On the morning in question, Mogue and Jerry Joyce had been engaged in winnowing a large quantity of wheat in the barn.  Jerry, whose manner was ostensibly that of a soft, simple young fellow, and whom but few looked upon as possessed of the ordinary run of common sense, was treated by Mogue, and indeed by most, but not all of his fellow servants, as one would treat a young lad who had not yet arrived at years of discretion, or maturity of judgment.

“Jerry,” said Mogue, “why but you do be cortin’ the girls, man alive?  That I may never sin but it’s a great thing to have them fond o’ one.”

“Ay,” replied Jerry, who was perfectly well aware of his foible, “if I had the art of sootherin’ and puttin’ my comedher an thim like some o’ my acquaintances; but, me! is it foolish Jerry Joyce they’d care about?  Oh, no! begor that cock wouldn’t fight.”

“Your acquaintances!” exclaimed Mogue, seizing upon the term, in Jerry’s reply, which he knew referred to himself, “and which of your acquaintances, now, does be sootherin’ an’ puttin’ his comedher an’ them, eh, Jerry?”

“Oh! dear me, Mogue,” replied the other, “how droll you are!  As if you thought I didn’t mane one Mogue Moylan that they’re tearin’ their caps about every day in the week.”

“Tearin’ their caps! arrah, who is, Jerry?”

“Why, the girls.”

“The girls!  Och! man, sure that’s an ould story; but I declare it to you, Jerry, it isn’t my fault; it’s a nateral gift wid me, for I take no pains to make them fond o’ me; that I may never do harm if I do.”

“An’ how does it, happen that they are?  Sure there’s Letty, now—­poor Letty Lenehan—­an’ God help her! sure, for the last week, she appears to me to be breakin’ her heart.  She doesn’t say af coorse, that you’re the occasion of it; but doesn’t every one of us know that you are?  Have you been could to her, or what?

“Why thin, now, Jerry, I declare it to you that I’m heart sorry for poor Letty; but what can I do?  I amn’t my own man, now, do you hear that?”

“Sure you don’t mane to say that you’re married?”

“Not exactly married; but listen hither, Jerry—­you don’t know the man you’re spakin’ to—­it’s a gift that God gave me—­but, you don’t know the man you’re spakin’ to; however as for poor Letty, I’ll provide for her some way—­the poor affectionate crature; an’ she’s good-lookin’ too; however, as I said, I’ll do something for her some way,” and here he nodded and winked with most villainous significance.

If Jerry had not fully comprehended the scoundrel’s character, it is very probable that this language would have caused him to give the hypocritical villain a sound drubbing; for it must be known to our readers, that Jerry and Letty were faithfully attached to each other—­a circumstance which was also known to the whole family, and which nothing could have prevented Mogue from observing but his own blind and egregious vanity.