e to the "young misthress and her
lover;" and though most of those present, at other times, would have
said that it was a pity their own Miss Feemy should be marrying "a
born inimey of the counthry, like a Revenue officer, and a black
Prothestant too," it wasn't now, when she had come to honour the
wedding of one of themselves, that they would be remembering anything
against her or her lover.

"Well, Mary, so the time's nearly come," said Feemy, as she sat
down on the bench by the fire, that Mary, regardless of all bridal
propriety, wiped down for her with the tail of her white dress;
saying, as she did so, "What harum? sure won't the dust make it
worse, when the dancing comes on, and--"

"Whisper, Mary."

"What is it, Miss?

"Whisper, then."

"Ah, now! you'll be at me like the rest of 'em;" and she put her big
face down over Feemy's. "Are the sheets done, Mary?"

"Ah now! Miss, you're worse than 'em all!" and Mary put her big hand
with the big cotton glove, with the fingers widely extended, before
her face to hide the virgin blush.

"What's that, Feemy?" said Father John; "what's that I heard?"

"Go asy, now, Father John, do;" and Mary gave the priest a playful
push, which nearly put him into the fire; "for God's sake, Miss,
don't be telling him, now; you won't, darlint?"

"What was it, Feemy? all's fair now, you know."

"Only just something Mary was to get ready for her husband, then,
Father John--nothing particular. You'll never be married yourself,
you know, so you needn't ask."

"Oh! part of the fortune, was it? Trust Denis, he'll look to that; is
it the pigs, eh, Denis?"

"No, Father John, it jist a'nt the pigs," said Mary.

"Come, what is it?--out with it Denis."

"Sorrow a one of me knows what you're talking about," said Denis.

"It a'nt the calf at last, Denis, is it?"

"Bad luck to it for a calf!" exclaimed McGovery; and then, sidling up
to the priest, "you wouldn't be setting all the boys laughing at me,
Father John, and thim sthrangers, too."

"Well, well, Denis, but why didn't you tell me the whole?"

When Ussher had first entered, Brady had come up, expressly to
welcome him; and there was something in his extreme servility which
made Ussher fear all was not quite right. But Ussher had become
habituated to treat the servility of the poor as the only means
they had of deprecating the injuries so frequently in his power to
inflict; he had, too, from his necessity of not attending to th