"An' more's the sorrow!" said Darby, "for ye've a fine pair o' legs o' yir own, an' it's a pity that a lame piper shudn't be the better o' them some night or other!" "We'll see about that," said I; "holiday-time is coming." "Thank ye, and long life to yir honor! Will ye give us the barn, sir, for a hop width the girls a-comin' Christmas?" "Yes," said I, "and a barrel of ale into the bargain." "Oh! then won't that be illigant?" said Darby, cutting an anticipatory caper on the carpet. "An' won't yir honor dance yirself, sir?" "I have said already that I never dance," replied I. "Go on." "Yes, sir, imm_a_diately," said he, and continued. "Well, after a bit we had a game o' blindman's buff, an', to be sure, _raal_ fun it was while it lasted, and that was till we got into the little hours; an' many's the trick we play'd one another, till myself felt the miller throwin' dust in my eyes; so, givin' Katheen the wink that I was goin' aff slily, I tould her to call me early in the morn, an' left the party to themselves. I soon tuk aff me, an' was asleep in no time; but in less than half an hour I had a most wonderful _drame_. I thought I was the first paycock that ever wore a tail in Paradise; an' maybe I wasn't proud o' myself, s_a_ted in the tree of knowledge, width Adam an' Eve, _ketchin'_ flies width their mouth open, lookin' at me for wonder. 'Arrah! _cushlah!_' says Adam to his wife; 'isn't it a b_u_tiful sight?'--'Troth, an' it is,' says she; 'avick! I hope he won't fly away, for I'd like to make a pet ov 'im. I'll just step in_doors_ for the blundherbuss!' When I came to this part o' my _drame_, the blood o' me ran could, an' I couldn't think what was the matther width me, barrin' it was the night-_mare_; but it was no such thing, for I turned on th' other side, and thought then I was a race-_horse_ on the Curragh of Kildare, an' yir honor clappin' spurs into me within twenty yards of the winnin' post! Well, that was better than t'other; but, as I was dr_a_ming in this fashion, I began to think they'd never call me at all, when Katheen, yir honor,--the purty little girl, sir, that kept me up so late the night afore, dancin' with her in the back-kitchen,--gave a _puck_ at the door with her fist, that sent in one of the panels, and dumb-foundered quite an ould clock on the back of it, that was pointin' width its two hands to some hour last year. 'Who the divil's that?' says I.--'It's only me,' says she, with a voice like a sp_a_king-trumpet, or a chorus of ganders. (I think the crather had a could upon her.) 'Arrah! d'ye never mane to l_a_ve off sleepin'?'--'What o'clock is it, alanna!' says I.--'Oh! the same hour it was this time yisterday, I suppose,' says she, 'for the clock is _down_.'--'Faith! it is,' says I, nate and cl_a_ne upon the _flooer_; 'but never mind that, the sun's _up_!'--'Ay,' says Katheen, 'this two hours or more.'--'And so wud I,' says I, 'if I had as far to travel in