The place was merry enough. The field that is called Gallows Green now was covered with tents. There was plenty of wine (poteen not being known in these days, let alone _parliament_), a great many handsome girls, and 'tis unknown all the _keoh_ that was with the boys and themselves. Poor Owney walked all the day through the fair, wishing to try his luck, but ashamed to offer his china cup among all the fine things that were there for sale. Evening was drawing on at last, and he was thinking of going home, when a strange man tapped him on the shoulder, and said: 'My good youth, I have been marking you through the fair the whole day, going about with that cup in your hand, speaking to nobody, and looking as if you would be wanting something or another.' 'I'm for selling it,' said Owney. 'What is it you're for selling, you say?' said a second man, coming up, and looking at the cup. 'Why then,' said the first man, 'and what's that to you, for a prying meddler? what do you want to know what it is he's for selling?' 'Bad manners to you (and where's the use of my wishing you what you have already?), haven't I a right to ask the price of what's in the fair?' 'E'then, the knowledge o' the price is all you'll have for it,' says the first. 'Here, my lad, is a golden piece for your cup.' 'That cup shall never hold drink or diet in your house, please Heaven,' says the second; 'here's two gold pieces for the cup, lad.' 'Why then, see this now--if I was forced to fill it to the rim with gold before I could call it mine, you shall never hold that cup between your fingers. Here, boy, do you mind me, give me that, once for all, and here's ten gold pieces for it, and say no more.' 'Ten gold pieces for a china cup!' said a great lord of the court, who just rode up at that minute, 'it must surely be a valuable article. Here, boy, here are twenty pieces for it, and give it to my servant.' 'Give it to mine,' cried another lord of the party, 'and here's my purse, where you will find ten more. And if any man offers another fraction for it to outbid that, I'll spit him on my sword like a snipe.' 'I outbid him,' said a fair young lady in a veil, by his side, flinging twenty golden pieces more on the ground. There was no voice to outbid the lady, and young Owney, kneeling, gave the cup into her hands. 'Fifty gold pieces for a china cup,' said Owney to himself, as he plodded on home, 'that was not worth two! Ah! mother, you knew that vanity had an open hand.' But as he drew near home he determined to hide his money somewhere, knowing, as he well did, that his cousin would not leave him a single cross to bless himself with. So he dug a little pit, and buried all but two pieces, which he brought to the house. His cousin, knowing the business on which he had gone, laughed heartily when he saw him enter, and asked him what luck he had got with his punch-bowl. 'Not so bad, neither,' says Owney. 'Two pieces of gold is not a bad price for an article of old china.'