ibands; and she had a well-formed nose, as all coming of old
families have; and a bright olive complexion, only the olive was a
little too brown, the skin a little too coarse; and then Feemy's
mouth was, oh! half an inch too long; but her teeth were white and
good, and her chin was well turned and short, with a dimple on it
large enough for any finger Venus might put there. In all, Feemy
was a fine girl in the eyes of a man not too much accustomed to
refinement. Her hands were too large and too red, but if Feemy got
gloves sufficient to go to mass with, it was all she could do in
that way; and though Feemy had as fine a leg as ever bore a pretty
girl, she was never well shod,--her shoes were seldom clean, often
slipshod, usually in holes; and her stockings--but no! I will not
further violate the mysteries of Feemy's wardrobe. But if the
beautiful girls of this poor country knew but half the charms which
neatness has, they would not so often appear as poor Feemy too
usually appeared.

Like her brother, she was ardent and energetic, if she had aught
to be ardent about; she was addicted to novels, when she could get
them from the dirty little circulating library at Mohill; she was
passionately fond of dancing, which was her chief accomplishment;
she played on an old spinnet which had belonged to her mother; and
controlled the motions and actions of the two barefooted damsels who
officiated as domestics at Ballycloran.

Such was the family at Ballycloran in the summer of 183--, and
though not perfect, I hope they have charms enough to make a further
acquaintance not unacceptable.

CHAPTER III.

THE TENANTRY OF BALLYCLORAN.

"Thady," said old Macdermot, as he sat eating stirabout and thick
milk, over a great turf fire, one morning about the beginning of
October, "Thady, will you be getting the money out of them born
divils this turn, and they owing it, some two, some three years this
November, bad cess to them for tenants? Thady, I say," shouted, or
rather screamed, the old man, as his son continued silently eating
his breakfast, "Thady, I say; have they the money, at all at all, any
of them; or is it stubborn they are? There's Flannelly and Keegan
with their d----d papers and bills and costs; will you be making out
the L142 7_s._ 6_d._ before Christmas for the hell-hounds; or it's
them'll be masters in Ballycloran? Then let the boys see the landlord
they'll have over them, that time!"

"Well, Larry," said t