Catholics,
which consists in an exchange of one or more prayers, by a stipulation
between two persons: I offer up a pater and ave for you, and you
again for me. It is called swapping or exchanging prayers. After I had
received the sacrament, I observed a thin, sallow little man, with a
pair of beads, as long as himself, moving from knot to knot, but never
remaining long in the same place. At last he glided up to me, and in a
whisper asked me if I knew him. I answered in the negative. "Oh, then, a
lanna, ye war never here before?" "Never." "Oh, I see that, acushla, you
would a known me if you had: well then, did ye never hear of Sol Donnel,
the pilgrim?"

"I never did," I replied, "but are we not all pilgrims while here?"

"To be sure, aroon, but I'm a pilgrim every place else, you see, as well
as here, my darlin' sweet young man."

"Then you're a pilgrim by profession?"

"That's it, asthore machree; everybody that comes here the second time,
sure, knows Sol Donnel, the blessed pilgrim."

"In that case it was impossible for me to know you, as I was-never here
before."

"Acushla, I know that, but a good beginnin' are ye makin' of it--an' at
your time of life too; but, avick, it must prosper wid ye, comin' here I
mane."

"I hope it may." "Well yer parents isn't both livin' it's likely?"
"No." "Aye! but yell jist not forget that same, ye see; I b'lieve I sed
so--your father dead, I suppose?" "No, my mother." "Your mother; well,
avick, I didn't say that for a sartinty; but still, you see, avourneen,
maybe somebody could a tould ye it was the mother, forhaps, afther
all." "Did you know them?" I asked. "You see, a lanna, I can't say that,
without first hearin' their names." "My name is B------." "An' a dacent
bearable name it is, darlin'. Is yer father of them da-cent people, the
B------s of Newtownlimavady, ahagur!" "Not that I know of." "Oh, well,
well, it makes no maxim between you an' me, at all, at all; but the Lord
mark you to grace, any how; it's a dacent name sure enough, only if yer
mother was livin', it's herself 'ud be the proud woman, an' well she
might, to see such a clane, promisin' son steppin' home to her from
Lough Derg." "Indeed I'm obliged to you," said I; "I protest I'm obliged
to you, for your good opinion of me." "It's nothin' but what ye desarve,
avick! an' more nor that--yer the makin's of a clargy I'm guessin'?" "I
am," said I, "surely designed for that." "Oh, I knew it, I knew it,
it's in you