She thought a dale av Paddy, only she'd be torn
limb from limb afore she'd let him know it till he confist first. Well, my
dear, Paddy wint on, at firsht it was only purtindin' he was, an' whin he
found she cudn't be tuk wid his chaff, he got in airnest, an' afore he
knewn it, he was dead in love wid Nora, an' had as much show for gettin'
out agin as a shape in a bog, an' sorra a bit did he know at all at all,
whether she cared a traneen for him. It's funny entirely that whin a man
thinks a woman is afther him, he's aff like a hare, but if she doesn't
care a rap, begob, he'll give the nose aff his face to get her. So it was
wid Paddy an' Nora, axceptin' that Paddy didn't know that Nora wanted him
as much as he wanted her.

"So, wan night, whin he was bringin' her from a dance that they'd been at,
he said to her that he loved her betther than life an' towld her would she
marry him, an' she axed was it jokin' or in airnest he was, an' he said
cud she doubt it whin he loved her wid all the veins av his heart, an' she
trimbled, turnin' paler than iver, an' thin blushin' rosy red for joy an'
towld him yes, an' he kissed her, an' they both thought the throuble was
all over foriver. It's a way thim lovers has, an' they must be axcused,
bekase it's the same wid thim all.

"But it wasn't at all, fur Nora had an owld squireen av a father, that was
as full av maneness as eggs is av mate. Sure he was the divil entirely at
home, an' niver left off wid the crassness that was in him. The timper av
him was spiled be rason o' losing his bit o' money wid cards an' racin',
an' like some min, he tuk it out wid his wife an' dawther. There was only
the three o' thim in it, an' they do say that whin he was crazy wid
dhrink, he'd bate thim right an' lift, an' turn thim out o' the cabin into
the night, niver heeding, the baste, phat 'ud come to thim. But they niver
said a word thimselves, an' the nabers only larned av it be seein' thim.

"Well. Whin O'Moore was towld that Paddy was kapin' comp'ny wid Nora, an'
the latther an' her mother towld him she wanted fur to marry Paddy, the
owld felly got tarin' mad, fur he was as proud as a paycock, an' though
he'd nothin' himself, he riz agin the match, an' all the poor mother an'
Nora cud say 'udn't sthir him.

[Illustration: "Be aff wid yer nonsinse"]

"'Sure I've nothin' agin him,' he'd say, 'barrin' he's as poor as a
fiddler, an' I want Nora to make a good match.'

"Now the owld