word to bring me Barney’s letther—­if e’er a wan comes—­the very minute she gets it, an’ if he comes himself she says she won’t let on where I am, all at wanst, but she’ll tell him gradual.  Sometimes I do be very unaisy in me mind, Miss Mahony, I assure ye, wondherin’ what he’ll say when he hears.  I’m afeared he’ll be ready to kill me for bringin’ such a disgrace on him.”

“Sure, what could ye do?” said Kate, a little tartly, for naturally enough as “an inmate” of many years’ standing, she did not quite like her new friend’s insistence on this point.  “Troth, it’s aisy talkin’, but it’s not so aisy to starve.  An’ afther all, there’s many a one that’s worse off nor us here, I can tell ye, especially since the Sisthers come, God bless them, with their holy ways.  How’d ye like to be beyant at the ——­ Union, where the nurses gobbles up all the nourishment that’s ordhered for the poor misfortunate cratures that’s in it, an leaves thim sthretched from mornin’ till night without doin’ a hand’s turn for them.  Aye, an’ ’ud go near to kill them if they dar’d let on to the Docther.  Sure, don’t I know well how it was before the Sisthers was here—­we have different times now I can tell ye.  Why, that very statye o’ St. Pathrick that ye were talkin’ of a while ago, wasn’t it them brought it?  An’ there’s St. Joseph over in the ward fornenst this, an’ St. Elizabeth an’ the Holy Mother above.  See that now.  Isn’t it a comfort to be lookin’ at them holy things, and to see the blessed Sisthers come walkin’ in in the mornin’ wid a heavenly smile for every one, an’ their holy eyes lookin’ into every hole an’ corner an’ spyin’ out what’s wrong?”

“Aye, indeed,” assented Mrs. Brady, a little faintly though, for however grateful she might be, and comfortable in the main, there was a bitterness in the thought of her “come down” that nothing could alleviate.

She and her neighbour were excellent friends all the same, and she soon shared Kate’s enthusiasm for “the Sisthers,” finding comfort moreover in the discovery that Sister Louise understood and sympathised with her feelings, and was willing to receive endless confidences on the subject of the “little boy,” and to discuss the probability of his speedy advent with almost as much eagerness as herself.

But all too soon it became evident that unless Barney made great haste another than he would take Mrs. Brady “out of” the workhouse.  Grim death was approaching with rapid strides, and one day the priest found her so weak that he told her he would come on the morrow to hear her confession and to give her the last Sacraments.

Not one word did the old woman utter in reply.  She lay there with her eyes closed and her poor old face puckered up, unheeding all Kate Mahony’s attempts at consolation.  These, though well meant, were slightly inconsistent, as she now assured her friend that indeed it was well for her, and asked who wouldn’t be glad to be out o’ that; and in the next moment informed her that maybe when she was anointed she might find herself cured out an’ out, as many a wan had before her, an’ wasn’t it well known that them that the priest laid his holy hands on, as likely as not took a good turn immaydiate?