam Mary. 'I don't want her four bones. Let her
make up one thousand pounds--that's reason, Sir--and I'll forgive her
the remainder. But if she won't, then to gaol I'll send her, and there
she may rot for me.'

'You persave, Sir,' continued the attorney; 'your client--I mane your
friend--has fixed herself in the character of an agent--all the late
gintleman's money, you see, went through her hands--an agent or a
steward to Charles Nutther, desased--an' a coort iv equity'll hould her
liable to account, ye see; an' we know well enough what money's past
through her hands annually--an' whatever she can prove to have been
honestly applied, we'll be quite willin' to allow; but, you see, we must
have the balance!'

'Balance!' said the priest, incensed beyond endurance; 'if you stay
balancin' here, my joker, much longer, you'll run a raysonable risk of
balancin' by the neck out iv one of them trees before the doore.'

'So you're threatenin' my life, Sir!' said the attorney, with a sly
defiance.

'You lie like the divil, Sir--savin' your presence, Ma'am. Don't you
know the differ, Sir, between a threat an' a warnin', you bosthoon?'
thundered his reverence.

'You're sthrivin' to provoke me to a brache iv the pace, as the company
can testify,' said Dirty Davy.