be so of one who is so dear and near to you. I wish he would have
stayed longer, and hope that he shall come again. We have not much
to offer in the way of amusement, but in January and February there
is good snipe shooting.

I find that Mr. Neville is very fond of shooting,--so much so that
before we knew anything of him except his name we had heard that he
had been on our coast after seals and sea birds. We have very high
cliffs near here,--some people say the highest in the world, and
there is one called the Hag's Head from which men get down and
shoot sea-gulls. He has been different times in our village of
Liscannor, and I think he has a boat there or at Lahinch. I believe
he has already killed ever so many seals.

I tell you all this for a reason. I hope that it may come to
nothing, but I think that you ought to know. There is a widow lady
living not very far from Liscannor, but nearer up to the cliffs.
Her cottage is on papa's property, but I think she holds it from
somebody else. I don't like to say anything to papa about it. Her
name is Mrs. O'Hara, and she has a daughter.

When Lady Scroope had read so far, she almost let the paper drop from
her hand. Of course she knew what it all meant. An Irish Miss O'Hara!
And Fred Neville was spending his time in pursuit of this girl! Lady
Scroope had known what it would be when the young man was allowed to
return to his regiment in spite of the manifold duties which should have
bound him to Scroope Manor.

I have seen this young lady,

continued Lady Mary,

and she is certainly very pretty. But nobody knows anything about
them; and I cannot even learn whether they belong to the real
O'Haras. I should think not, as they are Roman Catholics. At
any rate Miss O'Hara can hardly be a fitting companion for Lord
Scroope's heir. I believe they are ladies, but I don't think that
any one knows them here, except the priest of Kilmacrenny. We never
could make out quite why they came here,--only that Father Marty
knows something about them. He is the priest of Kilmacrenny. She is
a very pretty girl, and I never heard a word against her;--but I
don't know whether that does not make it worse, because a young man
is so likely to get entangled.

I daresay nothing shall come of it, and I'm sure I hope that
nothing may. But I thought it best to tell you. Pray do not let him
k