asing party sat up in the house of the worthy
Bodagh; for the neighbors had been alarmed, and came flocking to his
aid. 'Tis true, the danger was now over; but the kind Bodagh, thankful
in his heart to the Almighty for the escape of his daughter, would not
let them go without first partaking of his hospitality. His wife, too,
for the same reason, was in a flutter of delight; and as her heart was
as Irish as her husband's, and consequently as hospitable, so did
she stir about, and work, and order right and left until abundant
refreshments were smoking on the table. Nor was the gentle and
melancholy Una herself, now that the snake was at all events scotched,
averse to show herself among them--for so they would have it. Biddy
Nulty had washed her face; and, notwithstanding the poultice of
stirabout which her mistress with her own hands applied to her wound,
she really was the most interesting person present, in consequence of
her heroism during the recent outrage. After a glass of punch had gone
round, she waxed inveterately eloquent, indeed, so much so that the
mourner, the colleen dhas dhun, herself was more than once forced to
smile, and in some instances fairly to laugh at the odd grotesque spirit
of her descriptions.

"The rascal was quick!" said the Bodagh, "but upon my credit, Biddy,
you wor a pop afore him for all that. Divil a thing I, or John, or
the others, could do wid only one gun an' a case o' pistols against so
many--still we would have fought life or death for poor Una anyhow.
But Biddy, here, good girl, by her cleverness and invention saved us the
danger, an' maybe was the manes of savin' some of our lives or theirs.
God knows I'd have no relish to be shot myself," said the pacific
Bodagh, "nor would I ever have a day or night's pace if I had the blood
of a fellow-crathur on my sowl--upon my sowl I wouldn't."

"But, blood alive, masther, what could I 'a' done only for Ned
M'Cormick, that gave us the hard word?" said Biddy, anxious to transfer
the merit of the transaction to her lover.

"Well, well, Bid," replied the Bodagh, "maybe neither Ned nor yourself
will be a loser by it. If you're bent on layin' your heads together
we'll find you a weddin' present, anyway."

"Bedad, sir, I'm puzzled to know how they got in so aisy," said Ned.

"That matter remains to be cleared up yet," said John. "There is
certainly treachery in the camp somewhere."

"I am cock sure the hall--door was not latched," said Duffy