did you refuse to see me for the last week? Why keep me trotting day
after day, although you know I wanted to speak with you? What have you
to say for yourself?"

Corbet, before replying, gave a sharp, short, vindictive glance at his
wife, whom he suspected strongly of having turned traitress, and played
into the hands of the enemy.

"Troth, your reverence, I was sorry to hear that you had come so often;"
and as he spoke, another glance toward the shop seemed to say, "You
deceitful old wretch, you have betrayed and played the devil with me."

"I don't at all doubt it, Anthony," replied the priest, "the truth being
that you were sorry I came at all. Come I am, however, and if I were to
wait for twelve months, I wouldn't go without seeing you. Call in Mrs.
Dunphy till I spake to her, and ask her how she is."

"You had better come in, ma'am," said the old fellow, in a tone of voice
that could not be misunderstood; "here's Father M'Mahon, who wants to
spake to you."

"Arra, get out o' that!" she replied; "didn't I tell you that he didn't
show his round rosy face to-day yet; but I'll go bail he'll be here for
all that--sorra day he missed for the last week, and it's a scandal for
you to thrate him as you're doin'--sorra thing else."

"Stop your goster," said Dunphy, "and come in--isn't he inside here?"

The woman came to the door, and giving a hasty and incredulous look
in, started, exclaiming, "Why, then, may I never sin, but he is. Musha!
Father M'Mahon, how in the name o' goodness did you get inside at all?"

"Aisily enough," he replied; "I only made myself invisible for a couple
of minutes, and passed in while you were weighing something for a woman
in the shop."

"Troth, then, one would think you must a' done so, sure enough, for the
sorrow a stim of you I seen anyhow."

"O, she's so attentive to her business, your reverence," said Anthony,
with bitter irony, "that she sees nothing else. The lord mayor might
drive his coach in, and she wouldn't see him. There's an ould proverb
goin' that says there's none so blind as thim that won't see. Musha,
sir, wasn't that a disagreeable turn that happened you the other
morning?"

"But it didn't last long, that was one comfort. The Lord save me from
ever seeing such another sight. I never thought our nature was capable
of such things; it is awful, even to think of it. Yes, terrible to
reflect, that there were unfortunate wretches there who will probably
be hurried in