She gave a short, grating laugh, and was about to speak again, when there fell a footstep outside, and his honour looked in. He had come to see father, who was to sail again to-morrow, and was fairly taken aback to see what company we had. Biddy rose and courtesied. "The top of the morning to your honour," said she. "Faith, I'm proud to see you looking so well." "What brought you here, Biddy?" said his honour. "'Deed, I had a longing to see my friends and the ould country, that's why." His honour looked round the cabin. Tim lay asleep curled up in the corner, and I, wide-awake, sat up and listened to all they said. "Go down and make fast his honour's boat, Barry," said my father. I obeyed reluctantly, for I was curious to know what these three had to say to one another. I found his honour's boat already fast, and returned as quickly as I could to the cabin. Biddy's shrill voice, as I came near, rose above the other two. "It served your turn, Maurice Gorman," said she. "You know as well as me one of the two boys is--" "Whisht!" exclaimed my father; "there he is." And as I entered the talk suddenly dropped, and I felt quite abashed to see them all look at me as they did. "Well, well, Biddy," said his honour presently, "you're a decent woman, and I'll help you. You shall have the forty pounds when you get back to Paris. My agent there will see to it, and you shall have a letter to him." "Your honour's a gentleman," said Biddy with a courtesy. "Maybe you'll make it a little more, to save a poor widow another journey over to see you. Sure, forty pounds wouldn't keep me in France for six months." "Well, well, we'll see. Come to Knockowen to-morrow evening, Biddy." Biddy departed with a curious look in her eyes, and somewhat consoled for my father's indifference to her charms. "You sail to-morrow?" inquired his honour when she had gone. "I do," said my father. "I'm away to Sheep Haven to join her at cock- crow." His honour turned and caught sight of me standing by the fire. He beckoned me to him, as he had done once before, turned my face to the light, and stared at me. Then he looked up at father. "He's no look of you, Mike." "So you may say," replied my father, with a knowing glance at his honour. "Tim's liker me, they say." His honour looked up with a significant nod. "Well, Mike, I've said I'll see after one of the lads, for their dead mother's sake. Which will it be?" "I'm thinking of taking Tim with me," said my father. "Very good. I'll see to Barry then." "Och, father," I cried, "take me to sea." "Howld your tongue, ye puppy," said my father. "Can't you hear his honour say he'll see to you? There's many a lad would be glad of the chance." "But Tim hates the sea, and I--" "Be silent wid ye," roared my father, so angrily that he woke Tim. "Tim," cried I, determined to make one more desperate effort, "you're to go to sea, and I'm to be kept ashore at Knockowen."