“What brought you up dhis night?” asked Teddy, suspiciously.

“Because I hard he was to come,” replied his companion; “but whether or not I’d be here.”

“Tha sha maigh—­it’s right—­may be so—­shiss, it’s all right, may be so—­well?”

Teddy, although he said it was all right, did not seem however to think so.  The furtive and suspicious glance which he gave Hogan from under his red beetle brows should be seen in order to be understood.

“Well?” said Hogan, re-echoing him—­“it is well; an’ what is more, my Kate is to be up here wid a pair o’ geese to roast for us, for we must make him comfortable.  She wint to thry her hand upon somebody’s roost, an’ it’ll go hard if she fails!”

“Fwhail!” exclaimed Teddy, with a grin—­“ah, the dioual a fwhail!”

“An’ another thing—­he’s comin’ about Kathleen Cavanagh—­Hycy is.  He wants to gain our intherest about her!”

“Well, an’ what harm?”

“Maybe there is, though, it’s whispered that he—­hut! doesn’t he say himself that there isn’t a girl of his own religion in the parish he’d marry—­now I’d like to see them married, Teddy, but as for anything else—­”

“Hee! hee! hee!—­well,” exclaimed Teddy, with a horrible grimace that gave his whole countenance a facequake, “an’ maybe he’s right.  Maybe it ’udn’t be aisy to get a colleen of his religion—­I tink his religion is fwhere Phiddher Fwhite’s estate is—­beyant the beyands, Avhere the mare foaled the fwhiddler—­hee! hee! hee!”

“He had better thry none of his sckames wid any of the Cavanaghs,” said Bat, “for fraid he might be brought to bed of a mistake some fine day—­that’s all I say; an’ there’s more eyes than mine upon him.”

This dialogue was nearly lost in the loudness of a debate which had originated with Keenan and certain of his friends in the lower part of the still-house.  Some misunderstanding relative to the families of the parties about to be united had arisen, and was rising rapidly into a comparative estimate of the prowess and strength of their respective factions, and consequently assuming a very belligerent aspect, when a tall, lank, but powerful female, made her appearance, carrying a large bundle in her hand.

“More power, Kate!” exclaimed Hogan.  “I knew she would,” he added, digging Teddy’s ribs with his elbow.

“Aisy, man!” said his companion; “if you love me, say so, but don’t hint it dat way.”

“Show forth, Kate!” proceeded her husband; “let us see the prog—­hillo!—­oh, holy Moses! what a pair o’ beauties!”

He then whipped up a horn measure, that contained certainly more than a naggin, and putting it under the warm spirits that came out of the still-eye, handed it to her.  She took it, and coming up towards the fire, which threw out a strong light, nodded to them, and, without saying a word, literally pitched it down her throat, whilst at the same time one of her eyes presented undeniable proofs of a recent conflict.