l."

"I'll tell you what you'll do, thin, Dandy," rejoined Ned, "what if
you'd walk down wid me as far as the Bodagh's."

"For why? Sure they're in bed now, man alive."

"I know that," said M'Cormick; "but how--an--ever, if you come down wid
me that far, I'll conthrive to get in somehow, widout wakenin' them."

"The dickens you will! How, the sarra, man?"

"No matther, I will; an' you see," he added, pulling out a flask of
spirits, "I'm not goin' impty-handed."

"Phew!" exclaimed Duffy, "is it there you are?--oh, that indeed! Faith
I got a whisper of it some time ago, but it wint out o' my head. Biddy
Nulty, faix--a nate clane girl she is, too."

"But that's not the best of it, Dandy. Sure, blood alive, I can tell you
a sacret--may dipind? Honor bright! The Bodagh's daughter, man, is to
give her a portion, in regard to her bein' so thrue to Connor O'Donovan.
Bad luck to the oath she'd swear aginst him if they'd made a queen of
her, but outdone the counsellors and lawyers, an' all the whole bobbery
o' them, whin they wanted her to turn king's evidence. Now, it's not but
I'd do anything to serve the purty Bodagh's daughter widout it; but you
see, Dandy, if white-liver takes her off, I may stand a bad chance for
the portion."

"Say no more; I'll go wid you; but how will you get in, Ned?"

"Never you mind that; here, take a pull out of this flask before you go
any further. Blood an' flummery! what a night; divil a my finger I can
see before me. Here--where's your hand?--that's it; warm your heart, my
boy."

"You intind thin, Ned, to give Biddy the hard word about Flanagan?"

"Why, to bid her put them on their guard; sure there can be no harm in
that."

"They say, Ned, it's not safe to trust a woman; what if you'd ax to see
the Bodagh's son, the young soggarth?"

"I'd trust my life to Biddy--she that was so honest to the Donovans
wouldn't be desateful to her sweetheart that--he--hem--she's far gone in
consate wid--your sowl. Her brother Alick's to meet me at the Bodagh's
on his way from their lodge, for they hould a meetin to-night too."

"Never say it again. I'll stick to you; so push an, for it's late.
You'll be apt to make up the match before you part, I suppose."

"That won't be hard to do any time, Dandy."

Both then proceeded down the same field, which we have already said
was called the Black Park, in consequence of its dark and mossy soil.
Having, with some difficulty, found the stile at the lower