es, that Kate, unable any longer to endure the suspense of
silent watching, descended the stairs, and entered the kitchen, to try
and learn there some tidings of events. The people stood up respectfully
as she came forward, and while each made his or her humble obeisance, a
muttered sound ran through them, in Irish, of wonder and astonishment
at her grace and beauty; for, whatever be the privations of the Irish
peasant, however poor and humble his lot in life, two faculties pertain
to him like instincts--a relish for drollery, and an admiration for
beauty--these are claims that ever find acknowledgment from him, and in
his enjoyment of either, he can forget himself, and all the miseries of
his condition. The men gazed on her as something more than mortal, the
character of her features heightened by costume strange to their eyes,
seemed to astonish almost as much as it captivated them--while the
women, with more critical discernment, examined her more composedly,
but, perhaps, with not less admiration; Mrs. Branagan, at the same time
throwing a proud glance around, as though to say, "You didn't think to
see the likes of that, in these parts."

Kate happened on this occasion to look more than usually handsome. With
a coquetry it is not necessary to explain, she had dressed herself most
becomingly, and in that style which distinctly marks a French woman--the
only time in his life Mark had ever remarked her costume was when she
wore this dress, and she had not forgotten the criticism.

"I didn't mean to disturb you," said Kate, with her slightly foreign
accent; "pray sit down again--well, then, I must leave you, if you
won't--every one let's me have my own way--is it not true, Mrs.
Branagan?"

Mrs. Branagan's reply was quite lost in the general chorus of the
others, as she said--

"And why wouldn't you, God bless you for a raal beauty!" while a
powerful looking fellow, with dark beard and whiskers, struck his stick
violently against the ground, and cried out in his enthusiasm--

"Let me see the man that would say agin it--that's all."

Kate smiled at the speaker, not all ungrateful for such rude chivalry,
and went on--"I wanted to hear if you have any news from the town--was
there any stir among the troops, or anything extraordinary going forward
there?"

Each looked at the other as if unwilling to take the reply upon himself,
when at last an old man, with a head as white as snow, answered--

"Yes, my lady, the sol