“When the old woman came in, she asked her son if there was anything wrong with his brother, but he replied that there was not. “'Nothing at all,' said he--'but will you get up airly in the morning, plase God, and tell Vesey Johnston that I want to see him; and--that--I have a great dale to say to him?' “' To be sure I will, Micky; but, Lord guard us, what ails you, avourneen, you look so frightened?' “'Nothing at all, at all, mother; but will you go where I say airly to-morrow, for me?' “'It's the first thing I'll do, God willin',' replied the mother. And the next morning Vesey was down with the invalid very early, for the old woman kept her word and paid him a timely visit. “'Well, Micky, my boy,' said Vengeance, as he entered the hut, 'I hope you're no worse this morning.' “'Not worse, sir,' replied Mick; 'nor, indeed, am I anything better either, but much the same way. Sure it's I that knows very well that my time here is but short.' “'Well, Mick, my boy,' said Vengeance, 'I hope you're prepared for death--and that you expect forgiveness, like a Christian. Look up, my boy, to God at once, and pitch the priests and their craft to ould Nick, where they'll all go at the long-run.' “'I b'lieve,' said Mick, with a faint smile, 'that you're not very fond of the priests, Mr. Johnston; but if you knew the power they possess as well as I do, you wouldn't spake of them so bad, anyhow.' “'Me fond of them!' replied the other;' 'why, man, they're a set of the most gluttonous, black-looking hypocrites that ever walked on neat's leather; and ought to be hunted out of the country--hunted out of the country, by the light of day! every one of them; for they do nothing but egg up the people against the Protestants.' “'God help you, Mr. Johnston,' replied the invalid, 'I pity you from my heart for the opinion you hould about them. I suppose if you were sthruck dead on the spot wid a blast from the fairies, that you think a priest couldn't cure you by one word's spaking?' “'Cure me!' said Vengeance, with a laugh of disdain; 'by the light of day! if I caught one of them curing me, I'd give him the purtiest chase you ever saw in your life, across the hills.' “'Don't you know,' said Mick, 'that priest Dannelly cured Bob Beaty of the falling sickness--until he broke the vow that was laid upon him, of not going into a church, and the minute he crossed the church-door, didn't he dhrop down as bad as ever--and what could the minister do for him?' “'And don't you know,' rejoined Vengeance, 'that that's all a parcel of the most lying stuff possible; lies--lies--all lies--and vagabondism? Why, Mick, you Papishes worship the priests; you think they can bring you to heaven at a word. By the light of day, they must have good sport laughing at you, when they get among one another. Why don't they teach you and give you the Bible to read, the ribelly rascals? but they're afraid you'd know too much then.'