In the meantime, Ellish, seeing Peter acquitting himself in his undertaking with such credit, determined not to be outdone in her own department.  She accordingly conceived the design of extending her business, and widening the sphere of her exertions.  This intention, however, she kept secret from Peter, until by putting penny to penny, and shilling to shilling, she was able to purchase a load of crockery.  Here was a new source of profit opened exclusively by her own address.  Peter was astonished when he saw the car unloaded, and the crockery piled in proud array by Ellish’s own hands.

“I knew,” said she, “I’d take a start out o’ you.  Faix, Pether, you’ll see how I’ll do, never fear, wid the help o’ Heaven!  I’ll be off to the market in the mornin’, plase God, where I’ll sell rings around me * o’ them crocks and pitchers.  An’ now, Pether, the sarra one o’ me would do this, good or bad, only bekase your managin’ the farm so cleverly.  Tady Gormley’s goin’ to bring home his meal from the mill, and has promised to lave these in the market for me, an’ never fear but I’ll get some o’ the neighbors to bring them home, so that there’s car-hire saved.  Faix, Pether, there’s nothin’ like givin’ the people sweet words, any way; sure they come chape.”

     * This is a kind of hyperbole for selling a grout
     quantity.

“Faith, an’ I’ll back you for the sweet words agin any woman in the three kingdoms, Ellish, you darlin’.  But don’t you know the proverb, ‘sweet words butther no parsnips.’”

“In throth, the same proverb’s a lyin’ one, and ever was; but it’s not parsnips I’ll butther wid ’em, you gommoch.”

“Sowl, you butthered me wid ’em long enough, you deludher—­devil a lie in it; but thin, as you say, sure enough, I was no parsnip—­not so soft as that either, you phanix.”

“No?  Thin I seldom seen your beautiful head without thinkin’ of a carrot, an’ it’s well known they’re related—­ha, ha, ha!—­Behave, Pether—­behave, I say—­Pether, Pether—­ha, ha, ha!—­let me alone!  Katty Hacket, take him away from me—­ha, ha, ha!”

“Will ever you, you shaver wid the tongue that you are?  Will ever you, I say?  Will ever you make delusion to my head again—­eh?”

“Oh, never, never—­but let me go, an’ me go full o’ tickles!  Oh, Pether, avourneen, don’t, you’ll hurt me, an’ the way I’m in—­quit, avillish!”

“Bedad, if you don’t let my head alone, I’ll—­will ever you?”

“Never, never.  There now—­ha, ha, ha!—­oh, but I’m as wake as wather wid what I laughed.  Well now, Pether, didn’t I manage bravely—­didn’t I?”

“Wait till we see the profits first, Ellish—­crockery’s very tindher goods.”

“Ay!—­just wait, an’I’ll engage I’ll turn the penny.  The family’s risin’ wid us.”—­

“Very thrue,” replied Peter, giving a sly wink at the wife—­“no doubt of it.”

“—­Kisin’ wid us—­I tell you to have sinse, Pether; an’ it’s our duty to have something for the crathurs when they grow up.”