the resaver's as bad as the thafe,' says she. 'And it's you, and yours, that'll git more by the job than iver I will. But it's I that'll make my young gintleman up at the castle yonder, pay for his sate in the coach, and his sate in the parler, too, one o' these days,' says she, wagging her head, and looking cunning like. And so it was, to make a long story short, the divil tempted me; and I couldn't think te take my own boy out o' the snug birth he had got safe into; and the divil a bit o' her 'at was worse nor the divil, that 'ud give up the mistress's boy quietly, at all, at all; and so, I was forced, without I'd a mind to tell the whole truth, to say no more why about it, and let her take the poor child away wid her, tho' my heart bled for him. Well, sure, twis every year, she came to the big town, begging, and brought him with her, sure enough; but looking miserable like, and starved like; for it was less of him there was every time, instead o' more. And be the time he was near hand five years ould, she brought him, at last, sure, lainin' up on crutches, and only one leg on him! I flewd upon her like a tiger, to be sure, and just fastening every nail o' me in the face of her, I axed her where the rest o' the boy was. And she tould me, but not till she was tired bateing me for what my nails had done, that the leg o' him was safe enough in the bag. And a dirty rag of a bag there was, sure enough, hanging where the tother leg should be. And jist then, cums by the coach and six from the castle! And up she makes to the side of it, with the brazen face of her, driving the poor cripple before her. And, sure, I see my mistress throw money out to him, little thinking it was her own child, with the one bare foot of him over the instip in mud, and them crutches, pushing his little shoulders a'most as high as his head, and his poor teeth chattering with the could, and the tears streaming from his eyes, (for she'd given him a divil of a pinch, to make him look pitiful.) And there was my boy sitting laughing on the mistress's knee. But he looked quite sorry like, when the little cripple said he was hungry, and he throw'd him out a cake he was ateing. 'Well!' says I, (quite low to myself,) 'that you should be throwing a mouthful of bread to the mistress's child!' And it was for dropping on my knees I was, and telling all, to the mistress herself; but just then, they brought her out a sight o' toys she was waiting for, and she drawd up the winder, and the coach druv off. And the next time the woman cum, she cum'd without him, at all, at all! 'And,' says I, 'the last time you cum'd, you brought but a piece of him, and now you've brought none at all of him!' But she tould me, sure, his fortune was made, and that he was with grand people that 'ud do for him. But I wouldn't believe her, you see, and gave her no pace, any way, but threat'nin' te hav' her hanged at the 'sizes, if I was hanged myself along with her, till she took'd my husband with her over