“Well, it’s no matter—­it’s all past now, and she lies low; but I may say that it wasn’t very often danced in better style since, I’d wager.  Lord, bless us, what a drame the world is!  The darling of my heart you war, avourneen machree.  I think I see her with the modest smile upon her face, straight, and fair, and beautiful, and—­hem—­and when the dance was over, how she stood leaning upon me, and my heart within melting to her, and the look she’d give into my eyes and my heart, too, as much as to say, ‘This is the happy day with me;’ and the blush still would fly acrass her face, when I’d press her, unknownst to the bystanders, against my beating heart.  A suilish machree, (* Light of my heart.) she is now gone from me—­lies low, and it all appears like a drame to me; but—­hem—­God’s will be done!—­sure she’s happy—­och, och!!

“Many a shake hands did I get from the neighbors’ sons, wishing me joy; and I’m sure I couldn’t do less than thrate them to a glass, you know; and ‘twas the same way with Mary:  many a neighbors’ daughter, that she didn’t do more nor know by eyesight, maybe, would come up and wish her happiness in the same manner, and she would say to me, ’Shane, avourneen, that’s such a man’s daughter—­they’re a dacent friendly people, and we can’t do less nor give her a glass.’  I, of coorse, would go down and bring them over, after a little pulling—­making, you see, as if they wouldn’t come—­to where my brother was handing out the native.

“In this way we passed the time till the evening came on, except that Mary and the bridesmaid were sent for to dance with the priests, who were within at the punch, in all their glory,—­Friar Rooney along with them as jolly as a prince.  I and my man, on seeing this, were for staying with the company; but my mother, who ’twas that came for them, says, ’Never mind the boys, Shane, come in with the girls, I say.  You’re just wanted at the present time, both of you, follow me for an hour or two, till their Reverences within have a bit of a dance with the girls, in the back room; we don’t want to gother a crowd about them.’  Well, we went in, sure enough, for awhile; but, I don’t know how it was, I didn’t at all feel comfortable with the priests; for, you see, I’d rather sport my day figure with the boys and girls upon the green:  so I gives Jack the hard word* and in we went, when, behold you, there was Father Corrigan planted upon the side of a settle, Mary along with him, waiting till they’d have the fling of a dance together, whilst the Curate was capering on the flure before the bridesmaid, who was a purty dark-haired girl, to the tune of ‘Kiss my lady;’ and the friar planted between my mother and my mother-in-law, one of his legs stretched out on a chair, he singing some funny song or other, that brought the tears to their eyes with laughing.

     * A pass-word, sign, or brief intimation, touching something
     of which a man is ignorant, that he may act accordingly.