“Shiss, I tell you to be sure I won't--he thried her afore, though.” “Nonsense!--no he didn't.” “Ah, ha! ay dhin--an' she milked well too--a good cow--a brave _cheehony_ she was for him.” “An' why did he give it up?” “Fwhy--fwhy, afeard he'd be diskivered, to be sure; an' dhin shure he couldn't hunt wid de _dinnaousais_--wid de gentlemans.” “An' what if he's discovered now?” “Fwhat?--fwhy so much the worsher for you an' me: he's ginerous now an' den, anyway; but a great rogue afther all, fwher so high a hid as he carries.” “If I don't mistake,” proceeded Hogan, “either himself or his family, anyhow, will be talked of before this time to-morrow.” “Eh, Batt?” asked the other, who had changed his position and sat beside him during this dialogue--“how is dhat now?” “I don't rightly know--I can't say,” replied Hogan, with a smile murderously grim but knowing--“I'm not up; but the sportheen's a made boy, I think.” “_Dher cheerna!_ you _are_ up,” said Teddy, giving him a furious glance as he spoke; “there must be no saycrits, I say.” “You're a blasted liar, I tell you--I am not, but I suspect--that's all.” “What brought you up dhis night?” asked Teddy, suspiciously. “Because I hard he was to come,” replied his companion; “but whether or not I'd be here.” “_Tha sha maigh_--it's right--may be so--shiss, it's all right, may be so--well?” Teddy, although he said it was all right, did not seem however to think so. The furtive and suspicious glance which he gave Hogan from under his red beetle brows should be seen in order to be understood. “Well?” said Hogan, re-echoing him--“it is well; an' what is more, my Kate is to be up here wid a pair o' geese to roast for us, for we must make him comfortable. She wint to thry her hand upon somebody's roost, an' it'll go hard if she fails!” “Fwhail!” exclaimed Teddy, with a grin--“ah, the dioual a fwhail!” “An' another thing--he's comin' about Kathleen Cavanagh--Hycy is. He wants to gain our intherest about her!” “Well, an' what harm?” “Maybe there is, though, it's whispered that he--hut! doesn't he say himself that there isn't a girl of his own religion in the parish he'd marry--now I'd like to see them married, Teddy, but as for anything else--” “Hee! hee! hee!--well,” exclaimed Teddy, with a horrible grimace that gave his whole countenance a facequake, “an' maybe he's right. Maybe it 'udn't be aisy to get a colleen of his religion--I tink his religion is fwhere Phiddher Fwhite's estate is--beyant the beyands, Avhere the mare foaled the fwhiddler--hee! hee! hee!” “He had better thry none of his sckames wid any of the Cavanaghs,” said Bat, “for fraid he might be brought to bed of a mistake some fine day--that's all I say; an' there's more eyes than mine upon him.”