She then detailed her own feelings during the abduction, in terms so ludicrously abusive of Flanagan, that those who accompanied her were exceedingly amused; for what she said was strongly provocative of mirth, yet the chief cause of laughter lay in the vehement sincerity with which she spoke, and in the utter unconsciousness of uttering anything that was calculated to excite a smile. There is, however, a class of such persons, whose power of provoking laughter consists in the utter absence of humor. Those I speak of never laugh either at what they say themselves, or what any one else may say; but they drive on right ahead with an inverted originality that is perfectly irresistible. We must now beg the reader to accompany them to the Bodagh's, where a scene awaited them for which they were scarcely prepared. On approaching the house they could perceive, by the light glittering from the window chinks, that the family were in a state of alarm; but at this they were not surprised; for such a commotion in the house, after what had occurred, was but natural. They went directly to the kitchen door and rapped. “Who is there?” said a voice within. “It's Biddy; for the love o' God make haste, Kitty, an' open.” “What Biddy are you? I won't open.” “Biddy Nulty. You know me well enough, Kitty; so make haste an' open, Alick, mark my words,” said she in a low voice to her brother, “Kitty's the very one that practised the desate this night--that left the hall-door open. Make haste, Kitty, I say.” “I'll do no such thing indeed,” replied the other; “it was you left the hall-door open to-night, an' I heard you spakin' to fellows outside. I have too much regard for my masther's house an' family to let you or any one else in to-night. Come in the mornin'.” “Folly me, Alick,” said Biddy, “folly me.” She went immediately to the hall-door, and gave such a single rap with the knocker, as brought more than Kitty to the door. “Who's there?” inquired a voice, which she and her brother at once knew to be Ned M'Cormick's. “Ned, for the love o' God, let me an' Alick in!” she replied; “we got away from that netarnal villin.” Instantly the door was opened, and the first thing Ned did was to put his arms about Biddy's neck, and--we were going to say kiss her. “Saints above!” said he, “what's this?” on seeing that her face was dreadfully disfigured with blood. “Nothin' to signify,” she replied; “but thanks be to God, we got clane away from the villin, or be the Padheren Partha, the villin it was that got clane away from hus. How is Miss Oona?” “She went over to a neighbor's house for safety,” replied Ned, smiling, “an' will be back in a few minutes; but who do you think, above all men in the five quarters o' the earth, we have got widin? Guess now.” “Who?” said Biddy; “why, I dunna, save--but no, it couldn't.” “Faix but it could, though,” said Ned, mistaking her, as the matter turned out.