Peter’s only answer was an ironical laugh, and he once more resumed his homeward journey, leaving Mike standing pale and trembling beside the hedge.

Peter entered the house, flushed with triumph, and, calling loudly for Roseen, informed her that he was after sendin’ that fine young sweetheart of hers about his business.

“Ye don’t mane to say you turned him off!” cried the girl, in dismay.  “The poor fellow, how is he to live at all, him that has his old father and mother to keep as well as himself?”

“His father and mother won’t be costing him anything much now, I am thinkin’,” explained Peter politely.  “That grand ancient family of the Clancys will soon be out o’ this place, an’ living in the greatest aise and comfort at the country’s expense in the poorhouse, me dear.”

“What do ye mane at all?  Indeed Mike will never let them go there.  He’ll work till the two hands drops off of him, but he will conthrive to keep a roof over their heads.”

“Will he now?” said Rorke, still laboriously urbane.  “I wonder what roof that’ll be?”

Roseen looked up quickly, her parted lips suddenly turning white.

“I am thinking,” resumed Peter, “he’ll have to make haste an’ find a place for them, for they’ll be out o’ the old one soon enough.”

“Grandfather!” cried Roseen, “ye’re not going to put them out in airnest, are ye?  Sure ye’d never have the heart!  The poor old couple is dying on their feet as it is.  It’ll be the death o’ them altogether if ye go do that.”

“An’ a very good thing too,” retorted Peter.  “We’ll be shut o’ the whole of them out-an’-out, that way.”

“Ye’re a regular hard-hearted old Turk,” cried Roseen, “that’s what ye are!  The whole countryside will cry shame on ye!  It is outrageous, so it is!  ’Pon me word, ye’re as bad as Cromwell.”

“Ah, ha,” said Peter, “I’ll tell ye what it is, Roseen, the more impidence ye give me, the more I’ll do on the Clancys. Now!  Ye bold little lump!  How dar’ ye go speak to me that way?  I’ll teach ye to be carryin’ on wid the likes o’ that.  Not another word out o’ ye now, or I’ll walk down to the Clancys this minute an’ throw them out on the road before dark.”

Roseen’s fury was replaced by terror.

“Och, grandfather, sure ye wouldn’t do the like!  I ax your pardon for spakin’ disrespectful to ye.  Sure ye’re not in airnest?  Ye won’t raly put the poor old man and his wife there out o’ their little place?  They won’t be troublin’ you long.  A-a-h, grandfather, me own dear grandfather, do lave them where they are an’ I’ll promise faithful never to give you a crass word again.”

But neither the coaxing tone nor the touch of the soft clinging arms, which the girl now wound about him, moved Peter’s heart.

“Out o’ this them Clancys goes, bag and baggage,” he asserted; “if ye’d wanted me to let them stay where they were, an’ them owin’ me so much rent an’ all, ye ought to have behaved different.  But on account of this impident young sckamer ye go tellin’ me ye won’t marry Mr. Quinn, the man I chose for ye, an’ I catch ye sweetheartin’ an’ carryin’ on wid that ploughboy there, demanin’ yourself altogether.  Sure nobody could be expected to stand that.  I won’t stand it anyhow.  Out they go, and off the whole o’ them may march.”