r face; you've the sogarth in yer very face; an' well will ye
become the robes when ye get them on ye: sure, an' to tell you the truth
(in a whisper, stretching up his mouth to my ear), I feel my heart warm
towardst you, somehow." "I declare I feel much the same towards you,"
I returned, for the fellow in spite of me was gaining upon my good
opinion; "you are a decent, civil soul." "An' for that raison, and for
your dacent mother's sake (_sobies-coat inpassy, amin_), (* Requiescat
in pace.) I'll jist here offer up the _gray profungus_ (* De profundis)
for the release of her sowl out o' the burning flames of pur-gathur." I
really could not help shuddering at this. He then repeated a psalm for
that purpose, the 130th in our Bible, but the 129th in theirs. When it
was finished, with all due gesticulation, that is to say, having thumped
his breast with great violence, kissed the ground, and crossed himself
repeatedly, he says to me, like a man confident that he had paved his
way to my good graces, "Now, avick, as we _did_ do so much, you're the
very darlin' young man that I won't lave, widout the best, maybe, that's
to come yet, ye see; bekase I'll swap a prayer wid you, this blessed
minute." "I'm very glad you mentioned it," said I. "But you don't know,
maybe, darlin', that I'm undher five ordhers." "Dear me! is it possible
you're under so many?" "Undher five ordhers, acushla!"--"Well," I
replied, "I am ready."--"Undher five ordhers--but I'll lave it to
yourself; only when it's over, maybe, ye'll hear somethin' from me
that'll make you thankful you ever gave me silver any way."

By this time I saw his drift: but he really had managed his point so
dexterously--not forgetting the De profundis--that I gave him tenpence
in silver: he pocketed it with great alacrity, and was at the prayer
in a twinkling, which he did offer up in prime,style--five paters, five
aves, and a creed, whilst I set the same number to his credit. When we
had finished, he made me kneel down to receive his blessing, which he
gave in great form:--"Now," said he, in a low, important tone, "I'm
goin' to show you a thing that'll make you bless the born day you ever
seen my face; and it's this--did ye ever hear of the blessed Thirty
Days' Prayer?"* "I can't say I did." "Well, avick, in good time still;
but there's a blessed book, if you can get it, that has a prayer in it,
named the Thirty Bays' Prayer, an' if ye jist repate that same, every
day for thirty days