“My mind is all dark,” said she, “or rather it is sick of this miserable work. Why am I fastened upon by such suffering and distraction? Don't attempt at present to console me, Hanna; I won't, because I can't be consoled. I wish I knew this man--whether he is honest or not. If he is the villain they say he is, and that with a false mask upon him, he has imposed himself on me, and gained my affections by hypocrisy and deceit, why, Hanna, my darling sister, I could stab him to the heart. To think that I ever should come to love a villain that could betray his church, his country, me--and take a bribe; yes, he has done it,” she proceeded, catching fire from the force of her own detestation of what was wrong. “Here, Hanna, I call back my words--I give him no further warning than he has got: he knows the time, the greater part of it is past, and has he ever made a single attempt to clear himself? No, because he cannot. I despise him; he is unworthy of me, and I fear he ever was. Here, father,” she said with vehemence, “listen to me, my dear father; and you, my mother, beloved mother, hear me! At the expiration of three weeks I will marry Edward Burke; he is a modest, and I think an honest young man, who would not betray his religion nor his country, nor--nor--any unhappy girl that might happen to love him; oh, no, he would not--and so, after three weeks--I will marry him. Go now and tell him so--say I said so; and you may rest assured I will not break my word, although--I may break--break my heart--my heart! Now, Hanna, come out and walk, dear--come out, and let us chat of other matters; yes, of other matters; and you can tell me candidly whether you think Bryan M'Mahon such a villain.” Struck by her own words she paused almost exhausted, and, bending down, put her face upon her hands, and by a long persevering effort, at length raised her head, and after a little time appeared to have regained a good deal of composure; but not without tears--for she had wept bitterly. On that night she told her sister that the last resolution she had come to was that by which she was determined to abide. “You would not have me like a mere girl,” she said, “without the power of knowing my own mind--no; let what may come I will send no messages after him--and as sure as I have life I will marry Edward Burke after the expiration of three weeks, if Bryan doesn't--but it's idle to talk of it--if he could he would have done it before now. Good-night, dear Hanna--good-night,” and after many a long and heavy sigh she sank to an uneasy and troubled slumber.