“Be the contints o’ this book,”

“I’ll be kind an’ motherly, an’ boistherous,”

“I’ll be kind, an’ motherly, an boistherous,”

“To my own childhre,”

“To my own childhre,”

“An’ never bate or abuse thim,”

“An’ never bate or abuse thim,”

“Barrin’ whin they desarve it;”

“Barrin’ whin they desarve it;”

“An’ this I swear,”

“An’ this I swear,”

“In the presence of St. Phelim,”

“In the presence of St. Phelim,” “Amin!”

“Amin!”

“Now, Mrs. Doran, acushla, if you could jist know how asy my conscience is about the childhre, poor crathurs, you’d be in mighty fine spirits.  There won’t be sich a lovin’ husband, begad, in Europe.  It’s I that’ll coax you, an’ butther you up like a new pair o’ brogues; but, begad, you must be sweeter than liquorice or sugar-candy to me.  Won’t you, darlin’?”

“Be the crass, Phelim, darlin’, jewel, I’ll be as kind a wife as ever breathed.  Arrah, Phelim, won’t you come down to-morrow evenin’?  There’ll be no one at home but myself, an’—­ha, ha, ha!—­Oh, you coaxin’ rogue!  But, Phelim, you musn’t be—­Oh, you’re a rogue!  I see you laughin’!  Will you come darlin?”

“Surely.  But, death alive!  I was near for-gettin’; sure, bad luck to the penny o’ the ten guineas but I paid away.”

“Paid away!  Is it my ten guineas?”

“Your ten guineas, darlin’; an’ right well I managed it.  Didn’t I secure Pat Hanratty’s farm by it?  Sam Appleton’s uncle had it as good as taken; so, begad, I came down wid the ten guineas, by way of airles, an’ now we have it.  I knew you’d be plased to hear it, an’ that you’d be proud to give me ten more for clo’es an’ the weddin’ expenses.  Isn’t that good news, avourneen?  Eh, you duck o’ diamonds?  Faith, let Phelim alone!  An’ another thing—­I must call you Bridget for the future!  It’s sweeter an’ more lovin’.”

“Phelim, I wish you had consulted wid me afore you done it:  but it can’t be helped.  Come down to-morrow evenin’, an’ we’ll see what’s to be done.”

“The grace o’heaven upon you, but you are the winnin’est woman alive this day!  Now take my advice, an’ go home without comin’ in.  I’m wantin’ to get this other pair off o’ my hands, as well as I can, an’ our best way is to do it all widout noise.  Isn’t it, darlin’?”

“It is, Phelim, jewel; an’ I’ll go.”

“Faith, Bridget, you’ve dealt in thracle afore now, you’re so sweet.  Now, acushla, farewell:  an’ take care of yourself till tomorrow evenin’!”

Phelim, on re-entering his father’s cabin, found Larry and Peggy Donovan placed between her father and Flattery, each struggling to keep them asunder.  Phelim at first had been anxious to set them by the ears, but his interview with the old woman changed his plan of operations altogether.  With some difficulty he succeeded in repressing their tendency to single combat, which, having effected, he brought out Flattery and his niece, both of whom he thus addressed:—­