“Fardorougha, dear, calm yourself.  If this is God’s work, as you say, why not resave it as comm’ from God?  It’s upon your two knees you ought to drop, an’—­Saver above, what’s the matther wid him?  He’s off; keep him up.  Oh, God bless you! that’s it, avourneen; jist place him on the chair there fornext the door, where he can have air.  Here, dear,” said she to Biddy Nulty, who, on hearing herself called by her master, had come in from another room; “get some feathers, Biddy, till we burn them undher his nose; but first fetch a jug of cold water.”

On looking at the face of the miser, O’Brien started, as indeed well he might, at such a pallid, worn, and death—­like countenance; why, thought he to himself, surely this must be death, and the old man’s cares, and sorrows, and hopes, are all passed forever.

Honor now bathed his face, and wet his lips with water, and as she sprinkled and rubbed back the gray hair from his emaciate! temples, there might be read there an expression of singular wildness that resembles the wreck produced by insanity.

“He looks ill,” observed O’Brien, who actually thought him dead; “but I hope it won’t signify.”

“I trust in God’s mercy it won’t,” replied Honor; “for till his heart, poor man, is brought more to God—­”

She paused with untaught delicacy, for she reflected that he was her husband.

“For that matther, who is there,” she continued, “that is fit to go to their last account at a moment’s warnin’?  That’s a good girl, Biddy; give me the feathers; there’s nothing like them.  Dheah Gratihias!  Dheah Gratihias!” she exclaimed, “he’s not—­he’s not—­an’ I was afeard he was—­no, he’s recoverin’.  Shake him; rouse him a little; Fardorougha, dear!”

“Where—­where am I?” exclaimed her husband; “what is this? what ails me?”

He then looked inquiringly at his wife and O’Brien; but it appeared that the presence of the latter revived in his mind the cause of his excitement.

“Is it—­is it thrue, young man? tell me—­tell me!”

“How, dear, can any one have spirits to tell you good news, when you can’t bear it aither like a man or a Christian?”

“Good news!  You say, then, it’s thrue, an’ he’s not to be hanged by the neck, as the judge said; an’ my curse—­my heavy curse upon him for a judge!”

“I hate to hear the words of his sentence, Fardorougha,” said the wife; “but if you have patience you’ll find that his life’s granted to him; an’, for Heaven’s sake, curse nobody.  The judge only did his duty.”

“Well,” he exclaimed, sinking upon his knees, “now, from this day out, let what will happen, I’ll stick to my duty to God—­I’ll repent—­I’ll repent and lead a new life.  I will, an’ while I’m alive I’ll never say a word against the will of my heavenly Saviour; never, never.”