neighboring house, were the next visitors;
and, after piously kneeling around the corpse to offer their fervent
prayers for the soul, they prepared to "lay out" the body. This
consists, as all are probably aware, of washing the corpse, clothing it
in clean linen, extending it on a table or bed, and putting up such
temporary fixtures as would deprive the room in which it lies of the
gloom and repulsiveness attendant on such an event. After arranging all
things so that she looked "a decent corpse," with the _religious habit_
around her, Mrs. Doherty hung up the crucifix, pinned to a white linen
sheet at the head of where she lay, placed her "Ursuline Manual" on her
breast, and her beads on her arms, crossed on the body.

"She was a handsome, fine woman, in her day, God bless her," said Mrs.
Doherty.

"Yes, any body can tell that," answered Norry. "I wonder how they came
here at all."

"I know it well," answered old Peggy Doherty. "She telled me all about
it afore she took bad entirely. Her man was well off, and had a brother
next to the bishop in the church, in the county of C----. When landlords
began to root out the people from their homes, the brother of Mr.
O'Clery, her husband, wrote letters in the newspapers about the cruelty
of the landlord, who was called 'Lord Mandemon;' and on that account,
and because the priest took part with the poor,--as they always do, God
bless 'em!--the landlord came down on Mr. O'Clery, sold out his sixty
milch cows, after being twenty-one days in pound; and though the cows
were worth ten pounds each, Lord Mandemon's agent sold them by auction,
and he bought them back himself for two pounds each; and so the poor
family was ruined. After that, O'Clery sold out another farm he had;
and, collecting all that was due to him, he came to America, against the
advice of the priest, his brother. He thought, he said, to live with his
family in 'a free country,' where there were no landlords or tyrants,
and, while he had some means, to buy a farm which he could call his own.
But he took the cholera when within sight of land, and he only lived a
few days. God rest his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed.
And God help those poor orphans," she said, piously, looking to where
the little group, wearied from grief and crying, lay asleep on a straw
bed.

"I do really pity the poor creatures," said Norry. "I suppose they will
have to go to the poorhouse."

"I hope not; God forbid, _astho