stones, and seeing the weeds trying to grow between them in the very face of Heaven itself, 'it's inconvenient traveling with a child anywhere, let alone the ondecent places I've been through this night; and the girl was n't mine, and I might get blamed for keeping her out late, with her folks getting scared about her, not knowing where she was, and not understanding she was where your Holiness would be after caring for her.' And with that St. Peter put out his hand, looking that sharp his eyes went through me like needles; and he pulled the wee bit child from behind me, and he sez to her: 'What is the name of yer?' 'Nellie,' sez she, her voice so thin you could n't hear it, only knowing what she said from the moving of her lips like shadows on the wall. 'And how came you here?' sez he. 'I was beat and starved to death,' sez she, shivering till 't was a mercy she did n't go to pieces like a puff of smoke. And with that St. Peter looked at me once more, and the cold sweat run down my backbone like rain down a conductor in a thunder-storm. 'Your Reverence,' sez I, trembling, 'I did n't beat and starve the girl.' 'That may be,' sez he, 'but there'll be some reason why she's hanging on to your coat-tail like a burr on a dog,' sez he. 'What for are you following Tim Calligan,' sez he to the girl, 'and he dead and resting in holy ground?' And with that she put you her little front finger, that was as thin as a sparrow's claw that's starved to death in winter, and she pointed to me, and sez she: 'He would n't give the money to send me to my folks,' sez she; 'and my own father saved the life of him when he was dead and drownded before I was born,' sez she. 'What for would n't you give the money, Tim?' sez St. Peter, sitting there on that white stone like a judge trying the life of a man. 'Your Reverence,' sez I, falling down on the stones at the feet of him, 'twenty years was I struggling, and saving, and scraping to get the bit money for a grave in holy ground! If I'd give it to the child, I'd be down this blessed minute I'm having the honor of conversing with your Holiness--and it's proud I am of your condescending so far!--lying in unconsecrated ground all cheek by jowl with heretics, and like as not getting my bones mixed with theirs at the blessed resurrection. Sorra a bit did I know the suffering of this poor wee bit thing.' 'And did her father save your life?' sez he. 'He did that,' sez I, 'and a good, decent, God-fearing man he were,' sez I, 'barring he were a heretic, your Reverence, owing to his not being asked, it's likely, would he be born a good Catholic,--and I hope your Reverence ain't been too hard on Bill Trafton if he's come this way,' sez I. 'Tim,' sez St. Peter, looking at me with a look like one of the long isuckles on the north side of the barn in January,--'Tim, 't is no use trying the palarver on me,' sez he. 'Ye know ye let this child get bound to that Betts woman,