"Faix then, yer riverence, I didn't intend to be trating the Captain in that way; but any way the Captain's head is 'amost as hard as my own, for the flashes isn't out of my eyes yet." "Never mind," said Ussher; "and if you always take care of your wife the same way, my good fellow, you'll be sure she'll not come to any harm, for want of looking after." In the meantime Mary had escaped from the salute intended for her, and was, with the aid of Biddy, Mrs. Mehan, and sundry others of her visitors, engaged in extricating two legs of mutton, a ham, and large quantities of green cabbages from the pots in which they had been boiling in the outer room. "God bless you, Sally dear, and will you drain them pratees? they'll be biled to starch. And Mrs. Mehan, darling, my heart's broke with the big pot here, will you lend me a hand? good luck to you then. There's Denis and Pat, bad manners to them, they'd see me kilt with all the bother, and stand there doing nothing under the sun." And poor Mary McGovery, as we must now call her, toiled and groaned under the labours of her wedding day till the perspiration ran from under her wedding cap; and her wedding-dress gave manifold signs of her zeal in preparing the wedding-supper. Whilst Mary was dishing the mutton, &c., Father John was employed in the not less important business of collecting his dues. Between McGovery and Pat Brady he had succeeded in getting two thirty-shilling notes, which lay in the bottom of the plate, and formed a respectable base for the little heap of silver which he would collect; and if he did not get as much as the occasion would seem to warrant, the deficiency arose from no delicacy in asking, or want of perseverance in urging. "Now, Captain, you're the only Protestant among us; show these Catholics of mine a liberal example--show them what they ought to do for their priest,"--here Captain Ussher put a couple of half-crowns in the plate. "There, boys, see what a Protestant does for me. Well, Feemy, I never ask the ladies, you know, but I shan't let Thady off; though he ain't here, I shall settle that in the rent." "Oh, yes, Father John; make Thady pay for himself and me; Mrs. Brennan has got all my money." "But where's Thady, Feemy dear? I hope you and he are good friends now." "Oh yes, Father John; that is, I didn't see him since morning." "But will he be here to-night?" "He said he would; but you'd best ask Pat, he knows most about him." This conversation took place in an under tone, and the priest walked on with his plate. "Come, Mr. Tierney, how's yourself? I see you're waiting there, quite impatient, with your hands in your pocket. It's nothing less than a crown piece, I'll go bail." "'Deed then, crown pieces a'nt that plenty in the counthry, these days, Father John; the likes of them"--and he put half-a-crown in the plate--"are scarce enough."