“I refoose to ansswer!” and wid that I shstopped up the doomed thing wid me dish towel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XX A WEEK LATER Its been a week of sorrer and disthress since Minnie Carnavan cam to visit me. Shure theres been no more peace or cumfort in me brest. She do be the most obstreprus crachure in the warld, shsticking her auld nose into ivvrywan’s thrubbles and ristliss and onhappy widout shes making mischiff. Ivery nite since Minnie cum there do be thrubble of sum sort. Shes after making the lives of the poor yung crachures disthressful, by interfeering in their innersint convysashun. Ivery nite whin I streches out me weery tired body upon me bed I lissen to the words of Minnie. Mr. Doodley do be a rascal and a scallywag. He do be desining to rooin the life of Miss Claire. Its me thats a sinful crachure for not exposing thim to her parents and brothers, and its she Minnie Carnavan, who will seek counsil of her holy father confisser, whos no wan but hersilf. Its ny to busting she is wid keeping the sacred of the puir yung crachures love affare, and its tired I am wid me indliss attimpts to conthrol her. And now its in dred and feer I am that something dredful is about to happen. To-nite whin Minnie was lissening at the dure, wid her eer pricked up aginst the keyhole of me private dyning-room, Mr. Dudley suddenly opens the dure. He has a bottle in his hand, and as he opens it Minnie falls at his feet. “Is there a cat here?” ses he, and shqirts the silzer wather in her face. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XXI FOLLOWING DAY This marning whin I waked I missed Minnie Carnavan at me side. Sitting up and looking about me, I seen Minnie seeted at me table, riting a litter. She seen me whin I set up, and she faulded oop her litter and licked the invilip. “Well Minnie Carnavan” ses I “and what are you up to at this unarthly our?” “Hoosh, darlint!” ses she, caming to me bed, and setting down beside me. “Delia” ses she “I’ve dun it.” “Dun what?” ses I and I begin to have misgivings. “I’ve rote” ses Minnie “to the auld gintleman.” “To Mr. Wolley” ses I a bit daft. “No” ses she shaking her hed. “To the lad’s father.” For a minit me tung faled me. I stared at the crachure in silinse. She got ap from me bed and sarched about for her hat, found it and put it on. “Delia O’Malley” ses she “That yung Dudley fellow do be fresh as sour milk” ses she. “Its been on me conshunse iver sinse I came, mavourneen, to poonish him for his thricks. Its desaving the pretty Miss Claire hes after oop to. Trust an auld girl like Minnie Carnavan to see throo the thricks of a yung spalpeen like that.”