“I must say for you,” replied Denis, reproachfully, “that you’re a good warrant to put the health astray upon us of an odd start:  we’re not come to this time o’ day widout carryin’ somethin’ to remimber you by.  For my own part, Tony, I don’t like such tokens; an’ moreover, I wish you had resaved a thrifle o’ larnin’, espishily in the writin’ line; for whenever we have any difference, you’re so ready to prove your opinion by settin’ your mark upon me, that I’d rather, fifty times over, you could write it with pen an’ ink.”

“My father will give that up, uncle,” said the niece; “it’s bad for any body to be fightin’, but worst of all for brothers, that ought to live in peace and kindness.  Won’t you, father?”

“Maybe I will, dear, some o’ these days, on your account, Anne; but you must get this creature of an uncle of yours, to let me alone, an’ not be aggravatin’ me with his folly.  As for your mother, she’s worse; her tongue’s sharp enough to skin a flint, and a batin’ a day has little effect on her.”

Anne sighed, for she knew how long an irreligious life, and the infamous society with which, as her father’s wife, her mother was compelled to mingle, had degraded her.

“Well, but, father, you don’t set her a good example yourself,” said Anne; “and if she scoulds and drinks now, you know she was a different woman when you got her.  You allow this yourself; and the crathur, the dhrunkest time she is, doesn’t she cry bittherly, remimberin’ what she has been.  Instead of one batin’ a day, father, thry no batin’ a day, an’ maybe it ‘ill turn out betther than thump-in’ an’ smashin’ her as you do.”

“Why, thin, there’s truth and sinse in what the girl says, Tony,” observed Denis.

“Come,” replied Anthony, “whatever she may say I’ll suffer none of your interference.  Go an’ get us the black bottle from the place; it’ll soon be time to move.  I hope they won’t stay too long.”

Denis obeyed this command with great readiness, for whiskey in some degree blunted the fierce passions of his brother, and deadened his cruelty; or rather diverted it from minor objects to those which occurred in the lawless perpetration of his villany.

The bottle was got, and in the meantime the fire blazed up brightly; the storm without, however, did not abate, nor did Meehan and his brother wish that it should.  As the elder of them took the glass from the hands of the other, an air of savage pleasure blazed in his eyes, on reflecting that the tempest of the night was favorable to the execution of the villanous deed on which they were bent.

“More power to you!” said Anthony, impiously personifying the storm; “sure that’s one proof that God doesn’t throuble his head about what we do, or we would not get such a murdherin’ fine night as is in it any how.  That’s it! blow and tundher away, an’ keep yourself an’ us, as black as hell, sooner than we should fail in what we intend!  Anne, your health, acushla!—­Yours, Dinny!  If you keep your tongue off o’ me, I’ll neither make nor meddle in regard o’ the batin’ o’ you.”