“Minnie” ses I meekly, for theres a feer in me hart that maks me week as a kitten, “Tell me the truth darlint. Be you going to male a litter to the lad’s father?” “Indade and I am” ses Minnie bauldly, “and to mak shure” ses she “that the old dude gets it safely, I’ll be me own postman and deliver it in person. Goodbye Delia mavoarneen, I’ll not be coming back. Give me luv to Mr. Mulvaney.” Befure I cud git me wits thegither again, Minnie, the ritched, false crachure was gone. I herd the frunt dure close behind her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XXII NEXT DAY Oh wirrah! wirrah! wirrah! Its a sad and loansome warld and its a trecherus snake is Minnie. Yesterday me hart was full of feers. Its menny an effort I made to relave mesilf to Miss Claire, but for pity for the puir yung creachure me tung refused to spake. Last nite was a nite of shocks. Mr. John cum down to the bastemint and taks possisshun after dinner of me privat dining-rume. The widder do be giving him a barskit full of seeds, frish picked from her gardin, and he’s after wanting he ses to sort thim out and mark the reyspictiv packages so he may know them nixt Spring whin hes going to have a fine gardin. Miss Claire cum into me kitchin, wid her bloo eyes swimming wid teers. “What will we do, Delia?” ses she, “John is in the dining-room to-nite, and I cant get him out.” “Now don’t you be after wurriting darlint” ses I, “Shure Mr. Harry is wilcam to me kitchin.” “But John may walk in upon us” ses she despritly. “He’d better not” ses I, and wid that I wint to the dure and called out to Mr. John: “Will ye be good enuff to kape your disthance from me kitchin to-nite, as its private company I’m expicting.” “Very well Delia” ses he perlitely. I wint outside to the bastemint dure, and wated in person for Mr. Harry. When he arrived, I tauld him the state of things, and he slipped into me kitchen. Miss Claire were sitting on me table, her little feet swinging in the air. “Good avening” ses she, trying to smile and look chareful “Ye’ll obsarve” ses she “the extrames to which we are driven. John holds the fort to-nite.” Mr. Harry is haulding her hands as she spakes, and watching her face like he wad ate her up. “Had I better go thin?” ses he. “O, if you want to” ses she, slipping down from the table, and turning away from him a bit. “Want to!” ses he, “You don’t meen that!” “No” ses she, saftly, “I—I don’t.” I thot the yung lad wud grab her, but joost thin he seen me and kept still. Miss Claire sayses hauld of a frying pan. “Never mind” ses she “We’ll enjoy oursilves aven in the kitchen? You’ve never tasted me famiss fudge, have you Mr. Dudley?” “No” ses he, looking at her pretty arms, as she rolled back the sleeves from thim. “Well” ses she “I larned to make it in me Vassa days. Get me an aprun, Delia” ses she.