ill away, but were daily expected. I never passed a
pleasanter time in my life than during that fortnight's lull between
the storms.

"Begorra (that's a Scotch expression, Miss Brentwood, but very
forcible)," said Captain Desborough. "I owe you more than I can ever
repay for buying out the Donovans. That girl Lesbia Burke would have
forcibly abducted me, and married me against my will, if she hadn't had
to follow the rest of the family to Port Phillip."

"A fine woman, too," said Captain Brentwood.

"I'd have called her a little coarse, myself," said Desborough.

"One of the finest, strangest sights I ever saw in my life," resumed
Captain Brentwood, "was on the morning I came to take possession. None
of the family were left but Murtagh Donovan and Miss Burke. I rode over
from Buckley's, and when I came to the door Donovan took me by the arm,
and saying 'whist,' led me into the sitting-room. There, in front of
the empty fireplace, crouched down on the floor, bareheaded, with her
beautiful hair hanging about her shoulders, sat Miss Burke. Every now
and then she would utter the strangest low wailing cry you ever heard:
a cry, by Jove, sir, that went straight to your heart. I turned to
Donovan, and whispered, 'Is she ill?' and he whispered again, 'Her
heart's broke at leaving the old place where she's lived so long. She's
raising the keen over the cold hearthstone. It's the way of the
Burkes.' I don't know when I was so affected in my life. Somehow, that
exquisite line came to my remembrance,--

"'And the hare shall kindle on the cold hearth-stone,'

"and I went back quietly with Donovan; and, by Jove, sir, when we came
out the great ass had the tears running down his cheeks. I have always
felt kindly to that man since."

"Ah, Captain," said Desborough, "with all our vanity and absurdity, we
Irish have got good warm hearts under our waistcoats. We are the first
nation in the world, sir, saving the Jews."

This was late in the afternoon of a temperate spring day. We were
watching Desborough as he was giving the finishing touches to a
beautiful watercolour drawing.

"Doctor," he said, "come and pass your opinion."

"I think you have done admirably, Captain," said the Doctor; "you have
given one a splendid idea of distance in the way you have toned down
the plain, from the grey appearance it has ten miles off to the rich,
delicate green it shows close to us. And your mountain, too, is most
aerial. You would make