They were rich people, and he built her a grand castle on the cliffs of Clare, with a window that looked out straight over the wild ocean.

One day when he went up with his wife to look out over the wild ocean, he saw a ship coming in on the rocks, and no sails on her at all.  She was wrecked on the rocks, and it was tea that was in her, and fine silk.

O’Conor and his wife went down to look at the wreck, and when the lady O’Conor saw the silk she said she wished a dress of it.

They got the silk from the sailors, and when the Captain came up to get the money for it, O’Conor asked him to come again and take his dinner with them.  They had a grand dinner, and they drank after it, and the Captain was tipsy.  While they were still drinking, a letter came to O’Conor, and it was in the letter that a friend of his was dead, and that he would have to go away on a long journey.  As he was getting ready the Captain came to him.

‘Are you fond of your wife?’ said the Captain.

‘I am fond of her,’ said O’Conor.

’Will you make me a bet of twenty guineas no man comes near her while you’ll be away on the journey?’ said the Captain.

‘I will bet it,’ said O’Conor; and he went away.

There was an old hag who sold small things on the road near the castle, and the lady O’Conor allowed her to sleep up in her room in a big box.  The Captain went down on the road to the old hag.

‘For how much will you let me sleep one night in your box?’ said the Captain.

‘For no money at all would I do such a thing,’ said the hag.

‘For ten guineas?’ said the Captain.

‘Not for ten guineas,’ said the hag.

‘For twelve guineas?’ said the Captain.

‘Not for twelve guineas,’ said the hag.

‘For fifteen guineas?’ said the Captain.

‘For fifteen I will do it,’ said the hag.

Then she took him up and hid him in the box.  When night came the lady O’Conor walked up into her room, and the Captain watched her through a hole that was in the box.  He saw her take off her two rings and put them on a kind of a board that was over her head like a chimney-piece, and take off her clothes, except her shift, and go up into her bed.

As soon as she was asleep the Captain came out of his box, and he had some means of making a light, for he lit the candle.  He went over to the bed where she was sleeping without disturbing her at all, or doing any bad thing, and he took the two rings off the board, and blew out the light, and went down again into the box.

He paused for a moment, and a deep sigh of relief rose from the men and women who had crowded in while the story was going on, till the kitchen was filled with people.

As the Captain was coming out of his box the girls, who had appeared to know no English, stopped their spinning and held their breath with expectation.

The old man went on—­