The next day Mrs. Lindsay ordered the car, and proceeded to pay her intended visit to the Goodwins.  She had arrived pretty near the house, when two of Goodwin’s men, who were driving his cows to a grazing field on the other side of the road by which she was approaching, having noticed and recognized her, immediately turned them back and drove them into a paddock enclosed by trees, where they were completely out of her sight.

“Devil blow her, east and west!” said one of them.  “What brings her across us now that we have the cattle wid us? and doesn’t all the world know that she’d lave them sick and sore wid one glance of her unlucky eye.  I hope in God she didn’t see them, the thief o’ the devil that she is.”

“She can’t see them now, the cratures,” replied the other; “and may the devil knock the light out of her eyes at any rate,” he added, “for sure, they say it’s the light of hell that’s in them.”

“Well, when she goes there she’ll be able to see her way, and sure that’ll be one comfort,” replied his companion; “but in the mane time, if anything happens the cows—­poor bastes—­we’ll know the rason of it.”

“She must dale wid the devil,” said the other, “and I hope she’ll be burned for a witch yet; but whisht, here she comes, and may the devil roast her on his toastin’ iron the first time he wants a male!”

“Troth, an’ he’d find her tough feedin’,” said his comrade; “and. barrin’ he has strong tusks, as I suppose he has, he’d find it no every-day male wid him.”

As they spoke, the object of their animadversion appeared, and turned upon them, so naturally, a sinister and sharp look, that it seemed to the men as if she had suspected the subject of their conversation.

“You are Mr. Goodwin’s laborers, are you not?”

“We are, ma’am,” replied one of them, without, as usual, touching his hat however.

“You ill-mannered boor,” she said, “why do you not touch your hat to a lady, when she condescends to speak to you?”

“I always touch my hat to a lady, ma’am,” replied the man sharply.

“Come here, you other man,” said she; “perhaps you are not such an insolent ruffian as this?  Can you tell me if Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin are at home?”

“Are you goin’ there?” asked the man, making a low bow.

“Yes, I am, my good man,” she replied.

“Well, then, ma’am,” he added, bowing again, “you’ll find that out when you go to the house;” and he made her another bow to wind up the information with all due politeness.

“Barney,” said she to the servant, her face inflamed with rage, “drive on.  I only wish I had those ruffianly scoundrels to deal with; I would teach them manners to their betters at all events; and you, sirra, why did you not use your whip and chastise them?”

“Faith, ma’am,” replied our friend Barney Casey, “it’s aisier said than done wid some of us.  Why, ma’am, they’re the two hardiest and best men in the parish; however, here’s Pugshy Ruah turnin’ out o’ the gate, and she’ll be able to tell you whether they are at home or not.”