The Purcell Papers, Volume 3 ............................................................................................................................1

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.........................................................................................................................1

Being a Ninth Extract from the Legacy of the late Francis Purcell, P.P. of Drumcoolagh.

Jim Sulivan was a dacent, honest boy as you'd find in the seven parishes, an' he was a beautiful singer, an' an

illegant dancer intirely, an' a mighty plisant boy in himself; but he had the divil's bad luck, for he married for

Nell Gorman was the girl he fancied, an' a beautiful slip of a girl she was, jist twinty to the minute when he

married her. She was as round an' as complate in all her shapes as a firkin, you'd think, an' her two cheeks

But beauty is not the thing all through, an' as beautiful as she was she had the divil's tongue, an' the divil's

timper, an' the divil's behaviour all out; an' it was impossible for him to be in the house with her for while

you'd count tin without havin' an argymint, an' as sure as she riz an argymint with him she'd hit him a wipe iv

Well, this wasn't at all plasin' to Jim Sulivan you may be sure, an' there was scarce a week that his head

wasn't plasthered up, or his back bint double, or his nose swelled as big as a pittaty, with the vilence iv her

timper, an' his heart was scalded everlastin'ly with her tongue; so he had no pace or quietness in body or soul

Well, your honour, one cowld snowin' evenin' he kim in afther his day's work regulatin' the men in the farm,

an' he sat down very quite by the fire, for he had a scrimmidge with her in the mornin', an' all he wanted was

an air iv the fire in pace; so divil a word he said but dhrew a stool an' sat down close to the fire. Well, as soon

Well, he kept never mindin', an' didn't let an' to hear a word she was sayin', so she kim over an' she had a

spoon in her hand, an' she took jist the smallest taste in life iv the boilin' wather out iv the pot, an' she

dhropped it down an his shins, an' with that he let a roar you'd think the roof id fly aff iv the house.

'Hould your tongue, you barbarrian,' says she; 'you'll waken the child,' says she.

'An' if I done right,' says he, for the spoonful of boilin' wather riz him entirely, 'I'd take yourself,' says he, 'an'

I'd stuff you into the pot an the fire, an' boil you.' says he, 'into castor oil,' says he.

'That's purty behavour,' says she; 'it's fine usage you're givin' me, isn't it?' says she, gettin' wickeder every

minute; 'but before I'm boiled,' says she, 'thry how you like THAT,' says she; an', sure enough, before he had

time to put up his guard, she hot him a rale terrible clink iv the iron spoon acrass the jaw.

'Will you?' says she, an' with that she hot him another tin times as good as the first.

'By jabers,' says he, slappin' himself behind, 'that's the last salute you'll ever give me,' says he; 'so take my last

blessin',' says he, 'you ungovernable baste!' says hean' with that he pulled an his hat an' walked out iv the

Well, she never minded a word he said, for he used to say the same thing all as one every time she dhrew

blood; an' she had no expectation at all but he'd come back by the time supper id be ready; but faix the story

didn't go quite so simple this time, for while he was walkin', lonesome enough, down the borheen, with his

heart almost broke with the pain, for his shins an' his jaw was mighty troublesome, av course, with the

thratement he got, who did he see but Mick Hanlon, his uncle's sarvint by, ridin' down, quite an asy, an the

'Is that Mr. Soolivan?' says the by. says he, as soon as he saw him a good bit aff.

'To be sure it is, ye spalpeen, you,' says Jim, roarin' out; 'what do you want wid me this time aday?' says he.

'Don't you know me?' says the gossoon, 'it's Mick Hanlon that's in it,' says he.

'Oh, blur an agers, thin, it's welcome you are, Micky asthore,' says Jim; 'how is all wid the man an' the woman

'Oh!' says Micky, 'bad enough,' says he; 'the ould man's jist aff, an' if you don't hurry like shot,' says he, 'he'll

'It's jokin' ye are,' says Jim, sorrowful enough, for he was mighty partial to his uncle intirely.

'Oh, not in the smallest taste,' says Micky; 'the breath was jist out iv him,' says he, 'when I left the farm.

"An'," says he, "take the ould black horse," says he, "for he's shurefooted for the road," says he, "an' bring,

Jim Soolivan here," says he, "for I think I'd die asy af I could see him onst,' says he.'

'Well,' says Jim, 'will I have time,' says he, 'to go back to the house, for it would be a consolation,' says he, 'to

'It's too late you are already,' says Micky, 'so come up behind me, for God's sake,' says he, 'an' don't waste

time;' an' with that he brought the horse up beside the ditch, an' Jim Soolivan mounted up behind Micky, an'

they rode off; an' tin good miles it was iv a road, an' at the other side iv Keeper intirely; an' it was snowin' so

fast that the ould baste could hardly go an at all at all, an' the two bys an his back was jist like a snowball all

as one, an' almost fruz an' smothered at the same time, your honour; an' they wor both mighty sorrowful

And when Jim got to the farm his uncle was gettin' an illegantly, an' he was sittin' up sthrong an' warm in the

bed, an' im provin' every minute, an' no signs av dyin' an him at all at all; so he had all his throuble for

But this wasn't all, for the snow kem so thick that it was impassible to get along the roads at all at all; an' faix,

instead iv gettin' betther, next mornin' it was only tin times worse; so Jim had jist to take it asy, an' stay wid

Well, your honour, the evenin' Jim Soolivan wint away, whin the dark was closin' in, Nell Gorman, his wife,

beginned to get mighty anasy in herself whin she didn't see him comin' back at all; an' she was gettin' more

an' more frightful in herself every minute till the dark kem an, an' divil a taste iv her husband was coming at

'Oh!' says she, 'there's no use in pur tendin', I know he's kilt himself; he has committed infantycide an

himself,' says she, 'like a dissipated bliggard as he always was,' says she, 'God rest his soul. Oh, thin, isn't it

me an' not you, Jim Soolivan, that's the unforthunate woman,' says she, 'for ain't I cryin' here, an' isn't he in

heaven, the bliggard,' says she. 'Oh, voh, voh, it's not at home comfortable with your wife an' family that you

are, Jim Soolivan,' says she, 'but in the other world, you aumathaun, in glory wid the saints I hope,' says she.

'It's I that's the unforthunate famale,' says she, 'an' not yourself, Jim Soolivan,' says she.

An' this way she kep' an till mornin', cryin' and lamintin; an' wid the first light she called up all the sarvint

bys, an' she tould them to go out an' to sarch every inch iv ground to find the corpse, 'for I'm sure,' says she,

Well, they went as well as they could, rummagin' through the snow, antil, at last, what should they come to,

sure enough, but the corpse of a poor thravelling man, that fell over the quarry the night before by rason of

the snow and some liquor he had, maybe; but, at any rate, he was as dead as a herrin', an' his face was

knocked all to pieces jist like an overboiled pitaty, glory be to God; an' divil a taste iv a nose or a chin, or a

hill or a hollow from one end av his face to the other but was all as flat as a pancake. An' he was about Jim

Soolivan's size, an' dhressed out exactly the same, wid a ridin' coat an' new corderhoys; so they carried him

home, an' they were all as sure as daylight it was Jim Soolivan himself, an' they were wondhering he'd do

Well, your honour, they waked him as well as they could, with what neighbours they could git togither, but

by rason iv the snow, there wasn't enough gothered to make much divarsion; however it was a plisint wake

enough, an' the churchyard an' the priest bein' convanient, as soon as the youngsthers had their bit iv fun and

divarsion out iv the corpse, they burried it without a great dale iv throuble; an' about three days afther the

berrin, ould Jim Mallowney, from th'other side iv the little hill, her own cousin by the mother's sidehe had

a snug bit iv a farm an' a house close by, by the same tokenkem walkin' in to see how she was in her

health, an' he dhrew a chair, an' he sot down an' beginned to convarse her about one thing an' another, antil he

got her quite an' asy into middlin' good humour, an' as soon as he seen it was time:

'I'm wondherin', says he, 'Nell Gorman, sich a handsome, likely girl, id be thinkin' iv nothin' but lamintin' an'

the likes,' says he, 'an' lingerin' away her days without any consolation, or gettin' a husband,' says he.

'Oh,' says she, 'isn't it only three days since I burried the poor man,' says she, 'an' isn't it rather soon to be

'Divil a taste,' says he, 'three days is jist the time to a minute for cryin' afther a husband, an' there's no

occasion in life to be keepin' it up,' says he; 'an' besides all that,' says he, 'Shrovetide is almost over, an' if you

don't be sturrin' yourself an' lookin' about you, you'll be late,' says he, 'for this year at any rate, an' that's

twelve months lost; an' who's to look afther the farm all that time,' says he, 'an' to keep the men to their

'It's thrue for you, Jim Mallowney,' says she, 'but I'm afeard the neighbours will be all talkin' about it,' says

'Well, thin, Jim Mallowney,' says she, 'here's my hand, an' you may be talkin' to Andy Curtis, an' if he's

So with that he made off with himself straight to Andy Curtis; an' before three days more was past, the

weddin' kem an, an' Nell Gorman an' Andy Curtis was married as complate as possible; an' if the wake was

plisint the weddin' was tin times as agreeble, an' all the neighbours that could make their way to it was there,

an' there was three fiddlers an' lots iv pipers, an' ould Connor Shamus[1] the piper himself was in itby the

same token it was the last weddin' he ever played music at, for the next mornin', whin he was goin' home,

bein' mighty hearty an' plisint in himself, he was smothered in the snow, undher the ould castle; an' by my

sowl he was a sore loss to the bys an' girls twenty miles round, for he was the illigantest piper, barrin' the

[1] Literally, Cornelius Jamesthe last name employed as a patronymic. Connor is commonly used. Corney,

pronounced Kurny, is just as much used in the South, as the short name for Cornelius.

Well, a week passed over smart enough, an' Nell an' her new husband was mighty well continted with one

another, for it was too soon for her to begin to regulate him the way she used with poor Jim Soolivan, so they

wor comfortable enough; but this was too good to last, for the thaw kem an, an' you may be sure Jim

Soolivan didn't lose a minute's time as soon as the heavy dhrift iv snow was melted enough between him and

home to let him pass, for he didn't hear a word iv news from home sinst he lift it, by rason that no one, good

So one night, when Nell Gorman an' her new husband, Andy Curtis, was snug an' warm in bed, an' fast

asleep, an' everything quite, who should come to the door, sure enough, but Jim Soolivan himself, an' he

beginned flakin' the door wid a big blackthorn stick he had, an' roarin' out like the divil to open the door, for

'Wait till I get at you,' says Jim, hittin' the door a lick iv the wattle you'd hear half a mile off.

'It's him, sure enough,' says Nell; 'I know his speech; it's his wandherin' sowl that can't get rest, the crass o'

'Jim SoolivanJim Soolivan,' says Nell, sittin' up in the bed, an' gropin' for a quart bottle iv holy wather she

used to hang by the back iv the bed, 'don't come in, darlin' there's holy wather here,' says she; 'but tell me

from where you are is there anything that's throublin' your poor sinful sowl?' says she. 'An' tell me how many

masses 'ill make you asy, an' by this crass, I'll buy you as many as you want,' says she.

'Divil's cure to the bit iv me 'ill go back to glory, or anywhere else,' says he, 'this blessed night; so open the

'By jabers, you'd betther,' says he, 'or it 'ill be the worse for you,' says he; an' wid that he fell to wallopin' the

door till he was fairly tired, an' Andy an' his wife crassin' themselves an' sayin' their prayers for the bare life

'Jim Soolivan,' says she, as soon as he was done, 'go back, for God's sake, an' don't be freakenin' me an' your

'Why, you bosthoon, you,' says Jim, 'won't you let your husband in,' says he, 'to his own house?' says he.

'You WOR my husband, sure enough,' says she, 'but it's well you know, Jim Soolivan, you're not my husband

'By my sowl, it's to my grave you'll sind me, sure enough,' says he, 'you hard hearted bain', for I'm jist aff

'Jim Sulivan,' says she, 'it's in your dacent coffin you should be, you unforthunate sperit,' says she; 'what is it's

annoyin' your sowl, in the wide world, at all?' says she; 'hadn't you everything complate?' says she, 'the oil,

'Och, by the hoky,' says Jim, 'it's too long I'm makin' a fool iv mysilf, gostherin' wid you outside iv my own

door,' says he, 'for it's plain to be seen,' says he, 'you don't know what your're sayin', an' no one ELSE knows

what you mane, you unforthunate fool,' says he; 'so, onst for all, open the door quietly,' says he, 'or, by my

Well, whin Nell an' Andy seen he was getting vexed, they beginned to bawl out their prayers, with the fright,

as if the life was lavin' them; an' the more he bate the door, the louder they prayed, until at last Jim was fairly

'Bad luck to you,' says he; 'for a rale divil av a woman,' says he. I 'can't get any advantage av you, any way;

but wait till I get hould iv you, that's all,' says he. An' he turned aff from the door, an' wint round to the

cowhouse, an' settled himself as well as he could, in the sthraw; an' he was tired enough wid the thravellin'

he had in the daytime, an' a good dale bothered with what liquor he had taken; so he was purty sure of

But, by my sowl, it wasn't the same way with the man an' the woman in the house for divil a wink iv sleep,

good or bad, could they get at all, wid the fright iv the sperit, as they supposed; an' with the first light they

sint a little gossoon, as fast as he could wag, straight off, like a shot, to the priest, an' to desire him, for the

love o' God, to come to them an the minute, an' to bring, if it was plasin' to his raverence, all the little things

he had for sayin' mass, an' savin' sowls, an' banishin' sperits, an' freakenin' the divil, an' the likes iv that. An' it

wasn't long till his raverence kem down, sure enough, on the ould grey mare, wid the little massboy behind

him, an' the prayerbooks an' Bibles, an' all the other mystarious articles that was wantin', along wid him; an'

'An' what's gone wrong wid ye?' says he; 'ye must be very bad,' says he,' entirely, to disturb my devotions,'

'By my sowkins,' says Nell, 'it's bad enough we are, your raverence,' says she, 'for it's poor Jim's sperit,' says

she; 'God rest his sowl, wherever it is,' says she, 'that was wandherin' up an' down, opossite the door all night,'

says she, 'in the way it was no use at all, thryin' to get a wink iv sleep,' says she.

'Most part iv the night,' says Nell, 'the Lord be merciful to us all!' says she.

'That'll make it more costly than I thought,' says he. 'An' did it make much noise?' says he.

'By my sowl, it's it that did,' says Andy; 'leatherin' the door wid sticks and stones,' says he, 'antil I fairly

thought every minute,' says he, 'the ould boords id smash, an' the sperit id be in an top iv usGod bless us,'

'Well, your raverence,' says Andy, 'take whatever you like,' says he; 'only make sure it won't annoy us any

'Oh! by my sowkins,' says the priest, 'it'll be the quarest ghost in the siven parishes,' says he, 'if it has the

courage to come back,' says he, 'afther what I'll do this mornin', plase God,' says he; 'so we'll say twelve

pounds; an' God knows it's chape enough,' says he, 'considherin' all the sarcumstances,' says he.

Well, there wasn't a second word to the bargain; so they paid him the money down, an' he sot the table doun

like an althar, before the door, an' he settled it out vid all the things he had wid him; an' he lit a bit iv a holy

candle, an' he scathered his holy wather right an' left; an' he took up a big book, an' he wint an readin' for half

an hour, good; an' whin he kem to the end, he tuck hould iv his little bell, and he beginned to ring it for the

bare life; an', by my sowl, he rung it so well, that he wakened Jim Sulivan in the cow house, where he was

sleepin', an' up he jumped, widout a minute's delay, an' med right for the house, where all the family, an' the

priest, an' the little massboy was assimbled, layin' the ghost; an' as soon as his raverence seen him comin' in

at the door, wid the fair fright, he flung the bell at his head, an' hot him sich a lick iv it in the forehead, that he

sthretched him on the floor; but fain; he didn't wait to ax any questions, but he cut round the table as if the

divil was afther him, an' out at the door, an' didn't stop even as much as to mount an his mare, but leathered

away down the borheen as fast as his legs could carry him, though the mud was up to his knees, savin' your

Well, by the time Jim kem to himself, the family persaved the mistake, an' Andy wint home, lavin' Nell to

make the explanation. An' as soon as Jim heerd it all, he said he was quite contint to lave her to Andy,

entirely; but the priest would not hear iv it; an' he jist med him marry his wife over again, an' a merry weddin'

it was, an' a fine collection for his raverence. An' Andy was there along wid the rest, an' the priest put a small

An' bad luck to the word he'd allow anyone to say an the business, ever after, at all, at all; so, av coorse, no

one offinded his raverence, by spakin' iv the twelve pounds he got for layin' the sperit.

An' the neighbours wor all mighty well plased, to be sure, for gettin' all the divarsion of a wake, an' two

Being a Tenth Extract from the Legacy of the late Francis Purcell, P.P. of Drumcoolagh.

In the following narrative, I have endeavoured to give as nearly as possible the ipsissima verba of the valued

friend from whom I received it, conscious that any aberration from HER mode of telling the tale of her own

Would that, with her words, I could also bring before you her animated gesture, her expressive countenance,

the solemn and thrilling air and accent with which she related the dark passages in her strange story; and,

above all, that I could communicate the impressive consciousness that the narrator had seen with her own

eyes, and personally acted in the scenes which she described; these accompaniments, taken with the

additional circumstance that she who told the tale was one far too deeply and sadly impressed with religious

principle to misrepresent or fabricate what she repeated as fact, gave to the tale a depth of interest which the

I became acquainted with the lady from whose lips I heard this narrative nearly twenty years since, and the

story struck my fancy so much that I committed it to paper while it was still fresh in my mind; and should its

perusal afford you entertainment for a listless half hour, my labour shall not have been bestowed in vain.

I find that I have taken the story down as she told it, in the first person, and perhaps this is as it should be.

My maiden name was Richardson,[1] the designation of a family of some distinction in the county of Tyrone.

I was the younger of two daughters, and we were the only children. There was a difference in our ages of

nearly six years, so that I did not, in my childhood, enjoy that close companionship which sisterhood, in other

circumstances, necessarily involves; and while I was still a child, my sister was married.

[1] I have carefully altered the names as they appear in the original MSS., for the reader will see that some of

the circumstances recorded are not of a kind to reflect honour upon those involved in them; and as many are

still living, in every way honoured and honourable, who stand in close relation to the principal actors in this

The person upon whom she bestowed her hand was a Mr. Carew, a gentleman of property and consideration

I remember well the eventful day of the wedding; the thronging carriages, the noisy menials, the loud

laughter, the merry faces, and the gay dresses. Such sights were then new to me, and harmonised ill with the

sorrowful feelings with which I regarded the event which was to separate me, as it turned out, for ever from a

sister whose tenderness alone had hitherto more than supplied all that I wanted in my mother's affection.

The day soon arrived which was to remove the happy couple from Ashtown House. The carriage stood at the

hall door, and my poor sister kissed me again and again, telling me that I should see her soon.

The carriage drove away, and I gazed after it until my eyes filled with tears, and, returning slowly to my

chamber, I wept more bitterly and, so to speak, more desolately, than ever I had done before.

My father had never seemed to love or to take an interest in me. He had desired a son, and I think he never

My having come into the world at all as his child he regarded as a kind of fraudulent intrusion, and as his

antipathy to me had its origin in an imperfection of mine, too radical for removal, I never even hoped to stand

My mother was, I dare say, as fond of me as she was of anyone; but she was a woman of a masculine and a

worldly cast of mind. She had no tenderness or sympathy for the weaknesses, or even for the affections, of

woman's nature and her demeanour towards me was peremptory, and often even harsh.

It is not to be supposed, then, that I found in the society of my parents much to supply the loss of my sister.

About a year after her marriage, we received letters from Mr. Carew, containing accounts of my sister's

health, which, though not actually alarming, were calculated to make us seriously uneasy. The symptoms

The letters concluded by intimating that he would avail himself of my father and mother's repeated invitation

to spend some time at Ashtown, particularly as the physician who had been consulted as to my sister's health

There were added repeated assurances that nothing serious was apprehended, as it was supposed that a

deranged state of the liver was the only source of the symptoms which at first had seemed to intimate

In accordance with this announcement, my sister and Mr. Carew arrived in Dublin, where one of my father's

carriages awaited them, in readiness to start upon whatever day or hour they might choose for their departure

It was arranged that Mr. Carew was, as soon as the day upon which they were to leave Dublin was definitely

fixed, to write to my father, who intended that the two last stages should be performed by his own horses,

upon whose speed and safety far more reliance might be placed than upon those of the ordinary posthorses,

which were at that time, almost without exception, of the very worst order. The journey, one of about ninety

On Sunday a letter reached us, stating that the party would leave Dublin on Monday, and, in due course,

Tuesday came the evening closed in, and yet no carriage; darkness came on, and still no sign of our expected

Hour after hour passed away, and it was now past twelve; the night was remarkably calm, scarce a breath

stirring, so that any sound, such as that produced by the rapid movement of a vehicle, would have been

audible at a considerable distance. For some such sound I was feverishly listening.

It was, however, my father's rule to close the house at nightfall, and the window shutters being fastened, I

was unable to reconnoitre the avenue as I would have wished. It was nearly one o'clock, and we began almost

to despair of seeing them upon that night, when I thought I distinguished the sound of wheels, but so remote

and faint as to make me at first very uncertain. The noise approached; it became louder and clearer; it stopped

I now heard the shrill screaming of the rusty iron, as the avenuegate revolved on its hinges; again came the

We all stood for a few moments breathlessly listening. On thundered the vehicle with the speed of a

whirlwind; crack went the whip, and clatter went the wheels, as it rattled over the uneven pavement of the

court. A general and furious barking from all the dogs about the house, hailed its arrival.

We hurried to the hall in time to hear the steps let down with the sharp clanging noise peculiar to the

operation, and the hum of voices exerted in the bustle of arrival. The halldoor was now thrown open, and we

The court was perfectly empty; the moon was shining broadly and brightly upon all around; nothing was to

be seen but the tall trees with their long spectral shadows, now wet with the dews of midnight.

We stood gazing from right to left, as if suddenly awakened from a dream; the dogs walked suspiciously,

growling and snuffing about the court, and by totally and suddenly ceasing their former loud barking,

We stared one upon another in perplexity and dismay, and I think I never beheld more pale faces assembled.

By my father's direction, we looked about to find anything which might indicate or account for the noise

which we had heard; but no such thing was to be seeneven the mire which lay upon the avenue was

On the next day, we learned by a messenger, who had ridden hard the greater part of the night, that my sister

was dead. On Sunday evening, she had retired to bed rather unwell, and, on Monday, her indisposition

declared itself unequivocally to be malignant fever. She became hourly worse and, on Tuesday night, a little

[2] The residuary legatee of the late Frances Purcell, who has the honour of selecting such of his lamented old

friend's manuscripts as may appear fit for publication, in order that the lore which they contain may reach the

world before scepticism and utility have robbed our species of the precious gift of credulity, and scornfully

kicked before them, or trampled into annihilation those harmless fragments of picturesque superstition which

it is our object to preserve, has been subjected to the charge of dealing too largely in the marvellous; and it

has been half insinuated that such is his love for diablerie, that he is content to wander a mile out of his way,

in order to meet a fiend or a goblin, and thus to sacrifice all regard for truth and accuracy to the idle hope of

affrighting the imagination, and thus pandering to the bad taste of his reader. He begs leave, then, to take this

opportunity of asserting his perfect innocence of all the crimes laid to his charge, and to assure his reader that

he never PANDERED TO HIS BAD TASTE, nor went one inch out of his way to introduce witch, fairy,

devil, ghost, or any other of the grim fraternity of the redoubted Rawheadandbloodybones. His

province, touching these tales, has been attended with no difficulty and little responsibility; indeed, he is

accountable for nothing more than an alteration in the names of persons mentioned therein, when such a step

seemed necessary, and for an occasional note, whenever he conceived it possible, innocently, to edge in a

word. These tales have been WRITTEN DOWN, as the heading of each announces, by the Rev. Francis

Purcell, P.P., of Drumcoolagh; and in all the instances, which are many, in which the present writer has had

an opportunity of comparing the manuscript of his departed friend with the actual traditions which are current

amongst the families whose fortunes they pretend to illustrate, he has uniformly found that whatever of

supernatural occurred in the story, so far from having been exaggerated by him, had been rather softened

I mention this circumstance, because it was one upon which a thousand wild and fantastical reports were

founded, though one would have thought that the truth scarcely required to be improved upon; and again,

because it produced a strong and lasting effect upon my spirits, and indeed, I am inclined to think, upon my

I was, for several years after this occurrence, long after the violence of my grief subsided, so wretchedly

lowspirited and nervous, that I could scarcely be said to live; and during this time, habits of indecision,

arising out of a listless acquiescence in the will of others, a fear of encountering even the slightest opposition,

and a disposition to shrink from what are commonly called amusements, grew upon me so strongly, that I

We saw nothing more of Mr. Carew. He returned to England as soon as the melancholy rites attendant upon

the event which I have just mentioned were performed; and not being altogether inconsolable, he married

again within two years; after which, owing to the remoteness of our relative situations, and other

I was now an only child; and, as my elder sister had died without issue, it was evident that, in the ordinary

course of things, my father's property, which was altogether in his power, would go to me; and the

consequence was, that before I was fourteen, Ashtown House was besieged by a host of suitors. However,

whether it was that I was too young, or that none of the aspirants to my hand stood sufficiently high in rank

or wealth, I was suffered by both parents to do exactly as I pleased; and well was it for me, as I afterwards

found, that fortune, or rather Providence, had so ordained it, that I had not suffered my affections to become

in any degree engaged, for my mother would never have suffered any SILLY FANCY of mine, as she was in

the habit of styling an attachment, to stand in the way of her ambitious views views which she was

determined to carry into effect, in defiance of every obstacle, and in order to accomplish which she would not

have hesitated to sacrifice anything so unreasonable and contemptible as a girlish passion.

When I reached the age of sixteen, my mother's plans began to develop them selves; and, at her suggestion,

we moved to Dublin to sojourn for the winter, in order that no time might be lost in disposing of me to the

I had been too long accustomed to consider myself as of no importance whatever, to believe for a moment

that I was in reality the cause of all the bustle and preparation which surrounded me, and being thus relieved

from the pain which a consciousness of my real situation would have inflicted, I journeyed towards the

My father's wealth and connection had established him in the best society, and, consequently, upon our

arrival in the metropolis we commanded whatever enjoyment or advantages its gaieties afforded.

The tumult and novelty of the scenes in which I was involved did not fail con siderably to amuse me, and

It was almost immediately known and reported that I was an heiress, and of course my attractions were pretty

Among the many gentlemen whom it was my fortune to please, one, ere long, established himself in my

mother's good graces, to the exclusion of all less important aspirants. However, I had not understood or even

remarked his attentions, nor in the slightest degree suspected his or my mother's plans respecting me, when I

We had attended a splendid ball, given by Lord M, at his residence in Stephen's Green, and I was, with

the assist ance of my waitingmaid, employed in rapidly divesting myself of the rich ornaments which, in

profuseness and value, could scarcely have found their equals in any private family in Ireland.

I had thrown myself into a lounging chair beside the fire, listless and exhausted, after the fatigues of the

evening, when I was aroused from the reverie into which I had fallen by the sound of footsteps approaching

'Fanny, my dear,' said she, in her softest tone, 'I wish to say a word or two with you before I go to rest. You

'No, no, madam, I thank you,' said I, rising at the same time from my seat, with the formal respect so little

'Sit down, my dear,' said she, placing herself upon a chair beside me; 'I must chat with you for a quarter of an

hour or so. Saunders' (to the maid) 'you may leave the room; do not close the roomdoor, but shut that of the

This precaution against curious ears having been taken as directed, my mother proceeded.

'You have observed, I should suppose, my dearest Fannyindeed, you MUST have observed Lord

'Well, well, that is all right,' interrupted my mother; 'of course you must be modest upon the matter; but listen

to me for a few moments, my love, and I will prove to your satisfaction that your modesty is quite

unnecessary in this case. You have done better than we could have hoped, at least so very soon. Lord

Glenfallen is in love with you. I give you joy of your conquest;' and saying this, my mother kissed my

'Yes, in love with you,' repeated my mother; 'devotedly, distractedly in love with you. Why, my dear, what is

there wonderful in it? Look in the glass, and look at these,' she continued, pointing with a smile to the jewels

which I had just removed from my person, and which now lay a glittering heap upon the table.

'May there not,' said I, hesitating between confusion and real alarm'is it not possible that some mistake

'Mistake, dearest! none,' said my mother. 'None; none in the world. Judge for yourself; read this, my love.'

And she placed in my hand a letter, addressed to herself, the seal of which was broken. I read it through with

no small surprise. After some very fine complimentary flourishes upon my beauty and perfections, as also

upon the antiquity and high reputation of our family, it went on to make a formal proposal of marriage, to be

communicated or not to me at present, as my mother should deem expedient; and the letter wound up by a

request that the writer might be permitted, upon our return to Ashtown House, which was soon to take place,

as the spring was now tolerably advanced, to visit us for a few days, in case his suit was approved.

'Well, well, my dear,' said my mother, impatiently; 'do you know who Lord Glenfallen is?'

'I do, madam,' said I rather timidly, for I dreaded an altercation with my mother.

'Well, dear, and what frightens you?' continued she. 'Are you afraid of a title? What has he done to alarm

'My dear Fanny,' continued my mother, 'in sober seriousness you have been most fortunate in engaging the

affections of a nobleman such as Lord Glenfallen, young and wealthy, with firstrateyes, acknowledged

FIRSTRATE abilities, and of a family whose influence is not exceeded by that of any in Ireland. Of course

This was uttered in no very dubious tone. I was so much astonished by the suddenness of the whole

'You are not in love?' said my mother, turning sharply, and fixing her dark eyes upon me with severe scrutiny.

'No, madam,' said I, promptly; horrified, as what young lady would not have been, at such a query.

'I'm glad to hear it,' said my mother, drily. 'Once, nearly twenty years ago, a friend of mine consulted me as to

how he should deal with a daughter who had made what they call a lovematchbeggared herself, and

disgraced her family; and I said, without hesitation, take no care for her, but cast her off. Such punishment I

awarded for an offence committed against the reputation of a family not my own; and what I advised

respecting the child of another, with full as small compunction I would DO with mine. I cannot conceive

anything more unreasonable or intolerable than that the fortune and the character of a family should be

She spoke this with great severity, and paused as if she expected some observation from me.

'But I need not explain to you, my dear Fanny,' she continued, 'my views upon this subject; you have always

known them well, and I have never yet had reason to believe you likely, voluntarily, to offend me, or to abuse

or neglect any of those advantages which reason and duty tell you should be improved. Come hither, my

dear; kiss me, and do not look so frightened. Well, now, about this letter, you need not answer it yet; of

course you must be allowed time to make up your mind. In the meantime I will write to his lordship to give

And thus ended one of the most disagreeable, not to say astounding, conversations I had ever had. It would

not be easy to describe exactly what were my feelings towards Lord Glenfallen; whatever might have been

my mother's suspicions, my heart was perfectly disengagedand hitherto, although I had not been made in

the slightest degree acquainted with his real views, I had liked him very much, as an agreeable, well

informed man, whom I was always glad to meet in society. He had served in the navy in early life, and the

polish which his manners received in his after intercourse with courts and cities had not served to obliterate

Whether this apparent candour went deeper than the outward bearing, I was yet to learn. However, there was

no doubt that, as far as I had seen of Lord Glenfallen, he was, though perhaps not so young as might have

been desired in a lover, a singularly pleasing man; and whatever feeling unfavourable to him had found its

way into my mind, arose altogether from the dread, not an unreasonable one, that constraint might be

practised upon my inclinations. I reflected, however, that Lord Glenfallen was a wealthy man, and one highly

thought of; and although I could never expect to love him in the romantic sense of the term, yet I had no

doubt but that, all things considered, I might be more happy with him than I could hope to be at home.

When next I met him it was with no small embarrassment, his tact and good breeding, however, soon

reassured me, and effectually prevented my awkwardness being remarked upon. And I had the satisfaction of

leaving Dublin for the country with the full conviction that nobody, not even those most intimate with me,

This was to me a very serious subject of selfgratulation, for, besides my instinctive dread of becoming the

topic of the speculations of gossip, I felt that if the situation which I occupied in relation to him were made

publicly known, I should stand committed in a manner which would scarcely leave me the power of

The period at which Lord Glenfallen had arranged to visit Ashtown House was now fast approaching, and it

became my mother's wish to form me thoroughly to her will, and to obtain my consent to the proposed

marriage before his arrival, so that all things might proceed smoothly, without apparent opposition or

objection upon my part. Whatever objections, therefore, I had entertained were to be subdued; whatever

disposition to resistance I had exhibited or had been supposed to feel, were to be completely eradicated

before he made his appearance; and my mother addressed herself to the task with a decision and energy

against which even the barriers, which her imagination had created, could hardly have stood.

If she had, however, expected any determined opposition from me, she was agree ably disappointed. My

heart was perfectly free, and all my feelings of liking and preference were in favour of Lord Glenfallen; and I

well knew that in case I refused to dispose of myself as I was desired, my mother had alike the power and the

will to render my existence as utterly miserable as even the most ill assorted marriage could possibly have

You will remember, my good friend, that I was very young and very completely under the control of my

parents, both of whom, my mother particularly, were unscrupulously determined in matters of this kind, and

willing, when voluntary obedience on the part of those within their power was withheld, to compel a forced

acquiescence by an unsparing use of all the engines of the most stern and rigorous domestic discipline.

All these combined, not unnaturally, induced me to resolve upon yielding at once, and without useless

The appointed time was come, and my now accepted suitor arrived; he was in high spirits, and, if possible,

I was not, however, quite in the mood to enjoy his sprightliness; but whatever I wanted in gaiety was amply

made up in the triumphant and gracious goodhumour of my mother, whose smiles of benevolence and

I will not weary you with unnecessary prolixity. Let it suffice to say, that I was married to Lord Glenfallen

with all the attendant pomp and circumstance of wealth, rank, and grandeur. According to the usage of the

times, now humanely reformed, the ceremony was made, until long past midnight, the season of wild,

Of all this I have a painfully vivid recollection, and particularly of the little annoyances inflicted upon me by

the dull and coarse jokes of the wits and wags who abound in all such places, and upon all such occasions.

I was not sorry when, after a few days, Lord Glenfallen's carriage appeared at the door to convey us both

from Ashtown; for any change would have been a relief from the irksomeness of ceremonial and formality

which the visits received in honour of my newlyacquired titles hourly entailed upon me.

It was arranged that we were to proceed to Cahergillagh, one of the Glenfallen estates, lying, however, in a

southern county, so that, owing to the difficulty of the roads at the time, a tedious journey of three days

I set forth with my noble companion, followed by the regrets of some, and by the envy of many; though God

knows I little deserved the latter. The three days of travel were now almost spent, when, passing the brow of a

It formed a striking and a beautiful scene. A lake of considerable extent stretching away towards the west,

and reflecting from its broad, smooth waters, the rich glow of the setting sun, was overhung by steep hills,

covered by a rich mantle of velvet sward, broken here and there by the grey front of some old rock, and

exhibiting on their shelving sides, their slopes and hollows, every variety of light and shade; a thick wood of

dwarf oak, birch, and hazel skirted these hills, and clothed the shores of the lake, running out in rich

luxuriance upon every promontory, and spreading upward considerably upon the side of the hills.

'There lies the enchanted castle,' said Lord Glenfallen, pointing towards a considerable level space

intervening between two of the picturesque hills, which rose dimly around the lake.

This little plain was chiefly occupied by the same low, wild wood which covered the other parts of the

domain; but towards the centre a mass of taller and statelier forest trees stood darkly grouped together, and

among them stood an ancient square tower, with many buildings of a humbler character, forming together the

As we approached the level upon which the mansion stood, the winding road gave us many glimpses of the

timeworn castle and its surrounding buildings; and seen as it was through the long vistas of the fine old

trees, and with the rich glow of evening upon it, I have seldom beheld an object more picturesquely striking.

I was glad to perceive, too, that here and there the blue curling smoke ascended from stacks of chimneys now

hidden by the rich, dark ivy which, in a great measure, covered the building. Other indications of comfort

made themselves manifest as we approached; and indeed, though the place was evidently one of considerable

'You must not, my love,' said Lord Glenfallen, 'imagine this place worse than it is. I have no taste for

antiquityat least I should not choose a house to reside in because it is old. Indeed I do not recollect that I

was even so romantic as to overcome my aversion to rats and rheumatism, those faithful attendants upon your

noble relics of feudalism; and I much prefer a snug, modern, unmysterious bedroom, with well aired sheets,

to the waving tapestry, mildewed cushions, and all the other interesting appliances of romance. However,

though I cannot promise you all the discomfort generally belonging to an old castle, you will find legends and

ghostly lore enough to claim your respect; and if old Martha be still to the fore, as I trust she is, you will soon

have a supernatural and appropriate anecdote for every closet and corner of the mansion; but here we

We now entered the hall of the castle, and while the domestics were employed in conveying our trunks and

other luggage which we had brought with us for immediate use to the apartments which Lord Glenfallen had

selected for himself and me, I went with him into a spacious sittingroom, wainscoted with finely polished

black oak, and hung round with the portraits of various worthies of the Glenfallen family.

This room looked out upon an extensive level covered with the softest green sward, and irregularly bounded

by the wild wood I have before mentioned, through the leafy arcade formed by whose boughs and trunks the

level beams of the setting sun were pouring. In the distance a group of dairy maids were plying their task,

which they accompanied throughout with snatches of Irish songs which, mellowed by the distance, floated

not unpleasingly to the ear; and beside them sat or lay, with all the grave importance of conscious protection,

six or seven large dogs of various kinds. Farther in the distance, and through the cloisters of the arching

wood, two or three ragged urchins were employed in driving such stray kine as had wandered farther than the

As I looked upon this scene which I have described, a feeling of tranquillity and happiness came upon me,

which I have never experienced in so strong a degree; and so strange to me was the sensation that my eyes

Lord Glenfallen mistook the cause of my emotion, and taking me kindly and tenderly by the hand, he said:

'Do not suppose, my love, that it is my intention to SETTLE here. Whenever you desire to leave this, you

have only to let me know your wish, and it shall be complied with; so I must entreat of you not to suffer any

circumstances which I can control to give you one moment's uneasiness. But here is old Martha; you must be

A hale, goodhumoured, erect old woman was Martha, and an agreeable contrast to the grim, decrepid hag

which my fancy had conjured up, as the depository of all the horrible tales in which I doubted not this old

She welcomed me and her master with a profusion of gratulations, alternately kissing our hands and

apologising for the liberty, until at length Lord Glenfallen put an end to this somewhat fatiguing ceremonial

by requesting her to conduct me to my chamber if it were prepared for my reception.

I followed Martha up an oldfashioned oak staircase into a long, dim passage, at the end of which lay the

door which communicated with the apartments which had been selected for our use; here the old woman

I accordingly opened the door, and was about to enter, when something like a mass of black tapestry, as it

appeared, disturbed by my sudden approach, fell from above the door, so as completely to screen the

aperture; the startling unexpectedness of the occurrence, and the rustling noise which the drapery made in its

descent, caused me involuntarily to step two or three paces backwards. I turned, smiling and half ashamed,

The woman looked puzzled, and, without saying any more, I was about to draw aside the curtain and enter

the room, when, upon turning to do so, I was surprised to find that nothing whatever interposed to obstruct

I went into the room, followed by the servantwoman, and was amazed to find that it, like the one below, was

'Where is the black curtain that fell across the door, when I attempted first to come to my chamber?' answered

'Oh no, no, your ladyship,' said the old woman, endeavouring to conceal her agitation; but in vain, for

tottering towards a chair, she sank into it, looking so deadly pale and horrorstruck that I thought every

'What can have terrified you so?' said I, beginning to fear that she had seen something more than had met my

'Nothing, nothing, my lady,' said she, rising. 'I beg your ladyship's pardon for making so bold. May the great

'Martha,' said I, 'something HAS frightened you very much, and I insist on knowing what it is; your keeping

me in the dark upon the subject will make me much more uneasy than anything you could tell me. I desire

'Your ladyship said you saw a black curtain falling across the door when you were coming into the room,'

'I did,' said I; 'but though the whole thing appears somewhat strange, I cannot see anything in the matter to

'It's for no good you saw that, my lady,' said the crone; 'something terrible is coming. It's a sign, my ladya

'Explain, explain what you mean, my good woman,' said I, in spite of myself, catching more than I could

'Whenever somethingsomething BAD is going to happen to the Glenfallen family, some one that belongs

to them sees a black handkerchief or curtain just waved or falling before their faces. I saw it myself,'

continued she, lowering her voice, 'when I was only a little girl, and I'll never forget it. I often heard of it

before, though I never saw it till then, nor since, praised be God. But I was going into Lady Jane's room to

waken her in the morning; and sure enough when I got first to the bed and began to draw the curtain,

something dark was waved across the division, but only for a moment; and when I saw rightly into the bed,

there was she lying cold and dead, God be merciful to me! So, my lady, there is small blame to me to be

daunted when any one of the family sees it; for it's many's the story I heard of it, though I saw it but once.'

I was not of a superstitious turn of mind, yet I could not resist a feeling of awe very nearly allied to the fear

which my companion had so unreservedly expressed; and when you consider my situation, the loneliness,

antiquity, and gloom of the place, you will allow that the weakness was not without excuse.

In spite of old Martha's boding predictions, however, time flowed on in an unruffled course. One little

incident however, though trifling in itself, I must relate, as it serves to make what follows more intelligible.

Upon the day after my arrival, Lord Glenfallen of course desired to make me acquainted with the house and

domain; and accordingly we set forth upon our ramble. When returning, he became for some time silent and

I endeavoured by observations and questions to arouse himbut in vain. At length, as we approached the

' 'Twere madnessmadnessmadness,' repeating the words bitterly'sure and speedy ruin.'

There was here a long pause; and at length, turning sharply towards me, in a tone very unlike that in which he

'I am sure,' said I, 'that women are very much belied upon the score of talkativeness, and that I may answer

your question with the same directness with which you put itI reply that I DO think a woman can keep a

We walked on in silence for a time. I was much astonished at his unwonted abruptnessI had almost said

After a considerable pause he seemed to recollect himself, and with an effort resuming his sprightly manner,

'Well, well, the next thing to keeping a secret well is, not to desire to possess onetalkativeness and

curiosity generally go together. Now I shall make test of you, in the first place, respecting the latter of these

qualities. I shall be your BLUEBEARD tush, why do I trifle thus? Listen to me, my dear Fanny; I speak

now in solemn earnest. What I desire is intimately, inseparably, connected with your happiness and honour as

well as my own; and your compliance with my request will not be difficult. It will impose upon you a very

trifling restraint during your sojourn here, which certain events which have occurred since our arrival have

determined me shall not be a long one. You must promise me, upon your sacred honour, that you will visit

ONLY that part of the castle which can be reached from the front entrance, leaving the back entrance and the

part of the building commanded immediately by it to the menials, as also the small garden whose high wall

you see yonder; and never at any time seek to pry or peep into them, nor to open the door which

communicates from the front part of the house through the corridor with the back. I do not urge this in jest or

in caprice, but from a solemn conviction that danger and misery will be the certain consequences of your not

observing what I prescribe. I cannot explain myself further at present. Promise me, then, these things, as you

I did make the promise as desired, and he appeared relieved; his manner recovered all its gaiety and elasticity:

but the recollection of the strange scene which I have just described dwelt painfully upon my mind.

More than a month passed away without any occurrence worth recording; but I was not destined to leave

Cahergillagh without further adventure. One day, intending to enjoy the pleasant sunshine in a ramble

through the woods, I ran up to my room to procure my bonnet and shawl. Upon entering the chamber, I was

surprised and somewhat startled to find it occupied. Beside the fireplace, and nearly opposite the door, seated

in a large, oldfashioned elbowchair, was placed the figure of a lady. She appeared to be nearer fifty than

forty, and was dressed suitably to her age, in a handsome suit of flowered silk; she had a profusion of trinkets

and jewellery about her person, and many rings upon her fingers. But although very rich, her dress was not

gaudy or in ill taste. But what was remarkable in the lady was, that although her features were handsome, and

upon the whole pleasing, the pupil of each eye was dimmed with the whiteness of cataract, and she was

evidently stoneblind. I was for some seconds so surprised at this unaccountable apparition, that I could not

'Marry come up,' said the lady, sharply; 'YOUR chamber! Where is Lord Glenfallen?'

'He is below, madam,' replied I; 'and I am convinced he will be not a little surprised to find you here.'

'I do not think he will,' said she; 'with your good leave, talk of what you know something about. Tell him I

In spite of the awe which this grim lady inspired, there was something in her air of confident superiority

'I neither know nor care,' said she; 'but I presume that you are some one about the house, so again I desire

'I say, madam,' I repeated, approaching her that I might be more distinctly heard, 'that I am Lady Glenfallen.'

'It's a lie, you trull!' cried she, in an accent which made me start, and at the same time, springing forward, she

seized me in her grasp, and shook me violently, repeating, 'It's a lieit's a lie!' with a rapidity and

vehemence which swelled every vein of her face. The violence of her action, and the fury which convulsed

her face, effectually terrified me, and dis engaging myself from her grasp, I screamed as loud as I could for

help. The blind woman continued to pour out a torrent of abuse upon me, foaming at the mouth with rage,

I heard Lord Glenfallen's step upon the stairs, and I instantly ran out; as I passed him I perceived that he was

I made some answer, I forget what, and he entered the chamber, the door of which he locked upon the inside.

What passed within I know not; but I heard the voices of the two speakers raised in loud and angry

I thought I heard the shrill accents of the woman repeat the words, 'Let her look to herself;' but I could not be

quite sure. This short sentence, however, was, to my alarmed imagination, pregnant with fearful meaning.

The storm at length subsided, though not until after a conference of more than two long hours. Lord

'That unfortunate woman,' said he, 'is out of her mind. I daresay she treated you to some of her ravings; but

you need not dread any further interruption from her: I have brought her so far to reason. She did not hurt

'Well,' said he, 'she is likely to behave better for the future; and I dare swear that neither you nor she would

This occurrence, so startling and un pleasant, so involved in mystery, and giving rise to so many painful

All attempts on my part to arrive at the truth were baffled; Lord Glenfallen evaded all my inquiries, and at

length peremptorily forbid any further allusion to the matter. I was thus obliged to rest satisfied with what I

had actually seen, and to trust to time to resolve the perplexities in which the whole transaction had involved

Lord Glenfallen's temper and spirits gradually underwent a complete and most painful change; he became

silent and abstracted, his manner to me was abrupt and often harsh, some grievous anxiety seemed ever

present to his mind; and under its influence his spirits sunk and his temper became soured.

I soon perceived that his gaiety was rather that which the stir and excitement of society produce, than the

result of a healthy habit of mind; every day confirmed me in the opinion, that the considerate goodnature

which I had so much admired in him was little more than a mere manner; and to my infinite grief and

surprise, the gay, kind, openhearted nobleman who had for months followed and flattered me, was rapidly

assuming the form of a gloomy, morose, and singularly selfish man. This was a bitter discovery, and I strove

to conceal it from myself as long as I could; but the truth was not to be denied, and I was forced to believe

that Lord Glenfallen no longer loved me, and that he was at little pains to conceal the alteration in his

One morning after breakfast, Lord Glen fallen had been for some time walking silently up and down the

room, buried in his moody reflections, when pausing suddenly, and turning towards me, he exclaimed:

'I have itI have it! We must go abroad, and stay there too; and if that does not answer, whywhy, we

must try some more effectual expedient. Lady Glenfallen, I have become involved in heavy embarrassments.

A wife, you know, must share the fortunes of her husband, for better for worse; but I will waive my right if

you prefer remaining herehere at Cahergillagh. For I would not have you seen elsewhere without the state

to which your rank entitles you; besides, it would break your poor mother's heart,' he added, with sneering

gravity. 'So make up your mind Cahergillagh or France. I will start if possible in a week, so determine

He left the room, and in a few moments I saw him ride past the window, followed by a mounted servant. He

had directed a domestic to inform me that he should not be back until the next day.

I was in very great doubt as to what course of conduct I should pursue, as to accompanying him in the

continental tour so suddenly determined upon. I felt that it would be a hazard too great to encounter; for at

Cahergillagh I had always the consciousness to sustain me, that if his temper at any time led him into violent

or unwarrantable treatment of me, I had a remedy within reach, in the protection and support of my own

family, from all useful and effective communication with whom, if once in France, I should be entirely

As to remaining at Cahergillagh in solitude, and, for aught I knew, exposed to hidden dangers, it appeared to

me scarcely less objectionable than the former proposition; and yet I feared that with one or other I must

comply, unless I was prepared to come to an actual breach with Lord Glenfallen. Full of these unpleasing

I was wakened, after having slept uneasily for some hours, by some person shaking me rudely by the

shoulder; a small lamp burned in my room, and by its light, to my horror and amazement, I discovered that

my visitant was the selfsame blind old lady who had so terrified me a few weeks before.

I started up in the bed, with a view to ring the bell, and alarm the domestics; but she instantly anticipated me

'Do not be frightened, silly girl! If I had wished to harm you I could have done it while you were sleeping; I

need not have wakened you. Listen to me, now, attentively and fearlessly, for what I have to say interests you

to the full as much as it does me. Tell me here, in the presence of God, did Lord Glenfallen marry

'As surely as I live and speak,' I replied, 'did Lord Glenfallen marry me, in presence of more than a hundred

'Well,' continued she, 'he should have told you THEN, before you married him, that he had a wife living,

which wife I am. I feel you trembletush! do not be frightened. I do not mean to harm you. Mark me

nowyou are NOT his wife. When I make my story known you will be so neither in the eye of God nor of

man. You must leave this house upon tomorrow. Let the world know that your husband has another wife

living; go you into retirement, and leave him to justice, which will surely overtake him. If you remain in this

Here was food for my very worst and most terrible suspicions; still there was not enough to remove all doubt.

Taken by itself, there was nothing to induce me to attach weight to it; but when I viewed it in connection with

the extraordinary mystery of some of Lord Glen fallen's proceedings, his strange anxiety to exclude me

from certain portions of the mansion, doubtless lest I should encounter this personthe strong influence,

nay, command which she possessed over him, a circumstance clearly established by the very fact of her

residing in the very place where, of all others, he should least have desired to find herher thus acting, and

continuing to act in direct contradiction to his wishes; when, I say, I viewed her disclosure in connection with

all these circumstances, I could not help feeling that there was at least a fearful verisimilitude in the

Still I was not satisfied, nor nearly so. Young minds have a reluctance almost insurmountable to believing,

upon anything short of unquestionable proof, the existence of premeditated guilt in anyone whom they have

ever trusted; and in support of this feeling I was assured that if the assertion of Lord Glenfallen, which

nothing in this woman's manner had led me to disbelieve, were true, namely that her mind was unsound, the

I determined to state to Lord Glenfallen freely and accurately the substance of the communication which I

had just heard, and in his words and looks to seek for its proof or refutation. Full of these thoughts, I

remained wakeful and excited all night, every moment fancying that I heard the step or saw the figure of my

recent visitor, towards whom I felt a species of horror and dread which I can hardly describe.

There was something in her face, though her features had evidently been handsome, and were not, at first

sight, unpleasing, which, upon a nearer inspection, seemed to indicate the habitual prevalence and indulgence

of evil passions, and a power of expressing mere animal anger, with an intenseness that I have seldom seen

equalled, and to which an almost unearthly effect was given by the convulsive quivering of the sightless eyes.

You may easily suppose that it was no very pleasing reflection to me to consider that, whenever caprice

might induce her to return, I was within the reach of this violent and, for aught I knew, insane woman, who

had, upon that very night, spoken to me in a tone of menace, of which her mere words, divested of the

Will you believe me when I tell you that I was actually afraid to leave my bed in order to secure the door, lest

I should again encounter the dreadful object lurking in some corner or peeping from behind the

The morning came, and with it Lord Glenfallen. I knew not, and indeed I cared not, where he might have

been; my thoughts were wholly engrossed by the terrible fears and suspicions which my last night's

conference had suggested to me. He was, as usual, gloomy and abstracted, and I feared in no very fitting

mood to hear what I had to say with patience, whether the charges were true or false.

I was, however, determined not to suffer the opportunity to pass, or Lord Glenfallen to leave the room, until,

'My lord,' said I, after a long silence, summoning up all my firmness'my lord, I wish to say a few words to

you upon a matter of very great importance, of very deep concernment to you and to me.'

I fixed my eyes upon him to discern, if possible, whether the announcement caused him any uneasiness; but

'Well, my dear,' said he, 'this is no doubt a very grave preface, and portends, I have no doubt, something

'My lord,' said I, 'I have seen the person who alarmed me so much a short time since, the blind lady, again,

upon last night.' His face, upon which my eyes were fixed, turned pale; he hesitated for a moment, and then

'And did you, pray, madam, so totally forget or spurn my express command, as to enter that portion of the

house from which your promise, I might say your oath, excluded you?answer me that!' he added fiercely.

'My lord,' said I, 'I have neither forgotten your COMMANDS, since such they were, nor disobeyed them. I

was, last night, wakened from my sleep, as I lay in my own chamber, and accosted by the person whom I

'Ha! this must be looked to,' said he, half reflectively; 'and pray,' added he, quickly, while in turn he fixed his

eyes upon me, 'what did this person say? since some comment upon her communication forms, no doubt, the

'Your lordship is not mistaken,' said I; 'her statement was so extraordinary that I could not think of

withholding it from you. She told me, my lord, that you had a wife living at the time you married me, and that

Lord Glenfallen became ashy pale, almost livid; he made two or three efforts to clear his voice to speak, but

in vain, and turning suddenly from me, he walked to the window. The horror and dismay which, in the olden

time, overwhelmed the woman of Endor when her spells unexpectedly conjured the dead into her presence,

were but types of what I felt when thus presented with what appeared to be almost unequivocal evidence of

There was a silence of some moments, during which it were hard to conjecture whether I or my companion

Lord Glenfallen soon recovered his self command; he returned to the table, again sat down and said:

'What you have told me has so astonished me, has unfolded such a tissue of motiveless guilt, and in a quarter

from which I had so little reason to look for ingratitude or treachery, that your announcement almost deprived

me of speech; the person in question, however, has one excuse, her mind is, as I told you before, unsettled.

You should have remembered that, and hesitated to receive as unexceptionable evidence against the honour

of your husband, the ravings of a lunatic. I now tell you that this is the last time I shall speak to you upon this

subject, and, in the presence of the God who is to judge me, and as I hope for mercy in the day of judgment, I

swear that the charge thus brought against me is utterly false, unfounded, and ridiculous; I defy the world in

any point to taint my honour; and, as I have never taken the opinion of madmen touching your character or

morals, I think it but fair to require that you will evince a like tenderness for me; and now, once for all, never

again dare to repeat to me your insulting suspicions, or the clumsy and infamous calumnies of fools. I shall

instantly let the worthy lady who contrived this somewhat original device, understand fully my opinion upon

the matter. Good morning;' and with these words he left me again in doubt, and involved in all horrors of the

I had reason to think that Lord Glenfallen wreaked his vengeance upon the author of the strange story which I

had heard, with a violence which was not satisfied with mere words, for old Martha, with whom I was a great

favourite, while attending me in my room, told me that she feared her master had illused the poor blind

Dutch woman, for that she had heard her scream as if the very life were leaving her, but added a request that I

should not speak of what she had told me to any one, particularly to the master.

'How do you know that she is a Dutch woman?' inquired I, anxious to learn anything whatever that might

throw a light upon the history of this person, who seemed to have resolved to mix herself up in my fortunes.

'Why, my lady,' answered Martha, 'the master often calls her the Dutch hag, and other names you would not

like to hear, and I am sure she is neither English nor Irish; for, whenever they talk together, they speak some

queer foreign lingo, and fast enough, I'll be bound. But I ought not to talk about her at all; it might be as much

as my place is worth to mention heronly you saw her first yourself, so there can be no great harm in

'She came early on the morning after your ladyship's arrival,' answered she; 'but do not ask me any more, for

the master would think nothing of turning me out of doors for daring to speak of her at all, much less to you,

I did not like to press the poor woman further, for her reluctance to speak on this topic was evident and

You will readily believe that upon the very slight grounds which my information afforded, contradicted as it

was by the solemn oath of my husband, and derived from what was, at best, a very questionable source, I

could not take any very decisive measure whatever; and as to the menace of the strange woman who had thus

unaccountably twice intruded herself into my chamber, although, at the moment, it occasioned me some

uneasiness, it was not, even in my eyes, sufficiently formidable to induce my departure from Cahergillagh.

A few nights after the scene which I have just mentioned, Lord Glenfallen having, as usual, early retired to

It was not strange that my thoughts should often recur to the agitating scenes in which I had recently taken a

The subject of my reflections, the solitude, the silence, and the lateness of the hour, as also the depression of

spirits to which I had of late been a constant prey, tended to produce that nervous excitement which places us

In order to calm my spirits I was endeavouring to direct my thoughts into some more pleasing channel, when

I heard, or thought I heard, uttered, within a few yards of me, in an odd, halfsneering tone, the words,

So vivid was the impression that I started to my feet, and involuntarily placed my hand upon my neck.

I went then to the roomdoor, which I opened, and peered into the passage, nearly faint with horror lest some

When I had gazed long enough to assure myself that no strange object was within sight, 'I have been too

much of a rake lately; I am racking out my nerves,' said I, speaking aloud, with a view to reassure myself.

I rang the bell, and, attended by old Martha, I retired to settle for the night.

While the servant wasas was her customarranging the lamp which I have already stated always burned

during the night in my chamber, I was employed in undressing, and, in doing so, I had recourse to a large

lookingglass which occupied a considerable portion of the wall in which it was fixed, rising from the ground

to a height of about six feetthis mirror filled the space of a large panel in the wainscoting opposite the foot

I had hardly been before it for the lapse of a minute when something like a black pall was slowly waved

'Oh, God! there it is,' I exclaimed, wildly. 'I have seen it again, Martha the black cloth.'

'God be merciful to us, then!' answered she, tremulously crossing herself. 'Some misfortune is over us.'

'No, no, Martha,' said I, almost instantly recovering my collectedness; for, although of a nervous

temperament, I had never been superstitious. 'I do not believe in omens. You know I saw, or fancied I saw,

'She is a strange woman, my lady,' said Martha; 'and she is not GONE yetmark my words.'

'Well, well, Martha,' said I, 'I have not wit enough to change your opinions, nor inclination to alter mine; so I

will talk no more of the matter. Goodnight,' and so I was left to my reflections.

After lying for about an hour awake, I at length fell into a kind of doze; but my imagination was still busy, for

I was startled from this unrefreshing sleep by fancying that I heard a voice close to my face exclaim as

Quaking with horror, I awakened, and heard my husband enter the room. Even this was it relief.

Scared as I was, however, by the tricks which my imagination had played me, I preferred remaining silent,

and pretending to sleep, to attempting to engage my husband in conversation, for I well knew that his mood

was such, that his words would not, in all probability, convey anything that had not better be unsaid and

Lord Glenfallen went into his dressing room, which lay upon the righthand side of the bed. The door lying

open, I could see him by himself, at full length upon a sofa, and, in about half an hour, I became aware, by his

When slumber refuses to visit one, there is something peculiarly irritating, not to the temper, but to the

nerves, in the consciousness that some one is in your immediate presence, actually enjoying the boon which

you are seeking in vain; at least, I have always found it so, and never more than upon the present occasion.

A thousand annoying imaginations harassed and excited me; every object which I looked upon, though ever

so familiar, seemed to have acquired a strange phantom like character, the varying shadows thrown by the

flickering of the lamplight, seemed shaping themselves into grotesque and unearthly forms, and whenever my

eyes wandered to the sleeping figure of my husband, his features appeared to undergo the strangest and most

Hour after hour was told by the old clock, and each succeeding one found me, if possible, less inclined to

It was now considerably past three; my eyes, in their involuntary wanderings, happened to alight upon the

large mirror which was, as I have said, fixed in the wall opposite the foot of the bed. A view of it was

commanded from where I lay, through the curtains. As I gazed fixedly upon it, I thought I perceived the

broad sheet of glass shifting its position in relation to the bed; I riveted my eyes upon it with intense scrutiny;

it was no deception, the mirror, as if acting of its own impulse, moved slowly aside, and disclosed a dark

aperture in the wall, nearly as large as an ordinary door; a figure evidently stood in this, but the light was too

It stepped cautiously into the chamber, and with so little noise, that had I not actually seen it, I do not think I

should have been aware of its presence. It was arrayed in a kind of woollen nightdress, and a white

handkerchief or cloth was bound tightly about the head; I had no difficulty, spite of the strangeness of the

She stooped down, bringing her head nearly to the ground, and in that attitude she remained motionless for

some moments, no doubt in order to ascertain if any suspicious sound were stirring.

She was apparently satisfied by her observations, for she immediately recommenced her silent progress

towards a ponderous mahogany dressingtable of my husband's. When she had reached it, she paused again,

and appeared to listen attentively for some minutes; she then noiselessly opened one of the drawers, from

which, having groped for some time, she took something, which I soon perceived to be a case of razors. She

opened it, and tried the edge of each of the two instruments upon the skin of her hand; she quickly selected

one, which she fixed firmly in her grasp. She now stooped down as before, and having listened for a time,

she, with the hand that was disengaged, groped her way into the dressingroom where Lord Glenfallen lay

I was fixed as if in the tremendous spell of a nightmare. I could not stir even a finger; I could not lift my

voice; I could not even breathe; and though I expected every moment to see the sleeping man murdered, I

could not even close my eyes to shut out the horrible spectacle, which I had not the power to avert.

I saw the woman approach the sleeping figure, she laid the unoccupied hand lightly along his clothes, and

having thus ascertained his identity, she, after a brief interval, turned back and again entered my chamber;

I had now not a doubt but that the razor was intended for my throat; yet the terrific fascination which had

I felt that my life depended upon the slightest ordinary exertion, and yet I could not stir one joint from the

The murderous woman now, with long, silent steps, approached the bed; my very heart seemed turning to ice;

her left hand, that which was disengaged, was upon the pillow; she gradually slid it forward towards my head,

and in an instant, with the speed of lightning, it was clutched in my hair, while, with the other hand, she

A slight inaccuracy saved me from instant death; the blow fell short, the point of the razor grazing my throat.

In a moment, I know not how, I found myself at the other side of the bed, uttering shriek after shriek; the

Scrambling along by the curtains, she rushed round the bed towards me; I seized the handle of the door to

make my escape. It was, however, fastened. At all events, I could not open it. From the mere instinct of

recoiling terror, I shrunk back into a corner. She was now within a yard of me. Her hand was upon my face.

I closed my eyes fast, expecting never to open them again, when a blow, inflicted from behind by a strong

arm, stretched the monster senseless at my feet. At the same moment the door opened, and several domestics,

I do not recollect what followed, for I fainted. One swoon succeeded another, so long and deathlike, that my

At about ten o'clock, however, I sunk into a deep and refreshing sleep, from which I was awakened at about

two, that I might swear my deposition before a magistrate, who attended for that purpose.

I accordingly did so, as did also Lord Glenfallen, and the woman was fully committed to stand her trial at the

I shall never forget the scene which the examination of the blind woman and of the other parties afforded.

She was brought into the room in the custody of two servants. She wore a kind of flannel wrapper which had

not been changed since the night before. It was torn and soiled, and here and there smeared with blood, which

had flowed in large quantities from a wound in her head. The white handkerchief had fallen off in the scuffle,

and her grizzled hair fell in masses about her wild and deadly pale countenance.

She appeared perfectly composed, however, and the only regret she expressed throughout, was at not having

On being asked her name, she called herself the Countess Glenfallen, and refused to give any other title.

'It WAS, it WAS, you perjured traitor and cheat!' screamed the woman; and then there followed a volley of

words in some foreign language. 'Is there a magistrate here?' she resumed; 'I am Lord Glenfallen's wifeI'll

prove it write down my words. I am willing to be hanged or burned, so HE meets his deserts. I did try to

kill that doll of his; but it was he who put it into my head to do ittwo wives were too many; I was to

'I think, sir,' said he, addressing the magistrate, 'that we had better proceed to business; this unhappy woman's

furious recriminations but waste our time. If she refuses to answer your questions, you had better, I presume,

'And are you going to swear away my life, you blackperjured murderer?' shrieked the woman. 'Sir, sir, sir,

you must hear me,' she continued, addressing the magistrate; 'I can convict himhe bid me murder that girl,

and then, when I failed, he came behind me, and struck me down, and now he wants to swear away my life.

'If it is your intention,' said the magistrate, 'to confess the crime with which you stand charged, you may,

'Evidence!I have no evidence but myself,' said the woman. 'I will swear it allwrite down my

testimonywrite it down, I saywe shall hang side by side, my brave lordall your own handywork, my

This was followed by a low, insolent, and sneering laugh, which, from one in her situation, was sufficiently

'I will not at present hear anything,' replied he, 'but distinct answers to the questions which I shall put to you

'Then you shall hear nothing,' replied she sullenly, and no inducement or intimidation could bring her to

Lord Glenfallen's deposition and mine were then given, as also those of the servants who had entered the

The magistrate then intimated that she was committed, and must proceed directly to gaol, whither she was

brought in a carriage; of Lord Glenfallen's, for his lordship was naturally by no means in different to the

effect which her vehement accusations against himself might produce, if uttered before every chance hearer

whom she might meet with between Cahergillagh and the place of confinement whither she was despatched.

During the time which intervened between the committal and the trial of the prisoner, Lord Glenfallen

seemed to suffer agonies of mind which baffle all description; he hardly ever slept, and when he did, his

slumbers seemed but the instruments of new tortures, and his waking hours were, if possible, exceeded in

Lord Glenfallen rested, if to lie in the mere attitude of repose were to do so, in his dressingroom, and thus I

had an opportunity of witnessing, far oftener than I wished it, the fearful workings of his mind. His agony

often broke out into such fearful paroxysms that delirium and total loss of reason appeared to be impending.

He frequently spoke of flying from the country, and bringing with him all the witnesses of the appalling scene

upon which the prosecution was founded; then, again, he would fiercely lament that the blow which he had

The assizes arrived, however, and upon the day appointed Lord Glenfallen and I attended in order to give our

Great curiosity and interest were felt respecting the trial, so that the court was crowded to excess.

The prisoner, however, without appearing to take the trouble of listening to the indictment, pleaded guilty,

and no repre sentations on the part of the court availed to induce her to retract her plea.

After much time had been wasted in a fruitless attempt to prevail upon her to reconsider her words, the court

This having been done, the prisoner was about to be removed, when she said, in a low, distinct voice:

On being told that he was, she raised her voice to a tone of loud menace, and continued:

'Hardress, Earl of Glenfallen, I accuse you here in this court of justice of two crimes,first, that you married

a second wife, while the first was living; and again, that you prompted me to the murder, for attempting

There was a laugh through the court at these words, which were naturally treated by the judge as a violent

'You won't take him, then?' she said; 'you won't try him? You'll let him go free?'

It was intimated by the court that he would certainly be allowed 'to go free,' and she was ordered again to be

Before, however, the mandate was executed, she threw her arms wildly into the air, and uttered one piercing

shriek so full of preternatural rage and despair, that it might fitly have ushered a soul into those realms where

The sound still rang in my ears, months after the voice that had uttered it was for ever silent.

The wretched woman was executed in accordance with the sentence which had been pronounced.

For some time after this event, Lord Glenfallen appeared, if possible, to suffer more than he had done before,

and altogether his language, which often amounted to half confessions of the guilt imputed to him, and all the

circumstances connected with the late occurrences, formed a mass of evidence so convincing that I wrote to

my father, detailing the grounds of my fears, and imploring him to come to Cahergillagh without delay, in

order to remove me from my husband's control, previously to taking legal steps for a final separation.

Circumstanced as I was, my existence was little short of intolerable, for, besides the fearful suspicions which

attached to my husband, I plainly perceived that if Lord Glenfallen were not relieved, and that speedily,

insanity must supervene. I therefore expected my father's arrival, or at least a letter to announce it, with

About a week after the execution had taken place, Lord Glenfallen one morning met me with an unusually

'Fanny,' said he, 'I have it now for the first time in my power to explain to your satisfaction everything which

has hitherto appeared suspicious or mysterious in my conduct. After breakfast come with me to my study, and

This invitation afforded me more real pleasure than I had experienced for months. Something had certainly

occurred to tranquillize my husband's mind in no ordinary degree, and I thought it by no means impossible

that he would, in the proposed interview, prove himself the most injured and innocent of men.

Full of this hope, I repaired to his study at the appointed hour. He was writing busily when I entered the

I took a chair as he desired, and remained silently awaiting his leisure, while he finished, folded, directed, and

sealed his letter. Laying it then upon the table with the address downward, he said,

'My dearest Fanny, I know I must have appeared very strange to you and very unkindoften even cruel.

Before the end of this week I will show you the necessity of my conducthow impossible it was that I

should have seemed otherwise. I am conscious that many acts of mine must have inevitably given rise to

painful suspicionssuspicions which, indeed, upon one occasion, you very properly communicated to me. I

have got two letters from a quarter which commands respect, containing information as to the course by

which I may be enabled to prove the negative of all the crimes which even the most credulous suspicion

could lay to my charge. I expected a third by this morning's post, containing documents which will set the

matter for ever at rest, but owing, no doubt, to some neglect, or, perhaps, to some difficulty in collecting the

papers, some inevitable delay, it has not come to hand this morning, according to my expectation. I was

finishing one to the very same quarter when you came in, and if a sound rousing be worth anything, I think I

shall have a special messenger before two days have passed. I have been anxiously considering with myself,

as to whether I had better imperfectly clear up your doubts by submitting to your inspection the two letters

which I have already received, or wait till I can triumphantly vindicate myself by the production of the

documents which I have already mentioned, and I have, I think, not unnaturally decided upon the latter

course. However, there is a person in the next room whose testimony is not without its value excuse me for

So saying, he arose and went to the door of a closet which opened from the study; this he unlocked, and half

opening the door, he said, 'It is only I,' and then slipped into the room and carefully closed and locked the

I immediately heard his voice in animated conversation. My curiosity upon the subject of the letter was

naturally great, so, smothering any little scruples which I might have felt, I resolved to look at the address of

the letter which lay, as my husband had left it, with its face upon the table. I accordingly drew it over to me

For two or three moments I could scarce believe my eyes, but there could be no mistakein large characters

I had scarcely returned the letter to its original position, and in some degree recovered the shock which this

unequivocal proof of insanity produced, when the closet door was unlocked, and Lord Glenfallen reentered

'Perhaps,' said he, musingly, 'you might have some objection to seeing her, at least for a time.'

'Why,' said he, 'I see no use in hiding itthe blind Dutchwoman. I have been with her the whole morning.

She is very anxious to get out of that closet; but you know she is odd, she is scarcely to be trusted.'

A heavy gust of wind shook the door at this moment with a sound as if something more substantial were

The wind died away in a long howl, and Lord Glenfallen, suddenly checking his merriment, shrugged his

'We had better not tease her at present with questions,' said I, in as unconcerned a tone as I could assume,

'Humph! may be so,' said he. 'Well, come back in an hour or two, or when you please, and you will find us

He again unlocked the door, and entered with the same precautions which he had adopted before, locking the

door upon the inside; and as I hurried from the room, I heard his voice again exerted as if in eager parley.

I can hardly describe my emotions; my hopes had been raised to the highest, and now, in an instant, all was

gonethe dreadful consummation was accomplished the fearful retribution had fallen upon the guilty

The agony of the hours which followed what I would still call my AWFUL interview with Lord Glenfallen, I

cannot describe; my solitude was, however, broken in upon by Martha, who came to inform me of the arrival

I accordingly descended, and, to my great joy, found my father seated by the fire.

This expedition upon his part was easily accounted for: my communications had touched the honour of the

family. I speedily informed him of the dreadful malady which had fallen upon the wretched man.

My father suggested the necessity of placing some person to watch him, to prevent his injuring himself or

I rang the bell, and desired that one Edward Cooke, an attached servant of the family, should be sent to me.

I told him distinctly and briefly the nature of the service required of him, and, attended by him, my father and

I proceeded at once to the study. The door of the inner room was still closed, and everything in the outer

We then advanced to the closetdoor, at which we knocked, but without receiving any answer.

We next tried to open the door, but in vainit was locked upon the inside. We knocked more loudly, but in

Seriously alarmed, I desired the servant to force the door, which was, after several violent efforts,

The servant approached the sofa where Lord Glenfallen lay. He leant his ear towards the head of the

recumbent figure, to ascertain whether the sound of breathing was audible. He turned towards us, and said:

The man then, in obedience to my command, turned the body round, and, gracious God! what a sight met my

The whole breast of the shirt, with its lace frill, was drenched with gore, as was the couch underneath the spot

The head hung back, as it seemed, almost severed from the body by a frightful gash, which yawned across the

All, then, was over; I was never to learn the history in whose termination I had been so deeply and so

The severe discipline which my mind had undergone was not bestowed in vain. I directed my thoughts and

Thus ends a brief tale whose prominent incidents many will recognise as having marked the history of a

distinguished family; and though it refers to a somewhat distant date, we shall be found not to have taken,

upon that account, any liberties with the facts, but in our statement of all the incidents to have rigorously and

Being an Eleventh Extract from the Legacy of the late Francis Purcell, P.P. of Drumcoolagh.

The following brief narrative contains a faithful account of one of the many strange incidents which

chequered the life of Hardress Fitzgeraldone of the nowforgotten heroes who flourished during the most

stirring and, though the most disastrous, by no means the least glorious period of our eventful history.

He was a captain of horse in the army of James, and shared the fortunes of his master, enduring privations,

encountering dangers, and submitting to vicissitudes the most galling and ruinous, with a fortitude and a

heroism which would, if coupled with his other virtues have rendered the unhappy monarch whom he served,

I have always preferred, where I could do so with any approach to accuracy, to give such relations as the one

which I am about to submit to you, in the first person, and in the words of the original narrator, believing that

such a form of recitation not only gives freshness to the tale, but in this particular instance, by bringing before

me and steadily fixing in my mind's eye the veteran royalist who himself related the occurrence which I am

about to record, furnishes an additional stimulant to my memory, and a proportionate check upon my

After the fatal battle of the Boyne, I came up in disguise to Dublin, as did many in a like situation, regarding

the capital as furnishing at once a good central position of observation, and as secure a lurkingplace as I

I would not suffer myself to believe that the cause of my royal master was so desperate as it really was; and

while I lay in my lodgings, which consisted of the garret of a small dark house, standing in the lane which

runs close by Audoen's Arch, I busied myself with continual projects for the raising of the country, and the

recollecting of the fragments of the defeated armyplans, you will allow, sufficiently magnificent for a

I believe, however, that I had not much reason to fear for my personal safety, for men's minds in the city were

greatly occupied with public events, and private amusements and debaucheries, which were, about that time,

carried to an excess which our country never knew before, by reason of the raking together from all quarters

of the empire, and indeed from most parts of Holland, the most dissolute and des perate adventurers who

cared to play at hazard for their lives; and thus there seemed to be but little scrutiny into the characters of

I heard much at different times of the intentions of King James and his party, but nothing with certainty.

Some said that the king still lay in Ireland; others, that he had crossed over to Scotland, to encourage the

Highlanders, who, with Dundee at their head, had been stirring in his behoof; others, again, said that he had

taken ship for France, leaving his followers to shift for themselves, and regarding his kingdom as wholly lost,

Although I had been very active in the wars in Ireland, and had done many deeds of necessary but dire

severity, which have often since troubled me much to think upon, yet I doubted not but that I might easily

obtain protection for my person and property from the Prince of Orange, if I sought it by the ordinary

submissions; but besides that my conscience and my affections resisted such timeserving concessions, I was

resolved in my own mind that the cause of the royalist party was by no means desperate, and I looked to keep

myself unimpeded by any pledge or promise given to the usurping Dutchman, that I might freely and

honourably take a share in any struggle which might yet remain to be made for the right.

I therefore lay quiet, going forth from my lodgings but little, and that chiefly under cover of the dusk, and

I had like once to have paid dearly for relaxing this caution; for going into a tavern one evening near the

Tholsel, I had the confidence to throw off my hat, and sit there with my face quite exposed, when a fellow

coming in with some troopers, they fell aboozing, and being somewhat warmed, they began to drink

'Confusion to popery,' and the like, and to compel the peaceable persons who happened to sit there, to join

Though I was rather hotblooded, I was resolved to say nothing to attract notice; but, at the same time, if

urged to pledge the toasts which they were compelling others to drink, to resist doing so.

With the intent to withdraw myself quietly from the place, I paid my reckoning, and putting on my hat, was

going into the street, when the countryman who had come in with the soldiers called out:

And running across the room, he got to the door before me, and, shutting it, placed his back against it, to

Though with much difficulty, I kept an appearance of quietness, and turning to the fellow, who, from his

accent, I judged to be northern, and whose face I knew though, to this day, I cannot say where I had seen

'Sir, I came in here with no other design than to refresh myself, without offending any man. I have paid my

reckoning, and now desire to go forth. If there is anything within reason that I can do to satisfy you, and to

prevent trouble and delay to myself, name your terms, and if they be but fair, I will frankly comply with

'You are Hardress Fitzgerald, the bloody popish captain, that hanged the twelve men at Derry.'

I felt that I was in some danger, but being a strong man, and used to perils of all kinds, it was not easy to

I looked then steadily at the fellow, and, in a voice of much confidence, I said:

'I am neither a Papist, a Royalist, nor a Fitzgerald, but an honester Protestant, mayhap, than many who make

'Then drink the honest man's toast,' said he. 'Damnation to the pope, and confusion to skulking Jimmy and his

'Yourself shall hear me,' said I, taking the largest pewter pot that lay within my reach. 'Tapster, fill this with

I took the vessel of liquor in my hand, and walking up to him, I first made a bow to the troopers who sat

laughing at the sprightliness of their facetious friend, and then another to himself, when saying, 'G damn

yourself and your cause!' I flung the ale straight into his face; and before he had time to recover himself, I

struck him with my whole force and weight with the pewter pot upon the head, so strong a blow, that he fell,

for aught I know, dead upon the floor, and nothing but the handle of the vessel remained in my hand.

I opened the door, but one of the dragoons drew his sabre, and ran at me to avenge his companion. With my

hand I put aside the blade of the sword, narrowly escaping what he had intended for me, the point actually

tearing open my vest. Without allowing him time to repeat his thrust, I struck him in the face with my

clenched fist so sound a blow that he rolled back into the room with the force of a tennis ball.

It was well for me that the rest were half drunk, and the evening dark; for otherwise my folly would infallibly

have cost me my life. As it was, I reached my garret in safety, with a resolution to frequent taverns no more

My little patience and money were well nigh exhausted, when, after much doubt and uncertainty, and many

conflicting reports, I was assured that the flower of the Royalist army, under the Duke of Berwick and

General Boisleau, occupied the city of Limerick, with a determination to hold that fortress against the prince's

forces; and that a French fleet of great power, and well freighted with arms, ammunition, and men, was riding

in the Shannon, under the walls of the town. But this last report was, like many others then circulated, untrue;

there being, indeed, a promise and expectation of such assistance, but no arrival of it till too late.

The army of the Prince of Orange was said to be rapidly approaching the town, in order to commence the

On hearing this, and being made as certain as the vagueness and unsatisfactory nature of my information,

which came not from any authentic source, would permit; at least, being sure of the main point, which all

allowednamely, that Limerick was held for the kingand being also naturally fond of enterprise, and

impatient of idleness, I took the resolution to travel thither, and, if possible, to throw myself into the city, in

order to lend what assistance I might to my former companions in arms, well knowing that any man of strong

constitution and of some experience might easily make himself useful to a garrison in their straitened

When I had taken this resolution, I was not long in putting it into execution; and, as the first step in the

matter, I turned half of the money which remained with me, in all about seventeen pounds, into small wares

and merchandise such as travelling traders used to deal in; and the rest, excepting some shillings which I

carried home for my immediate expenses, I sewed carefully in the lining of my breeches waistband, hoping

that the sale of my commodities might easily supply me with subsistence upon the road.

I left Dublin upon a Friday morning in the month of September, with a tolerably heavy pack upon my back.

I was a strong man and a good walker, and one day with another travelled easily at the rate of twenty miles in

each day, much time being lost in the towns of any note on the way, where, to avoid suspicion, I was obliged

I did not travel directly to Limerick, but turned far into Tipperary, going near to the borders of Cork.

Upon the sixth day after my departure from Dublin I learned, CERTAINLY, from some fellows who were

returning from trafficking with the soldiers, that the army of the prince was actually encamped before

In order, then, to enter the city without interruption, I must needs cross the river, and I was much in doubt

whether to do so by boat from Kerry, which I might have easily done, into the Earl of Clare's land, and thus

into the beleaguered city, or to take what seemed the easier way, one, however, about which I had certain

misgivings which, by the way, afterwards turned out to be just enough. This way was to cross the Shannon

I feared, however, that both these passes were guarded by the prince's forces, and resolved, if such were the

case, not to essay to cross, for I was not fitted to sustain a scrutiny, having about me, though pretty safely

secured, my commission from King Jameswhich, though a dangerous companion, I would not have parted

I settled, then, in my own mind, that if the bridges were guarded I would walk as far as Portumna, where I

might cross, though at a considerable sacrifice of time; and, having determined upon this course, I turned

I reached the foot of the mountain, or rather high hill, called Keeperwhich had been pointed out to me as a

landmark lying directly between me and Killaloe, in the evening, and, having ascended some way, the

The evening was very chilly, and myself weary, hungry, and much in need of sleep, so that I preferred

seeking to cross the hill, though at some risk, to remaining upon it throughout the night. Stumbling over rocks

and sinking into bogmire, as the nature of the ground varied, I slowly and laboriously plodded on, making

After half an hour's slow walking, or rather rambling, for, owing to the dark, I very soon lost my direction, I

at last heard the sound of running water, and with some little trouble reached the edge of a brook, which ran

in the bottom of a deep gully. This I knew would furnish a sure guide to the low grounds, where I might

promise myself that I should speedily meet with some house or cabin where I might find shelter for the night.

The stream which I followed flowed at the bottom of a rough and swampy glen, very steep and making many

abrupt turns, and so dark, owing more to the fog than to the want of the moon (for, though not high, I believe

it had risen at the time), that I continually fell over fragments of rock and stumbled up to my middle into the

In this way, drenched, weary, and with my patience almost exhausted, I was toiling onward, when, turning a

sharp angle in the winding glen, I found myself within some twenty yards of a group of wildlooking men,

I was so surprised at this rencontre that I stopped short, and for a time was in doubt whether to turn back or to

A minute's thought satisfied me that I ought to make up to the fellows, and trust to their good faith for

I determined, then, to do this, having great faith in the impulses of my mind, which, whenever I have been in

The strong red light of the fire showed me plainly enough that the group consisted, not of soldiers, but of

Irish kernes, or countrymen, most of them wrapped in heavy mantles, and with no other covering for their

There was nothing about them which I could see to intimate whether their object were peaceful or warlike;

but I afterwards found that they had weapons enough, though of their own rude fashion.

There were in all about twenty persons assembled around the fire, some sitting upon such blocks of stone as

The men who had been talking and laughing together instantly paused, and two of themtall and powerful

fellows snatched up each a weapon, something like a short halberd with a massive iron head, an instrument

which they called among themselves a rapp, and with two or three long strides they came up with me, and

laying hold upon my arms, drew me, not, you may easily believe, making much resistance, towards the fire.

When I reached the place where the figures were seated, the two men still held me firmly, and some others

threw some handfuls of dry fuel upon the red embers, which, blazing up, cast a strong light upon me.

When they had satisfied themselves as to my appearance, they began to question me very closely as to my

purpose in being upon the hill at such an unseasonable hour, asking me what was my occupation, where I had

These questions were put to me in English by an old halfmilitary looking man, who translated into that

language the suggestions which his companions for the most part threw out in Irish.

I did not choose to commit myself to these fellows by telling them my real character and purpose, and

therefore I represented myself as a poor travelling chapman who had been at Cork, and was seeking his way

to Killaloe, in order to cross over into Clare and thence to the city of Galway.

I heard one fellow say in Irish, which language I understood, 'Maybe he is a spy.'

They then whispered together for a time, and the little man who was their spokesman came over to me and

He then turned back to them with whom he had been whispering, and talked in a low tone again with them

I now felt very uncomfortable, not knowing what these savagesfor they appeared nothing bettermight

Twice or thrice I had serious thoughts of breaking from them, but the two guards who were placed upon me

held me fast by the arms; and even had I succeeded in shaking them off, I should soon have been overtaken,

encumbered as I was with a heavy pack, and wholly ignorant of the lie of the ground; or else, if I were so

exceedingly lucky as to escape out of their hands, I still had the chance of falling into those of some other

I therefore patiently awaited the issue of their deliberations, which I made no doubt affected me nearly.

I turned to the men who held me, and one after the other asked them, in their own language, 'Why they held

me?' adding, 'I am but a poor pedlar, as you see. I have neither money nor money's worth, for the sake of

which you should do me hurt. You may have my pack and all that it contains, if you desire itbut do not

I accordingly remained silent, determined, if the worst came, to declare to the whole party, who, I doubted

not, were friendly, as were all the Irish peasantry in the south, to the Royal cause, my real character and

design; and if this avowal failed me, I was resolved to make a desperate effort to escape, or at least to give

I was not kept long in suspense, for the little veteran who had spoken to me at first came over, and desiring

the two men to bring me after him, led the way along a broken path, which wound by the side of the steep

I was obliged willy nilly to go with them, and, halfdragging and halfcarrying me, they brought me by the

path, which now became very steep, for some hundred yards without stopping, when suddenly coming to a

stand, I found myself close before the door of some house or hut, I could not see which, through the planks of

At this door my conductor stopped, and tapping gently at it, it was opened by a stout fellow, with buffcoat

and jackboots, and pistols stuck in his belt, as also a long cavalry sword by his side.

He spoke with my guide, and to my no small satisfaction, in French, which convinced me that he was one of

the soldiers whom Louis had sent to support our king, and who were said to have arrived in Limerick, though,

I was much assured by this circumstance, and made no doubt but that I had fallen in with one of those

marauding parties of native Irish, who, placing themselves under the guidance of men of courage and

The soldier entered an inner door in the apartment, which opening disclosed a rude, dreary, and dilapidated

room, with a low plank ceiling, much discoloured by the smoke which hung suspended in heavy masses,

descending within a few feet of the ground, and completely obscuring the upper regions of the chamber.

A large fire of turf and heath was burning under a kind of rude chimney, shaped like a large funnel, but by no

means discharging the functions for which it was intended. Into this inauspicious apartment was I conducted

by my strange companions. In the next room I heard voices employed, as it seemed, in brief questioning and

answer; and in a minute the soldier re entered the room, and having said, 'Votre prisonnierle general veut

le voir,' he led the way into the inner room, which in point of comfort and cleanliness was not a whit better

Seated at a clumsy plank table, placed about the middle of the floor, was a powerfully built man, of almost

colossal stature his military accoutrements, cuirass and rich regimental clothes, soiled, deranged, and

spattered with recent hard travel; the flowing wig, surmounted by the cocked hat and plume, still rested upon

his head. On the table lay his swordbelt with its appendage, and a pair of long holster pistols, some papers,

and pen and ink; also a stone jug, and the fragments of a hasty meal. His attitude betokened the languor of

fatigue. His left hand was buried beyond the lace ruffle in the breast of his cassock, and the elbow of his right

rested upon the table, so as to support his head. From his mouth protruded a tobaccopipe, which as I entered

A single glance at the honest, good humoured, comely face of the soldier satisfied me of his identity, and

'I am a prisoner here under strange circumstances,' I continued 'I appear before you in a strange disguise. You

'I am that Hardress Fitzgerald,' I repeated, 'who served under you at the Boyne, and upon the day of the action

had the honour to protect your person at the expense of his own.' At the same time I turned aside the hair

which covered the scar which you well know upon my forehead, and which was then much more remarkable

The general on seeing this at once recognised me, and embracing me cordially, made me sit down, and while

I unstrapped my pack, a tedious job, my fingers being nearly numbed with cold, sent the men forth to procure

The general's horse was stabled in a corner of the chamber where we sat, and his warsaddle lay upon the

floor. At the far end of the room was a second door, which stood half open; a bogwood fire burned on a

hearth somewhat less rude than the one which I had first seen, but still very little better appointed with a

chimney, for thick wreaths of smoke were eddying, with every fitful gust, about the room. Close by the fire

was strewed a bed of heath, intended, I supposed, for the stalwart limbs of the general.

'Hardress Fitzgerald,' said he, fixing his eyes gravely upon me, while he slowly removed the tobaccopipe

from his mouth, 'I remember you, strong, bold and cunning in your warlike trade; the more desperate an

enterprise, the more ready for it, you. I would gladly engage you, for I know you trustworthy, to perform a

piece of duty requiring, it may be, no extraordinary quality to fulfil; and yet perhaps, as accidents may

happen, demanding every attribute of daring and dexterity which belongs to you.'

I own I felt somewhat flattered by the terms in which he spoke of me, knowing him to be but little given to

compliments; and not having any plan in my head, farther than the rendering what service I might to the

cause of the king, caring very little as to the road in which my duty might lie, I frankly replied:

'Sir, I hope, if opportunity offers, I shall prove to deserve the honourable terms in which you are pleased to

speak of me. In a righteous cause I fear not wounds or death; and in discharging my duty to my God and my

king, I am ready for any hazard or any fate. Name the service you require, and if it lies within the compass of

'That is well, very well, my friend; you speak well, and manfully,' replied the general. 'I want you to convey

to the hands of General Boisleau, now in the city of Limerick, a small written packet; there is some danger,

mark me, of your falling in with some outpost or straggling party of the prince's army. If you are taken

unawares by any of the enemy you must dispose of the packet inside your person, rather than let it fall into

their handsthat is, you must eat it. And if they go to question you with thumb screws, or the like, answer

nothing; let them knock your brains out first.' In illustration, I suppose, of the latter alternative, he knocked

'The packet,' he continued, 'you shall have tomorrow morning. Meantime comfort yourself with food, and

afterwards with sleep; you will want, mayhap, all your strength and wits on the morrow.'

I applied myself forthwith to the homely fare which they had provided, and I confess that I never made a

It was a beautiful, clear, autumn morning, and the bright beams of the early sun were slanting over the brown

heath which clothed the sides of the mountain, and glittering in the thousand bright drops which the melting

hoarfrost had left behind it, and the white mists were lying like broad lakes in the valleys, when, with my

pedlar's pack upon my back, and General Sarsfield's precious despatch in my bosom, I set forth, refreshed and

As I descended the hill, my heart expanded and my spirits rose under the influences which surrounded me.

The keen, clear, bracing air of the morning, the bright, slanting sunshine, the merry songs of the small birds,

and the distant sounds of awakening labour that floated up from the plains, all conspired to stir my heart

within me, and more like a madcap boy, broken loose from school, than a man of sober years upon a

mission of doubt and danger, I trod lightly on, whistling and singing alternately for very joy.

As I approached the object of my early march, I fell in with a countryman, eager, as are most of his kind, for

I gave him what little I had collected, and professing great zeal for the king, which, indeed, I always

cherished, I won upon his confidence so far, that he became much more communicative than the peasantry in

From him I learned that there was a company of dragoons in William's service, quartered at Willaloe; but he

could not tell whether the passage of the bridge was stopped by them or not. With a resolution, at all events,

to make the attempt to cross, I approached the town. When I came within sight of the river, I quickly

perceived that it was so swollen with the recent rains, as, indeed, the countryman had told me, that the fords

I stopped then, upon a slight eminence overlooking the village, with a view to reconnoitre and to arrange my

plans in case of interruption. While thus engaged, the wind blowing gently from the west, in which quarter

Limerick lay, I distinctly heard the explosion of the cannon, which played from and against the city, though at

I never yet heard the music that had for me half the attractions of that sullen sound, and as I noted again and

again the distant thunder that proclaimed the perils, and the valour, and the faithfulness of my brethren, my

heart swelled with pride, and the tears rose to my eyes; and lifting up my hands to heaven, I prayed to God

that I might be spared to take a part in the righteous quarrel that was there so bravely maintained.

I felt, indeed, at this moment a longing, more intense than I have the power to describe, to be at once with my

brave companions in arms, and so inwardly excited and stirred up as if I had been actually within five

It was now almost noon, and I had walked hard since morning across a difficult and broken country, so that I

was a little fatigued, and in no small degree hungry. As I approached the hamlet, I was glad to see in the

window of a poor hovel several large cakes of meal displayed, as if to induce purchasers to enter.

I was right in regarding this exhi bition as an intimation that entertainment might be procured within, for

upon entering and inquiring, I was speedily invited by the poor woman, who, it appeared, kept this humble

house of refreshment, to lay down my pack and seat myself by a ponderous table, upon which she promised

to serve me with a dinner fit for a king; and indeed, to my mind, she amply fulfilled her engagement,

supplying me abundantly with eggs, bacon, and wheaten cakes, which I discussed with a zeal which almost

Having disposed of the solid part of my entertainment, I was proceeding to regale myself with a brimming

measure of strong waters, when my attention was arrested by the sound of horses' hoofs in brisk motion upon

the broken road, and evidently approaching the hovel in which I was at that moment seated.

The ominous clank of sword scabbards and the jingle of brass accoutrements announced, unequivocally, that

'The redcoats will stop here undoubtedly,' said the old woman, observing, I suppose, the anxiety of my

countenance; 'they never pass us without coming in for half an hour to drink or smoke. If you desire to avoid

them, I can hide you safely; but don't lose a moment. They will be here before you can count a hundred.'

I thanked the good woman for her hospitable zeal; but I felt a repugnance to concealing myself as she

suggested, which was enhanced by the consciousness that if by any accident I were de tected while lurking

in the room, my situation would of itself inevitably lead to suspicions, and probably to discovery.

I therefore declined her offer, and awaited in suspense the entrance of the soldiers.

I had time before they made their appearance to move my seat hurriedly from the table to the hearth, where,

under the shade of the large chimney, I might observe the coming visitors with less chance of being myself

As my hostess had anticipated, the horsemen drew up at the door of the hut, and five dragoons entered the

Leaving their horses at the entrance, with much noise and clatter they proceeded to seat themselves and call

Three of these fellows were Dutchmen, and, indeed, all belonged, as I afterwards found, to a Dutch regiment,

which had been recruited with Irish and English, as also partly officered from the same nations.

Being supplied with pipes and drink they soon became merry; and not suffering their smoking to interfere

with their conversation, they talked loud and quickly, for the most part in a sort of barbarous language,

They were so occupied with their own jocularity that I had very great hopes of escaping observation

altogether, and remained quietly seated in a corner of the chimney, leaning back upon my seat as if asleep.

My taciturnity and quiescence, however, did not avail me, for one of these fellows coming over to the hearth

'What countryman are you, brother, that you sit with a covered head in the room with the prince's soldiers?'

At the same time he tossed my hat off my head into the fire. I was not fool enough, though somewhat

hotblooded, to suffer the insolence of this fellow to involve me in a broil so dangerous to my person and

ruinous to my schemes as a riot with these soldiers must prove. I therefore, quietly taking up my hat and

'Sir, I crave your pardon if I have offended you. I am a stranger in these quarters, and a poor, ignorant,

humble man, desiring only to drive my little trade in peace, so far as that may be done in these troublous

'I am a travelling merchant,' I replied; 'and sell my wares as cheap as any trader in the country.'

'Let us see them forthwith,' said he; 'mayhap I or my comrades may want something which you can supply.

Where is thy chest, friend? Thou shalt have ready money' (winking at his companions), 'ready money, and

good weight, and sound metal; none of your rascally pinchbeck. Eh, my lads? Bring forth the goods, and let

Thus urged, I should have betrayed myself had I hesitated to do as required; and anxious, upon any terms, to

quiet these turbulent men of war, I unbuckled my pack and exhibited its contents upon the table before them.

'A pair of lace ruffles, by the Lord!' said one, unceremoniously seizing upon the articles he named.

'A phial of perfume,' continued another, tumbling over the farrago which I had submitted to them,

'washballs, combs, stationery, slippers, small knives, tobacco; by , this merchant is a prize! Mark me,

honest fellow, the man who wrongs thee shall suffer'fore Gad he shall; thou shalt be fairly dealt with' (this

he said while in the act of pocketing a small silver tobaccobox, the most valuable article in the lot). 'You

shall come with me to headquarters; the captain will deal with you, and never haggle about the price. I

promise thee his good will, and thou wilt consider me accordingly. You'll find him a profitable customerhe

has money without end, and throws it about like a gentleman. If so be as I tell thee, I shall expect, and my

comrades here, a piece or two in the way of a complimentbut of this anon. Come, then, with us; buckle on

There was no use in my declaring my willingness to deal with themselves in preference to their master; it was

clear that they had resolved that I should, in the most expeditious and advantageous way, turn my goods into

The worthy who had taken a lead in these arrangements, and who by his stripes I perceived to be a corporal,

having insisted on my taking a dram with him to cement our newlyformed friendship, for which, however,

he requested me to pay, made me mount behind one of his comrades; and the party, of which I thus formed an

They reined up their horses at the head of the long bridge, which at this village spans the broad waters of the

A small tower, built originally, no doubt, to protect and to defend this pass, occupied the near extremity of

the bridge, and in its rear, but connected with it, stood several straggling buildings rather dilapidated.

A dismounted trooper kept guard at the door, and my conductor having, dismounted, as also the corporal, the

And without more ado my companion shoved me into the entrance of the small dark tower, and opening a

door at the extremity of the narrow chamber into which we had passed from the street, we entered a second

room in which were seated some halfdozen officers of various ranks and ages, engaged in drinking, and

I glanced rapidly from man to man, and was nearly satisfied by my inspection, when one of the gentlemen

whose back had been turned towards the place where I stood, suddenly changed his position and looked

As soon as I saw his face my heart sank within me, and I knew that my life or death was balanced, as it were,

The name of this man whose unexpected appearance thus affected me was Hugh Oliver, and good and strong

reason had I to dread him, for so bitterly did he hate me, that to this moment I do verily believe he would

have compassed my death if it lay in his power to do so, even at the hazard of his own life and soul, for I had

beenthough God knows with many sore strugglings and at the stern call of public dutythe judge and

condemner of his brother; and though the military law, which I was called upon to administer, would permit

no other course or sentence than the bloody one which I was compelled to pursue, yet even to this hour the

As soon as I saw this man I felt that my safety depended upon the accident of his not recognising me through

the disguise which I had assumed, an accident against which were many chances, for he well knew my person

It was too late now to destroy General Sarsfield's instructions; any attempt to do so would ensure detection.

When the first moment of dismay and heartsickening agitation had passed, it seemed to me as if my mind

acquired a collectedness and clearness more complete and intense than I had ever experienced before.

I instantly perceived that he did not know me, for turning from me to the soldier with all air of indifference,

'Your wisdom will regard him as you see fit, may it please you,' said the corporal. 'The man is a travelling

merchant, and, overtaking him upon the road, close by old Dame MacDonagh's cot, I thought I might as well

make a sort of prisoner of him that your honour might use him as it might appear most convenient; he has

many commododies which are not unworthy of price in this wilderness, and some which you may

condescend to make use of yourself. May he exhibit the goods he has for sale, an't please you?'

'Unbuckle your pack,' exclaimed the corporal, with the same tone of command with which, at the head of his

guard, he would have said 'Recover your arms.' 'Unbuckle your pack, fellow, and show your goods to the

The conclusion of his directions was suggested by my endeavouring to move round in order to get my back

towards the windows, hoping, by keeping my face in the shade, to escape detection.

In this manoeuvre, however, I was foiled by the imperiousness of the soldier; and inwardly cursing his

illtimed interference, I proceeded to present my merchandise to the loving contemplation of the officers who

thronged around me, with a strong light from an opposite window full upon my face.

As I continued to traffic with these gentlemen, I observed with no small anxiety the eyes of Captain Oliver

'I think, my honest fellow,' he said at last, 'that I have seen you somewhere before this. Have you often dealt

'I have traded, sir,' said I, 'with the soldiery many a time, and always been honourably treated. Will your

'Why do you wear your hair so much over your face, sir?' said Oliver, without noticing my suggestion. 'I

promise you, I think no good of thee; throw back your hair, and let me see thee plainly. Hold up your face,

I felt that all chance of escape was at an end; and stepping forward as near as the table would allow me to

him, I raised my head, threw back my hair, and fixed my eyes sternly and boldly upon his face.

I saw that he knew me instantly, for his countenance turned as pale as ashes with surprise and hatred. He

started up, placing his hand instinctively upon his swordhilt, and glaring at me with a look so deadly, that I

thought every moment he would strike his sword into my heart. He said in a kind of whisper: 'Hardress

'Yes;' said I, boldly, for the excitement of the scene had effectually stirred my blood, 'Hardress Fitzgerald is

before you. I know you well, Captain Oliver. I know how you hate me. I know how you thirst for my blood;

'You are a desperate villain, sir,' said Captain Oliver; 'a rebel and a murderer! Holloa, there! guard, seize

As the soldiers entered, I threw my eyes hastily round the room, and observing a glowing fire upon the

hearth, I suddenly drew General Sarsfield's packet from my bosom, and casting it upon the embers, planted

'Secure the papers!' shouted the captain; and almost instantly I was laid prostrate and senseless upon the floor,

I cannot say how long I continued in a state of torpor; but at length, having slowly recovered my senses, I

found myself lying firmly handcuffed upon the floor of a small chamber, through a narrow loop hole in one

of whose walls the evening sun was shining. I was chilled with cold and damp, and drenched in blood, which

had flowed in large quantities from the wound on my head. By a strong effort I shook off the sick drowsiness

which still hung upon me, and, weak and giddy, I rose with pain and difficulty to my feet.

The chamber, or rather cell, in which I stood was about eight feet square, and of a height very

disproportioned to its other dimensions; its altitude from the floor to the ceiling being not less than twelve or

fourteen feet. A narrow slit placed high in the wall admitted a scanty light, but sufficient to assure me that my

prison contained nothing to render the sojourn of its tenant a whit less comfortless than my worst enemy

My first impulse was naturally to examine the security of the door, the loophole which I have mentioned

being too high and too narrow to afford a chance of escape. I listened attentively to ascer tain if possible

Not a sound was to be heard. I now placed my shoulder to the door, and sought with all my combined

strength and weight to force it open. It, however, resisted all my efforts, and thus baffled in my appeal to

It was not in my nature, however, long to submit to the apathy of despair, and in a few minutes I was on my

With patient scrutiny I endeavoured to ascertain the nature of the fastenings which secured the door.

The planks, fortunately, having been nailed together fresh, had shrunk considerably, so as to leave wide

By means of these apertures I saw that my dungeon was secured, not by a lock, as I had feared, but by a

strong wooden bar, running horizontally across the door, about midway upon the outside.

'Now,' thought I, 'if I can but slip my fingers through the opening of the planks, I can easily remove the bar,

My attempts, however, were all frustrated by the manner in which my hands were fastened together, each

embarrassing the other, and rendering my efforts so hopelessly clumsy, that I was obliged to give them over

I turned with a sigh from my last hope, and began to pace my narrow prison floor, when my eye suddenly

All the gold of Plutus would not have been so welcome as that rusty piece of iron.

I instantly wrung it from the wall, and inserting the point between the planks of the door into the bolt, and

working it backwards and forwards, I had at length the unspeakable satisfaction to perceive that the beam was

actually yielding to my efforts, and gradually sliding into its berth in the wall.

I have often been engaged in struggles where great bodily strength was required, and every thew and sinew in

the system taxed to the uttermost; but, strange as it may appear, I never was so completely exhausted and

Again and again was I obliged to desist, until my cramped fingerjoints recovered their power; but at length

my perseverance was rewarded, for, little by little, I succeeded in removing the bolt so far as to allow the

With some squeezing I succeeded in forcing my way into a small passage, upon which my prisondoor

This led into a chamber somewhat more spacious than my cell, but still containing no furniture, and affording

At the far extremity of this room was a door which stood ajar, and, stealthily passing through it, I found

myself in a room containing nothing but a few raw hides, which rendered the atmosphere nearly intolerable.

Here I checked myself, for I heard voices in busy conversation in the next room.

I stole softly to the door which separated the chamber in which I stood from that from which the voices

A moment served to convince me that any attempt upon it would be worse than fruitless, for it was secured

upon the outside by a strong lock, besides two bars, all which I was enabled to ascertain by means of the

same defect in the joining of the planks which I have mentioned as belonging to the inner door.

I had approached this door very softly, so that, my proximity being wholly unsuspected by the speakers

Planting myself close to the door, I applied my eye to one of the chinks which separated the boards, and thus

It was the very apartment into which I had been first conducted. The outer door, which faced the one at which

I stood, was closed, and at a small table were seated the only tenants of the roomtwo officers, one of whom

was Captain Oliver. The latter was reading a paper, which I made no doubt was the document with which I

'The fellow deserves it, no doubt' said the junior officer. 'But, me thinks, considering our orders from

'Nephew, nephew,' said Captain Oliver, 'you mistake the tenor of our orders. We were directed to conciliate

the peasantry by fair and gentle treatment, but not to suffer spies and traitors to escape. This packet is of some

value, though not, in all its parts, intelligible to me. The bearer has made his way hither under a disguise,

which, along with the other circumstances of his appearance here, is sufficient to convict him as a spy.'

'Spy is a hard term, no doubt, uncle; but it is possiblenay, likely, that this poor devil sought merely to carry

the parcel with which he was charged in safety to its destination. Pshaw! he is sufficiently punished if you

'Young man,' said Oliver, somewhat sternly, 'do not obtrude your advice where it is not called for; this man,

I could not see how this announcement affected the person to whom it was addressed, for his back was

towards me; but I conjectured, easily, that my last poor chance was gone, for a long silence ensued. Captain

'I know the villain well. I know him capable of any crime; but, by , his last card is played, and the game

'Hewson, have your guard ready at eight o'clock, with their carbines clean, and a round of ballcartridge

each. Keep them sober; and, further, plant two upright posts at the near end of the bridge, with a cross one at

top, in the manner of a gibbet. See to these matters, Hewson: I shall be with you speedily.'

Oliver deliberately folded up the papers with which I had been commissioned, and placing them in the pocket

'Cunning, cunning Master Hardress Fitzgerald hath made a false step; the old fox is in the toils. Hardress

He repeated these words several times, at the same time rubbing his finger strongly upon the table, as if he

There was a kind of glee in his manner and expression which chilled my very heart.

'You shall be first shot like a dog, and then hanged like a dog: shot tonight, and hung tomorrow; hung at

It is impossible to describe the exultation with which he seemed to dwell upon, and to particularise the fate

I observed, however, that his face was deadly pale, and felt assured that his conscience and inward

convictions were struggling against his cruel resolve. Without further comment the two officers left the room,

I suppose to oversee the preparations which were being made for the deed of which I was to be the victim.

A chill, sick horror crept over me as they retired, and I felt, for the moment, upon the brink of swooning. This

feeling, however, speedily gave place to a sensation still more terrible. A state of excitement so intense and

tremendous as to border upon literal madness, supervened; my brain reeled and throbbed as if it would burst;

thoughts the wildest and the most hideous flashed through my mind with a spontaneous rapidity that scared

my very soul; while, all the time, I felt a strange and frightful impulse to burst into uncontrolled laughter.

Gradually this fearful paroxysm passed away. I kneeled and prayed fervently, and felt comforted and assured;

but still I could not view the slow approaches of certain death without an agitation little short of agony.

I have stood in battle many a time when the chances of escape were fearfully small. I have confronted foemen

in the deadly breach. I have marched, with a constant heart, against the cannon's mouth. Again and again has

the beast which I bestrode been shot under me; again and again have I seen the comrades who walked beside

me in an instant laid for ever in the dust; again and again have I been in the thick of battle, and of its mortal

dangers, and never felt my heart shake, or a single nerve tremble: but now, helpless, manacled, imprisoned,

doomed, forced to watch the approaches of an inevitable fateto wait, silent and moveless, while death as it

were crept towards me, human nature was taxed to the uttermost to bear the horrible situation.

I returned again to the closet in which I had found myself upon recovering from the swoon.

The evening sunshine and twilight was fast melting into darkness, when I heard the outer door, that which

communicated with the guardroom in which the officers had been amusing themselves, opened and locked

A measured step then approached, and the door of the wretched cell in which I lay being rudely pushed open,

a soldier entered, who carried something in his hand; but, owing to the obscurity of the place, I could not see

'Art thou awake, fellow?' said he, in a gruff voice. 'Stir thyself; get upon thy legs.'

'Friend,' said I, rising with difficulty, 'you need not insult a dying man. You have been sent hither to conduct

me to death. Lead on! My trust is in God, that He will forgive me my sins, and receive my soul, redeemed by

There here intervened a pause of some length, at the end of which the soldier said, in the same gruff voice,

'Look ye, comrade, it will be your own fault if you die this night. On one condition I promise to get you out

of this hobble with a whole skin; but if you go to any of your dd gammon, by G, before two hours are

'Name your conditions,' said I, 'and if they consist with honour, I will never balk at the offer.'

'Here they are: you are to be shot tonight, by Captain Oliver's orders. The carbines are cleaned for the job,

Of this I needed not much persuasion, and intimated to the man my conviction that he spoke the truth.

'Well, then,' he continued, 'now for the means of avoiding this ugly business. Captain Oliver rides this night

to headquarters, with the papers which you carried. Before he starts he will pay you a visit, to fish what he

can out of you with all the fine promises he can make. Humour him a little, and when you find an

'A feasible plan, surely,' said I, raising my shackled hands, 'for a man thus completely crippled and without a

'I will manage all that presently for you,' said the soldier. 'When you have thus dealt with him, take his cloak

and hat, and so forth, and put them on; the papers you will find in the pocket of his vest, in a red leather case.

Walk boldly out. I am appointed to ride with Captain Oliver, and you will find me holding his horse and my

own by the door. Mount quickly, and I will do the same, and then we will ride for our lives across the bridge.

You will find the holster pistols loaded in case of pursuit; and, with the devil's help, we shall reach Limerick

without a hair hurt. My only condition is, that when you strike Oliver, you strike home, and again and again,

until he is FINISHED; and I trust to your honour to remember me when we reach the town.'

I cannot say whether I resolved right or wrong, but I thought my situation, and the conduct of Captain Oliver,

warranted me in acceding to the conditions propounded by my visitant, and with alacrity I told him so, and

With speed and promptitude he drew a small key from his pocket, and in an instant the manacles were

How my heart bounded within me as my wrists were released from the iron gripe of the shackles! The first

step toward freedom was mademy self reliance returned, and I felt assured of success.

'I fear me, you will find it rather clumsy,' said he; 'but if well handled, it will do as well as the best Toledo. It

is the only thing I could get, but I sharpened it myself; it has an edge like a skean.'

He placed in my hand the steel head of a halberd. Grasping it firmly, I found that it made by no means a bad

weapon in point of convenience; for it felt in the hand like a heavy dagger, the portion which formed the

blade or point being crossed nearly at the lower extremity by a small bar of metal, at one side shaped into the

form of an axe, and at the other into that of a hook. These two transverse appendages being muffled by the

folds of my cravat, which I removed for the purpose, formed a perfect guard or hilt, and the lower extremity

formed like a tube, in which the pikehandle had been inserted, afforded ample space for the grasp of my

hand; the point had been made as sharp as a needle, and the metal he assured me was good.

Thus equipped he left me, having observed, 'The captain sent me to bring you to your senses, and give you

some water that he might find you proper for his visit. Here is the pitcher; I think I have revived you

Having examined and adjusted the weapon, I carefully bound the ends of the cravat, with which I had secured

the cross part of the spearhead, firmly round my wrist, so that in case of a struggle it might not easily be

forced from my hand; and having made these precautionary dispositions, I sat down upon the ground with my

back against the wall, and my hands together under my coat, awaiting my visitor.

The time wore slowly on; the dusk became dimmer and dimmer, until it nearly bordered on total darkness.

'How's this?' said I, inwardly; 'Captain Oliver, you said I should not see the moon rise tonight. Methinks you

As I made this reflection, a noise at the outer door announced the entrance of a visitant. I knew that the

decisive moment was come, and letting my head sink upon my breast, and assuring myself that my hands

were concealed, I waited, in the at titude of deep dejection, the approach of my foe and betrayer.

As I had expected, Captain Oliver entered the room where I lay. He was equipped for instant duty, as far as

the imperfect twilight would allow me to see; the long sword clanked upon the floor as he made his way

through the lobbies which led to my place of confinement; his ample military cloak hung upon his arm; his

I felt my heart swell and my breath come thick as the awful moment which was to witness the deathstruggle

Captain Oliver stood within a yard or two of the place where I sat, or rather lay; and folding his arms, he

remained silent for a minute or two, as if arranging in his mind how he should address me.

'Hardress Fitzgerald,' he began at length, 'are you awake? Stand up, if you desire to hear of matters nearly

I arose doggedly, and affecting the awkward movements of one whose hands were bound,

'Well,' said I, 'what would you of me? Is it not enough that I am thus imprisoned without a cause, and about,

as I suspect, to suffer a most unjust and violent sentence, but must I also be disturbed during the few

moments left me for reflection and repentance by the presence of my persecutor? What do you want of me?'

'As to your punishment, sir,' said he, 'your own deserts have no doubt sug gested the likelihood of it to your

mind; but I now am with you to let you know that whatever mitigation of your sentence you may look for,

must be earned by your compliance with my orders. You must frankly and fully explain the contents of the

packet which you endeavoured this day to destroy; and further, you must tell all that you know of the designs

'And what IS this mitigation to be? On the honour of a soldier, what is it to be?' inquired I.

'When you have made the disclosure required,' he replied, 'you shall hear. 'Tis then time to talk of

'Methinks it would then be too late,' answered I. 'But a chance is a chance, and a drowning man will catch at a

straw. You are an honourable man, Captain Oliver. I must depend, I suppose, on your good faith. Well, sir,

before I make the desired communication I have one question more to put. What is to befall me in case that I,

remembering the honour of a soldier and a gentleman, reject your infamous terms, scorn your mitigations,

'In that case,' replied he, coolly, 'before half an hour you shall be a corpse.'

'Then God have mercy on your soul!' said I; and springing forward, I dashed the weapon which I held at his

I missed my aim, but struck him full in the mouth with such force that most of his front teeth were dislodged,

My onset was so sudden and unexpected that he reeled back to the wall, and did not recover his equilibrium

in time to prevent my dealing a second blow, which I did with my whole force. The point unfortunately

struck the cuirass, near the neck, and glancing aside it inflicted but a flesh wound, tearing the skin and

He now grappled with me, strange to say, without uttering any cry of alarm; being a very powerful man, and

if anything rather heavier and more strongly built than I, he succeeded in drawing me with him to the ground.

We fell together with a heavy crash, tugging and straining in what we were both conscious was a mortal

struggle. At length I succeeded in getting over him, and struck him twice more in the face; still he struggled

with an energy which nothing but the tremendous stake at issue could have sustained.

I succeeded again in inflicting several more wounds upon him, any one of which might have been mortal.

While thus contending he clutched his hands about my throat, so firmly that I felt the blood swelling the veins

of my temples and face almost to bursting. Again and again I struck the weapon deep into his face and throat,

My sight now nearly failed, my senses almost forsook me; I felt upon the point of suffocation when, with one

desperate effort, I struck him another and a last blow in the face. The weapon which I wielded had lighted

upon the eye, and the point penetrated the brain; the body quivered under me, the deadly grasp relaxed, and

As I arose and shook the weapon and the bloody cloth from my hand, the moon which he had foretold I

should never see rise, shone bright and broad into the room, and disclosed, with ghastly distinctness, the

mangled features of the dead soldier; the mouth, full of clotting blood and broken teeth, lay open; the eye,

close by whose lid the fatal wound had been inflicted, was not, as might have been expected, bathed in blood,

but had started forth nearly from the socket, and gave to the face, by its fearful unlikeness to the other glazing

orb, a leer more hideous and unearthly than fancy ever saw. The wig, with all its rich curls, had fallen with

the hat to the floor, leaving the shorn head exposed, and in many places marked by the recent struggle; the

rich lace cravat was drenched in blood, and the gay uniform in many places soiled with the same.

It is hard to say, with what feelings I looked upon the unsightly and revolting mass which had so lately been a

living and a comely man. I had not any time, however, to spare for reflection; the deed was donethe

responsibility was upon me, and all was registered in the book of that God who judges rightly.

With eager haste I removed from the body such of the military accoutrements as were necessary for the

purpose of my disguise. I buckled on the sword, drew off the military boots, and donned them myself, placed

the brigadier wig and cocked hat upon my head, threw on the cloak, drew it up about my face, and proceeded,

with the papers which I found as the soldier had foretold me, and the key of the outer lobby, to the door of the

guardroom; this I opened, and with a firm and rapid tread walked through the officers, who rose as I

entered, and passed without question or interruption to the streetdoor. Here I was met by the grim looking

The man again saluted, and in two steps I reached the soldier who held the two horses, as he had intimated.

He satisfied me upon this point, and I threw myself into the saddle; the soldier mounted his horse, and

dashing the spurs into the flanks of the animal which I bestrode, we thundered along the narrow bridge. At

the far extremity a sentinel, as we approached, called out, 'Who goes there? stand, and give the word!'

Heedless of the interruption, with my heart bounding with excitement, I dashed on, as did also the soldier

'God save the king, and to hell with the prince!' shouted I, flinging the cocked hat in his face as I galloped by.

The response was the sharp report of a carbine, accompanied by the whiz of a bullet, which passed directly

Never was spur more needed, however, for soon the clatter of horses' hoofs, in full speed, crossing the bridge,

Away we went, with our pursuers close behind; one mile was passed, another nearly completed. The moon

now shone forth, and, turning in the saddle, I looked back upon the road we had passed.

I had hardly spoken when the report of a carbine startled the echoes, and the ball, striking the hind leg of my

companion's horse, the poor animal fell headlong upon the road, throwing his rider headforemost over the

My first impulse was to stop and share whatever fate might await my comrade; but my second and wiser one

I rode on at a gallop, turning to observe my comrade's fate. I saw his pursuer, having remounted, ride rapidly

up to him, and, on reaching the spot where the man and horse lay, rein in and dismount.

He was hardly upon the ground, when my companion shot him dead with one of the holsterpistols which he

had drawn from the pipe; and, leaping nimbly over a ditch at the side of the road, he was soon lost among the

Another mile being passed, I had the satisfaction to perceive that the pursuit was given over, and in an hour

more I crossed Thomond Bridge, and slept that night in the fortress of Limerick, having delivered the packet,

the result of whose safe arrival was the destruction of William's great train of artillery, then upon its way to

Years after this adventure, I met in France a young officer, who I found had served in Captain Oliver's

regiment; and he explained what I had never before understood the motives of the man who had wrought

my deliverance. Strange to say, he was the fosterbrother of Oliver, whom he thus devoted to death, but in

Being a Twelfth Extract from the Legacy of the late Francis Purcell, P.P. of Drumcoolagh.

As I rode at a slow walk, one soft autumn evening, from the once noted and noticeable town of Emly, now a

squalid village, towards the no less remarkable town of Tipperary, I fell into a meditative mood.

My eye wandered over a glorious landscape; a broad sea of cornfields, that might have gladdened even a

golden age, was waving before me; groups of little cabins, with their poplars, osiers, and light mountain

ashes, clustered shelteringly around them, were scattered over the plain; the thin blue smoke arose floating

through their boughs in the still evening air. And far away with all their broad lights and shades, softened

As I gazed on this scene, whose richness was deepened by the melancholy glow of the setting sun, the tears

'Alas, my country! what a mournful beauty is thine. Dressed in loveliness and laughter, there is mortal decay

at thy heart: sorrow, sin, and shame have mingled thy cup of misery. Strange rulers have bruised thee, and

laughed thee to scorn, and they have made all thy sweetness bitter. Thy shames and sins are the austere fruits

of thy miseries, and thy miseries have been poured out upon thee by foreign hands. Alas, my stricken

country! clothed with this most pitymoving smile, with this most unutterably mournful loveliness, thou

soregrieved, thou desperatelybeloved! Is there for thee, my country, a resurrection?'

I know not how long I might have continued to rhapsodize in this strain, had not my wandering thoughts been

suddenly recalled to my own immediate neighbourhood by the monotonous clatter of a horse's hoofs upon the

road, evidently moving, at that peculiar pace which is neither a walk nor a trot, and yet partakes of both, so

In a moment my pursuer was up with me, and checking his steed into a walk he saluted me with much

respect. The cavalier was a lightbuilt fellow, with goodhumoured sunburnt features, a shrewd and lively

black eye, and a head covered with a crop of close curly black hair, and surmounted with a turfcoloured

caubeen, in the pack thread band of which was stuck a short pipe, which had evidently seen much service.

My companion was a dealer in all kinds of local lore, and soon took occasion to let me see that he was so.

After two or three short stories, in which the scandalous and supernatural were happily blended, we happened

'That's a comfortable bit iv a farm,' observed my comrade, pointing towards the dwelling with his thumb; 'a

shnug spot, and belongs to the Mooneys this long time. 'Tis a noted place for what happened wid the famous

'What was it happened wid the gandher!' ejaculated my companion in a tone of indignant surprise; 'the

gandher iv Ballymacrucker, the gandher! Your raverance must be a stranger in these parts. Sure every fool

knows all about the gandher, and Terence Mooney, that was, rest his sowl. Begorra, 'tis surprisin' to me how

in the world you didn't hear iv the gandher; and may be it's funnin me ye are, your raverance.'

I assured him to the contrary, and conjured him to narrate to me the facts, an unacquaintance with which was

It did not require much entreaty to induce my communicative friend to relate the circumstance, in nearly the

'Terence Mooney was an honest boy and well to do; an' he rinted the biggest farm on this side iv the Galties;

an' bein' mighty cute an' a sevare worker, it was small wonder he turned a good penny every harvest. But

unluckily he was blessed with an ilegant large family iv daughters, an' iv coorse his heart was allamost bruck,

striving to make up fortunes for the whole of them. An' there wasn't a conthrivance iv any soart or description

'Well, among the other ways he had iv gettin' up in the world, he always kep a power iv turkeys, and all soarts

iv poul trey; an' he was out iv all rason partial to geesean' small blame to him for that samefor twice't a

year you can pluck them as bare as my handan' get a fine price for the feathers, an' plenty of rale sizable

eggsan' when they are too ould to lay any more, you can kill them, an' sell them to the gintlemen for

'Well, it happened in the coorse iv time that one ould gandher tuck a wondherful likin' to Terence, an' divil a

place he could go serenadin' about the farm, or lookin' afther the men, but the gandher id be at his heels, an'

rubbin' himself agin his legs, an' lookin' up in his face jist like any other Christian id do; an' begorra, the likes

'An' at last the bird was so engagin' that Terence would not allow it to be plucked any more, an' kep it from

'But happiness in perfection never lasts long, an' the neighbours begin'd to suspect the nathur an' intentions iv

the gandher, an' some iv them said it was the divil, an' more iv them that it was a fairy.

'Well, Terence could not but hear something of what was sayin', an' you may be sure he was not altogether

asy in his mind about it, an' from one day to another he was gettin' more ancomfortable in himself, until he

detarmined to sind for Jer Garvan, the fairy docthor in Garryowen, an' it's he was the ilegant hand at the

business, an' divil a sperit id say a crass word to him, no more nor a priest. An' moreover he was very great

'So without more about it he was sint for, an' sure enough the divil a long he was about it, for he kem back

that very evenin' along wid the boy that was sint for him, an' as soon as he was there, an' tuck his supper, an'

'Well, he turned it this away an' that away, to the right an' to the left, an' straightways an' upsidedown, an'

' "Terence," says he, "you must remove the bird into the next room," says he, "an' put a petticoat," says he, "or

' "Becase," says Jer, "if it isn't done you'll never be asy again," says he, "or pusilanimous in your mind," says

' "It's jokin' you are," says Terence, turnin' mighty pale; "how can an ould gandher be my father?" says he.

' "I'm not funnin' you at all," says Jer; "it's thrue what I tell you, it's your father's wandhrin' sowl," says he,

"that's naturally tuck pissession iv the ould gandher's body," says he. "I know him many ways, and I

' "Oh blur an' ages!" says Terence, "what the divil will I ever do at all at all," says he; "it's all over wid me, for

' "That can't be helped now," says Jer; "it was a sevare act surely," says he, "but it's too late to lamint for it

now," says he; "the only way to prevint what's past," says he, "is to put a stop to it before it happens," says he.

' "Thrue for you," says Terence, "but how the divil did you come to the knowledge iv my father's sowl," says

' "If I tould you," says Jer, "you would not undherstand me," says he, "without booklarnin' an'

gasthronomy," says he; "so ax me no questions," says he, "an' I'll tell you no lies. But blieve me in this

much," says he, "it's your father that's in it," says he; "an' if I don't make him spake tomorrow mornin'," says

' "Say no more," says Terence, "that settles the business," says he; "an' oh! blur and ages is it not a quare

thing," says he, "for a dacent respictable man," says he, "to be walkin' about the coun thry in the shape iv an

ould gandher," says he; "and oh, murdher, murdher! is not it often I plucked him," says he, "an' tundher and

ouns might not I have ate him," says he; and wid that he fell into a could parspiration, savin' your prisince, an

' "Terence," says he, "don't be aggravatin' yourself," says he; "for I have a plan composed that 'ill make him

spake out," says he, "an' tell what it is in the world he's wantin'," says he; "an' mind an' don't be comin' in wid

your gosther, an' to say agin anything I tell you," says he, "but jist purtind, as soon as the bird is brought

back," says he, "how that we're goin' to sind him tomorrow mornin' to market," says he. "An' if he don't

spake tonight," says he, "or gother himself out iv the place," says he, "put him into the hamper airly, and

sind him in the cart," says he, "straight to Tipperary, to be sould for ating," says he, "along wid the two

gossoons," says he, "an' my name isn't Jer Garvan," says he, "if he doesn't spake out before he's halfway,"

says he. "An' mind," says he, "as soon as iver he says the first word," says he, "that very minute bring him aff

to Father Crotty," says he; "an' if his raverince doesn't make him ratire," says he, "like the rest iv his

parishioners, glory be to God," says he, "into the siclusion iv the flames iv purgathory," says he, "there's no

'Well, wid that the ould gandher was let into the room agin, an' they all bigined to talk iv sindin' him the nixt

mornin' to be sould for roastin' in Tipperary, jist as if it was a thing andoubtingly settled. But divil a notice

the gandher tuck, no more nor if they wor spaking iv the LordLiftinant; an' Terence desired the boys to get

ready the kish for the poulthry, an' to "settle it out wid hay soft an' shnug," says he, "for it's the last jauntin'

'Well, as the night was gettin' late, Terence was growin' mighty sorrowful an' downhearted in himself

entirely wid the notions iv what was goin' to happen. An' as soon as the wife an' the crathurs war fairly in

bed, he brought out some illigint potteen, an' himself an' Jer Garvan sot down to it; an' begorra, the more

anasy Terence got, the more he dhrank, and himself and Jer Garvan finished a quart betune them. It wasn't an

imparial though, an' more's the pity, for them wasn't anvinted antil short since; but divil a much matther it

signifies any longer if a pint could hould two quarts, let alone what it does, sinst Father Mathewthe Lord

purloin his raverence begin'd to give the pledge, an' wid the blessin' iv timperance to deginerate Ireland.

'An' begorra, I have the medle myself; an' it's proud I am iv that same, for abstamiousness is a fine thing,

'Well, whin Terence finished his pint, he thought he might as well stop; "for enough is as good as a faste,"

says he; "an' I pity the vagabond," says he, "that is not able to conthroul his licquor," says he, "an' to keep

constantly inside iv a pint measure," said he; an' wid that he wished Jer Garvan a goodnight, an' walked out

'But he wint out the wrong door, bein' a thrifle hearty in himself, an' not rightly knowin' whether he was

standin' on his head or his heels, or both iv them at the same time, an' in place iv gettin' into bed, where did he

thrun himself but into the poulthry hamper, that the boys had settled out ready for the gandher in the mornin'.

An' sure enough he sunk down soft an' complate through the hay to the bottom; an' wid the turnin' and roulin'

about in the night, the divil a bit iv him but was covered up as shnug as a lumper in a pittaty furrow before

'So wid the first light, up gets the two boys, that war to take the sperit, as they consaved, to Tipperary; an'

they cotched the ould gandher, an' put him in the hamper, and clapped a good wisp iv hay an' the top iv him,

and tied it down sthrong wid a bit iv a coard, and med the sign iv the crass over him, in dhread iv any harum,

an' put the hamper up an the car, wontherin' all the while what in the world was makin' the ould burd so

'Well, they wint along quite anasy towards Tipperary, wishin' every minute that some iv the neighbours

bound the same way id happen to fall in with them, for they didn't half like the notions iv havin' no company

'But although they wor shaking in their skhins in dhread iv the ould bird beginnin' to convarse them every

minute, they did not let an' to one another, bud kep singin' an' whistlin' like mad, to keep the dread out iv their

'Well, afther they war on the road betther nor half an hour, they kem to the bad bit close by Father Crotty's,

an' there was one divil of a rut three feet deep at the laste; an' the car got sich a wondherful chuck goin'

' "Bad luck to ye," says he, "my bones is bruck wid yer thricks; what the divil are ye doin' wid me?"

' "Did ye hear anything quare, Thady?" says the boy that was next to the car, turnin' as white as the top iv a

' "No, nor you,' says Thady, turnin' as pale as himself, "it's the ould gandher that's gruntin' wid the shakin' he's

' "Where the divil have ye put me into," says Terence inside, "bad luck to your sowls," says he, "let me out, or

' "There's no use in purtending," says the boy, "the gandher's spakin', glory be to God," says he.

' "In the name iv the blessed Vargin," says Thady, "an' iv all the holy saints, hould yer tongue, you unnatheral

' "Who's that, that dar to call me nick names?" says Terence inside, roaring wid the fair passion, "let me out,

you blasphamious infiddles," says he, "or by this crass I'll stretch ye," says he.

' "In the name iv all the blessed saints in heaven," says Thady, "who the divil are ye?"

' "Who the divil would I be, but Terence Mooney," says he. "It's myself that's in it, you unmerciful bliggards,"

says he, "let me out, or by the holy, I'll get out in spite iv yes," says he, "an' by jaburs, I'll wallop yes in

' "It's ould Terence, sure enough," says Thady, "isn't it cute the fairy docthor found him out," says he.

' "I'm an the pint iv snuffication," says Terence, "let me out, I tell you, an' wait till I get at ye," says he, "for

'An' wid that, he biginned kickin' and flingin' inside in the hamper, and dhrivin his legs agin the sides iv it,

'Well, as soon as the boys seen that, they skelped the ould horse into a gallop as hard as he could peg towards

the priest's house, through the ruts, an' over the stones; an' you'd see the hamper fairly flyin' three feet up in

'So it was small wondher, by the time they got to his Raverince's door, the breath was fairly knocked out of

'Well, whin his Raverince kem down, they up an' they tould him all that happened, an' how they put the

gandher into the hamper, an' how he beginned to spake, an' how he confissed that he was ould Terence

Mooney; an' they axed his honour to advise them how to get rid iv the spirit for good an' all.

' "I'll take my booke," says he, "an' I'll read some rale sthrong holy bits out iv it," says he, "an' do you get a

rope and put it round the hamper," says he, "an' let it swing over the runnin' wather at the bridge," says he,

'Well, wid that, the priest got his horse, and tuck his booke in undher his arum, an' the boys follied his

Raverince, ladin' the horse down to the bridge, an' divil a word out iv Terence all the way, for he seen it was

no use spakin', an' he was afeard if he med any noise they might thrait him to another gallop an finish him

'Well, as soon as they war all come to the bridge, the boys tuck the rope they had with them, an' med it fast to

the top iv the hamper an' swung it fairly over the bridge, lettin' it hang in the air about twelve feet out iv the

'An' his Raverince rode down to the bank of the river, close by, an' beginned to read mighty loud and bould

'An' when he was goin' on about five minutes, all at onst the bottom iv the hamper kem out, an' down wint

Terence, falling splash dash into the water, an' the ould gandher atop iv him. Down they both went to the

'An' before they had time to rise agin, his Raverince, wid the fair astonishment, giv his horse one dig iv the

spurs, an' before he knew where he was, in he went, horse an' all, atop iv them, an' down to the bottom.

'Up they all kem agin together, gaspin' and puffin', an' off down wid the current wid them, like shot in under

'The ould gandher was the first out, and the priest and Terence kem next, pantin' an' blowin' an' more than

half dhrounded, an' his Raverince was so freckened wid the droundin' he got, and wid the sight iv the sperit,

'An' as soon as Terence could spake, he swore he'd have the life of the two gossoons; but Father Crotty would

not give him his will. An' as soon as he was got quiter, they all endivoured to explain it; but Terence

consaved he went raly to bed the night before, and his wife said the same to shilter him from the suspicion for

havin' th' dthrop taken. An' his Raverince said it was a mysthery, an' swore if he cotched anyone laughin' at

'An' Terence grew fonder an' fonder iv the gandher every day, until at last he died in a wondherful old age,

'An' to this day the farm is rinted by one iv Terence Mooney's lenial and legitimate postariors.'

Let the reader fancy a soft summer evening, the fresh dews falling on bush and flower. The sun has just gone

down, and the thrilling vespers of thrushes and blackbirds ring with a wild joy through the saddened air; the

west is piled with fantastic clouds, and clothed in tints of crimson and amber, melting away into a wan green,

and so eastward into the deepest blue, through which soon the stars will begin to peep.

Let him fancy himself seated upon the low mossy wall of an ancient churchyard, where hundreds of grey

stones rise above the sward, under the fantastic branches of two or three halfwithered ashtrees, spreading

The narrow road upon which I and my companion await the taxcart that is to carry me and my basket, with

its rich fruitage of speckled trout, away, lies at his feet, and far below spreads an undulating plain, rising

westward again into soft hills, and traversed (every here and there visibly) by a winding stream which, even

through the mists of evening, catches and returns the funereal glories of the skies.

As the eye traces its wayward wanderings, it loses them for a moment in the heaving verdure of whitethorns

and ash, from among which floats from some dozen rude chimneys, mostly unseen, the transparent blue film

of turf smoke. There we know, although we cannot see it, the steep old bridge of Carrickadrum spans the

river; and stretching away far to the right the valley of Lisnamoe: its steeps and hollows, its straggling

hedges, its fairgreen, its tall scattered trees, and old grey tower, are disappearing fast among the discoloured

Those landmarks, as we sit listlessly expecting the arrival of our modest conveyance, suggest to our

companiona bare legged Celtic brother of the gentle craft, somewhat at the wrong side of forty, with a

turfcoloured caubeen, patched frieze, a clear brown complexion, darkgrey eyes, and a right pleasant dash

of roguery in his featuresthe tale, which, if the reader pleases, he is welcome to hear along with me just as

His words I can give, but your own fancy must supply the advantages of an intelligent, expressive

countenance, and, what is perhaps harder still, the harmony of his glorious brogue, that, like the melodies of

our own dear country, will leave a burden of mirth or of sorrow with nearly equal propriety, tickling the

diaphragm as easily as it plays with the heart strings, and is in itself a national music that, I trust, may never,

neverscouted and despised though it benever cease, like the lost tones of our harp, to be heard in the

fields of my country, in welcome or endearment, in fun or in sorrow, stirring the hearts of Irish men and Irish

My friend of the caubeen and naked shanks, then, commenced, and continued his relation, as nearly as

Av coorse ye often heerd talk of Billy Malowney, that lived by the bridge of Carrickadrum. 'Leumarinka'

was the name they put on him, he was sich a beautiful dancer. An' faix, it's he was the rale sportin' boy, every

waykilling the hares, and gaffing the salmons, an' fightin' the men, an' funnin' the women, and coortin' the

girls; an' be the same token, there was not a colleen inside iv his jurisdiction but was breakin' her heart wid

Well, this was all pleasant enough, to be sure, while it lasted; but inhuman beings is born to misfortune, an'

Bill's divarshin was not to last always. A young boy can't be continially coortin' and kissin' the girls (an'

more's the pity) without exposin' himself to the most eminent parril; an' so signs all' what should happen Billy

Malowney himself, but to fall in love at last wid little Molly Donovan, in Coolnamoe.

I never could ondherstand why in the world it was Bill fell in love wid HER, above all the girls in the

country. She was not within four stone weight iv being as fat as Peg Brallaghan; and as for redness in the

face, she could not hould a candle to Judy Flaherty. (Poor Judy! she was my sweetheart, the darlin', an'

coorted me constant, ever antil she married a boy of the Butlers; an' it's twenty years now since she was

Well, at any rate, Molly Donovan tuck his fancy, an' that's everything! She had smooth brown hairas

smooth as silkan' a pair iv soft coaxin' eyesan' the whitest little teeth you ever seen; an', bedad, she was

Well, now, he was raly stupid wid love: there was not a bit of fun left in him. He was good for nothin' an airth

bud sittin' under bushes, smokin' tobacky, and sighin' till you'd wonder how in the world he got wind for it

An', bedad, he was an illigant scholar, moreover; an', so signs, it's many's the song he made about her; an' if

you'd be walkin' in the evening, a mile away from Carrickadrum, begorra you'd hear him singing out like a

Well, ye may be sure, ould Tim Donovan and the wife was not a bit too well plased to see Bill Malowney

coortin' their daughter Molly; for, do ye mind, she was the only child they had, and her fortune was thirty

five pounds, two cows, and five illigant pigs, three iron pots and a skillet, an' a trifle iv poultry in hand; and

no one knew how much besides, whenever the Lord id be plased to call the ould people out of the way into

So, it was not likely ould Tim Donovan id be fallin' in love wid poor Bill Malowney as aisy as the girls did;

for, barrin' his beauty, an' his gun, an' his dhudheen, an' his janius, the divil a taste of property iv any sort or

Well, as bad as that was, Billy would not give in that her father and mother had the smallest taste iv a right to

'An' you're welcome to rayfuse me,' says he, 'whin I ax your lave,' says he; 'an' I'll ax your lave,' says he,

'whenever I want to coort yourselves,' says he; 'but it's your daughter I'm coortin' at the present,' says he, 'an

that's all I'll say,' says he; 'for I'd as soon take a doase of salts as be discoursin' ye,' says he.

So it was a rale blazin' battle betune himself and the ould people; an', begorra, there was no soart iv

blaguardin' that did not pass betune them; an' they put a solemn injection on Molly again seein' him or

But it was all iv no use. You might as well be pursuadin' the birds agin flying, or sthrivin' to coax the stars out

iv the sky into your hat, as be talking common sinse to them that's fairly bothered and burstin' wid love.

There's nothin' like it. The toothache an' cholic together id compose you betther for an argyment than itself. It

It's stronger than whisky, for one good drop iv it will make you drunk for one year, and sick, begorra, for a

It's stronger than the say, for it'll carry you round the world an' never let you sink, in sunshine or storm; an,'

begorra, it's stronger than Death himself, for it is not afeard iv him, bedad, but dares him in every shape.

But lovers has quarrels sometimes, and, begorra, when they do, you'd a'most imagine they hated one another

like man and wife. An' so, signs an, Billy Malowney and Molly Donovan fell out one evening at ould Tom

Dundon's wake; an' whatever came betune them, she made no more about it but just draws her cloak round

her, and away wid herself and the sarvantgirl home again, as if there was not a corpse, or a fiddle, or a taste

Well, Bill Malowney follied her down the boreen, to try could he deludher her back again; but, if she was

bitther before, she gave it to him in airnest when she got him alone to herself, and to that degree that he

wished her safe home, short and sulky enough, an' walked back again, as mad as the devil himself, to the

Well, my dear, it was aisy seen there was something wrong avid Billy Malowney, for he paid no attintion the

rest of the evening to any soart of divarsion but the whisky alone; an' every glass he'd drink it's what he'd be

wishing the divil had the women, an' the worst iv bad luck to all soarts iv courting, until, at last, wid the

goodness iv the sperits, an' the badness iv his temper, an' the constant flusthration iv cursin', he grew all as

Well, who should he fall in wid, in that childish condition, as he was deploying along the road almost as

straight as the letter S, an' cursin' the girls, an' roarin' for more whisky, but the recruitingsargent iv the

So, cute enough, the sargent begins to convarse him, an' it was not long until he had him sitting in Murphy's

publichouse, wid an elegant dandy iv punch before him, an' the king's money safe an' snug in the lowest

So away wid him, and the dhrums and fifes playing, an' a dozen more unforthunate bliggards just listed along

with him, an' he shakin' hands wid the sargent, and swearin' agin the women every minute, until, be the time

he kem to himself, begorra, he was a good ten miles on the road to Dublin, an' Molly and all behind him.

It id be no good tellin' you iv the letters he wrote to her from the barracks there, nor how she was breaking

her heart to go and see him just wanst before he'd go; but the father an' mother would not allow iv it be no

An' so in less time than you'd be thinkin' about it, the colonel had him polished off into it rale elegant soger,

wid his gun exercise, and his bagnet exercise, and his small sword, and broad sword, and pistol and dagger,

an' all the rest, an' then away wid him on boord a manawar to furrin parts, to fight for King George agin

Well, it was very soon in everyone's mouth how Billy Malowney was batin' all before him, astonishin' the

ginerals, an frightenin' the inimy to that degree, there was not a Frinchman dare say parley voo outside of the

You may be sure Molly was proud iv that same, though she never spoke a word about it; until at last the news

kem home that Billy Malowney was surrounded an' murdered by the Frinch army, under Napoleon Bonyparty

himself. The news was brought by Jack Brynn Dhas, the peddlar, that said he met the corporal iv the regiment

on the quay iv Limerick, an' how he brought him into a publichouse and thrated him to a naggin, and got all

the news about poor Billy Malowney out iv him while they war dhrinkin' it; an' a sorrowful story it was.

The way it happened, accordin' as the corporal tould him, was jist how the Jook iv Wellington detarmined to

fight a rale tarin' battle wid the Frinch, and Bonyparty at the same time was aiqually detarmined to fight the

Well, as soon as the business was pretty near ready at both sides, Bonyparty and the general next undher

himself gets up behind a bush, to look at their inimies through spy glasses, and thry would they know any iv

'Bedadad!' says the gineral, afther a divil iv a long spy, 'I'd bet half a pint,' says he, 'that's Bill Malowney

'Och!' says Bonypart, 'do you tell me so?' says he'I'm fairly heartscalded with that same Billy Malowney,'

says he; 'an' I think if I was wanst shut iv him I'd bate the rest iv them aisy,' says he.

'I'm thinking so myself,' says the gineral, says he; 'but he's a tough bye,' says he.

'Begorra, I'd be better plased.' says the gineral, says he, 'to take himself than the Duke iv Willinton,' says he,

'The Duke of Wellinton and Gineral Blakeney,' says Bonypart, 'is great for planning, no doubt,' says he; 'but

Billy Malowney's the boy for ACTION,' says he 'an' action's everything, just now,' says he.

So wid that Bonypart pushes up his cocked hat, and begins scratching his head, and thinning and considherin'

'Gineral Commandher iv all the Foorces,' says he, 'I've hot it,' says he: 'ordher out the forlorn hope,' says he,

'an' give them as much powdher, both glazed and blasting,' says he, 'an' as much bullets do ye mind, an'

swandhrops an' chainshot,' says he, 'an' all soorts iv waipons an' combustables as they can carry; an' let

them surround Bill Malowney,' says he, 'an' if they can get any soort iv an advantage,' says he, 'let them

knock him to smithereens,' says he, 'an' then take him presner,' says he; 'an' tell all the bandmen iv the Frinch

army,' says he, 'to play up "Garryowen," to keep up their sperits,' says he, 'all the time they're advancin'. An'

you may promise them anything you like in my name,' says he; for, by my sowl, I don't think its many iv

So away with the gineral, an' he ordhers out the forlorn hope, all' tells the band to play, an' everything else,

just as Bonypart desired him. An' sure enough, whin Billy Malowney heerd the music where he was standin'

taking a blast of the dhudheen to compose his mind for murdherin' the Frinchmen as usual, being mighty

partial to that tune intirely, he cocks his ear a one side, an' down he stoops to listen to the music; but, begorra,

who should be in his rare all the time but a Frinch grannideer behind a bush, and seeing him stooped in a

convanient forum, bedad he let flies at him sthraight, and fired him right forward between the legs an' the

small iv the back, glory be to God! with what they call (saving your presence) a bumshell.

Well, Bill Malowney let one roar out iv him, an' away he rowled over the field iv battle like a slitther (as

Bonypart and the Duke iv Wellington, that was watching the manoeuvres from a distance, both consayved)

An' sure enough the Frinch was overjoyed beyant all bounds, an' small blame to theman' the Duke of

At any rate, the news kem home how Billy Malowney was murdhered by the Frinch in furrin parts.

Well, all this time, you may be sure, there was no want iv boys comin' to coort purty Molly Donovan; but one

way ar another, she always kept puttin' them off constant. An' though her father and mother was nathurally

anxious to get rid of her respickably, they did not like to marry her off in spite iv her teeth.

An' this way, promising one while and puttin' it off another, she conthrived to get on from one Shrove to

another, until near seven years was over and gone from the time when Billy Malowney listed for furrin

It was nigh hand a year from the time whin the news iv Leumarinka bein' killed by the Frinch came home,

an' in place iv forgettin' him, as the saisins wint over, it's what Molly was growin' paler and more lonesome

every day, antil the neighbours thought she was fallin' into a decline; and this is the way it was with her whin

It was a beautiful evenin', just at the time iv the reapin' iv the oats, and the sun was shinin' through the red

Her father an' mother, an' the boys an' girls, was all away down in the fair, and Molly Sittin' all alone on the

step of the stile, listening to the foolish little birds whistlin' among the leavesand the sound of the

mountainriver flowin' through the stones an' bushesan' the crows flyin' home high overhead to the woods

iv Glinvarloghan' down in the glen, far away, she could see the fairgreen iv Lisnamoe in the mist, an'

sunshine among the grey rocks and threesan' the cows an' the horses, an' the blue frieze, an' the red cloaks,

an' the tents, an' the smoke, an' the ould round towerall as soft an' as sorrowful as a dhrame iv ould times.

An' while she was looking this way, an' thinking iv Leumarinkapoor Bill iv the dance, that was sleepin'

in his lonesome glory in the fields iv Spainshe began to sing the song he used to like so well in the ould

an' when she ended the verse, what do you think but she heard a manly voice just at the other side iv the

Well she knew it; her heart flutthered up like a little bird that id be wounded, and then dhropped still in her

breast. It was himself. In a minute he was through the hedge and standing before her.

'Mavourneen cuishla machree!' says he; and without another word they were locked in one another's arms.

Well, it id only be nansinse for me thryin' an' tell ye all the foolish things they said, and how they looked in

one another's faces, an' laughed, an' cried, an' laughed again; and how, when they came to themselves, and

she was able at last to believe it was raly Billy himself that was there, actially holdin' her hand, and lookin' in

her eyes the same way as ever, barrin' he was browner and boulder, an' did not, maybe, look quite as merry in

himself as he used to do in former timesan' fondher for all, an' more lovin' than ever how he tould her

all about the wars wid the Frinchmenan' how he was wounded, and left for dead in the field iv battle, bein'

shot through the breast, and how he was discharged, an' got a pinsion iv a full shillin' a dayand how he was

come back to liv the rest iv his days in the sweet glen iv Lisnamoe, an' (if only SHE'D consint) to marry

Well, ye may aisily think they had plinty to talk about, afther seven years without once seein' one another;

and so signs on, the time flew by as swift an' as pleasant as a bird on the wing, an' the sun wint down, an' the

moon shone sweet an' soft instead, an' they two never knew a ha'porth about it, but kept talkin' an' whisperin',

an' whisperin' an' talkin'; for it's wondherful how often a tinderhearted girl will bear to hear a purty boy

tellin' her the same story constant over an' over; ontil at last, sure enough, they heerd the ould man himself

comin' up the boreen, singin' the 'Colleen Rue'a thing he never done barrin' whin he had a dhrop in; an' the

misthress walkin' in front iv him, an' two illigant Kerry cows he just bought in the fair, an' the sarvint boys

'Oh, not for the world,' says she; 'he's singin' the "Colleen Rue," ' says she, 'and no one dar raison with him,'

'An' where 'll I go, thin?' says he, 'for they're into the haggard an top iv us,' says he, 'an' they'll see me iv I lep

'Thry the pigsty,' says she, 'mavourneen,' says she, 'in the name iv God,' says she.

'Well, darlint,' says he, 'for your sake,' says he, 'I'll condescend to them animals,' says he.

An' wid that he makes a dart to get in; bud, begorra, it was too latethe pigs was all gone home, and the

'Och! bluran'agers,' says he, 'there is not room for a suckin'pig,' says he, 'let alone a Christian,' says he.

'Well, run into the house, Billy,' says she, 'this minute,' says she, 'an' hide yourself antil they're quiet,' says

So wid that away wid her, and in wint Billy, an' where 'id he hide himself bud in a little closet that was off iv

the room where the ould man and woman slep'. So he closed the doore, and sot down in an ould chair he

Well, he was not well in it when all the rest iv them comes into the kitchen, an' ould Tim Donovan singin' the

'Colleen Rue' for the bare life, an' the rest iv them sthrivin' to humour him, and doin' exactly everything he

Well, to be sure all this kep' them long enough, you may be sure, from goin' to bed, so that Billy could get no

manner iv an advantage to get out iv the house, and so he sted sittin' in the dark closet in state, cursin' the

'Colleen Rue,' and wondherin' to the divil whin they'd get the ould man into his bed. An', as if that was not

delay enough, who should come in to stop for the night but Father O'Flaherty, of Cahirmore, that was buyin' a

horse at the fair! An' av course, there was a bed to be med down for his raverence, an' some other attintions;

an' a long discoorse himself an' ould Mrs. Donovan had about the slaughter iv Billy Malowney, an' how he

was buried on the field iv battle; an' his raverence hoped he got a dacent funeral, an' all the other

convaniences iv religion. An' so you may suppose it was pretty late in the night before all iv them got to their

Well, Tim Donovan could not settle to sleep at all at all, an' so he kep' discoorsin' the wife about the new

cows he bought, an' the stripphers he sould, an' so an for better than an hour, ontil from one thing to another

he kem to talk about the pigs, an' the poulthry; and at last, having nothing betther to discoorse about, he

begun at his daughter Molly, an' all the heartscald she was to him be raison iv refusin' the men. An' at last

'I onderstand,' says he, 'very well how it is,' says he. 'It's how she was in love,' says he, 'wid that bliggard,

Billy Malowney,' says he, 'bad luck to him!' says he; for by this time he was coming to his raison.

'Ah!' says the wife, says she, 'Tim darlint, don't be cursin' them that's dead an' buried,' says she.

'Whisht,' says she, 'an' listen to that,' says she. 'In the name of the Blessed Vargin,' says she, 'what IS it?' says

An' sure enough what was it but Bill Malowney that was dhroppin' asleep in the closet, an' snorin' like a

'Arra! listen to the tune iv it,' says she; 'sure a pig never done the like is that,' says she.

'Whatever it is,' says he, 'it's in the room wid us,' says he. 'The Lord be marciful to us!' says he.

'I tould you not to be cursin',' says she; 'bad luck to you,' says she, 'for an ommadhaun!' for she was a very

'Sure, he's buried in Spain,' says he; 'an' it is not for one little innocent expression,' says he, 'he'd be comin' all

Well, while they war talkin', Bill turns in the way he was sleepin' into an aisier imposture; and as soon as he

An' with that away wid him, an' the wife kep' workin' the beads all the time, an' before he kem back Bill was

'Oh! bloody warsI mane the blessed saints about us!that deadly sound,' says he; 'it's going on as lively as

'I'm as wake as a rag,' says his wife, says she, 'wid the fair anasiness,' says she. 'It's out iv the little closet it's

'Say your prayers,' says he, 'an' hould your tongue,' says he, 'while I discoorse it,' says he. 'An' who are ye,'

says he, 'in the name iv of all the holy saints?' says he, givin' the door a dab iv a crusheen that wakened Bill

Well, Bill did not rightly remember where in the world he was, but he pushed open the door, an' says he:

'Billy Malowney's my name,' says he, 'an' I'll thank ye to tell me a betther,' says he.

Well, whin Tim Donovan heard that, an' actially seen that it was Bill himself that was in it, he had not

strength enough to let a bawl out iv him, but he dhropt the candle out iv his hand, an' down wid himself on

'Oh,' says she, 'the spirit has him, body an' bones!' says she. 'Oh, holy St. Bridgetoh, Mother iv

Well, Bill Malowney was not a minute remimberin' himself, an' so out wid him quite an' aisy, an' through the

kitchen; bud in place iv the door iv the house, it's what he kem to the door iv Father O'Flaherty's little room,

where he was jist wakenin' wid the noise iv the screechin' an' battherin'; an' bedad, Bill makes no more about

'What do ye mane, you uncivilised bliggard?' says his raverance. 'Is that a venerable way,' says he, 'to

'You lie!' says his raverance for he was frightened beyont all bearin'an' he makes but one jump out iv the

bed at the wrong side, where there was only jist a little place in the wall for a press, an' his raverance could

not as much as turn in it for the wealth iv kingdoms. 'You lie,' says he; 'but for feared it's the truth you're

tellin',' says he, 'here's at ye in the name iv all the blessed saints together!' says he.

An' wid that, my dear, he blazes away at him wid a Latin prayer iv the strongest description, an', as he said

himself afterwards, that was iv a nature that id dhrive the divil himself up the chimley like a puff iv tobacky

'Arra, what are ye sthrivin' to say,' says Bill; says he, 'if ye don't hould your tongue,' says he, 'wid your parly

voo;' says he, 'it's what I'll put my thumb on your windpipe,' says he, 'an' Billy Malowney never wint back iv

'Thundheranowns,' says his raverance, says heseein' the Latin took no infect on him, at all at all an'

screechin' that you'd think he'd rise the thatch up iv the house wid the fair fright'and thundher and blazes,

boys, will none iv yes come here wid a candle, but lave your clargy to be choked by a spirit in the dark?' says

Well, be this time the sarvint boys and the rest iv them wor up an' half dressed, an' in they all run, one on top

iv another, wid pitchforks and spades, thinkin' it was only what his raverence slep' a dhrame iv the like, by

means of the punch he was afther takin' just before he rowl'd himself into the bed. But, begorra, whin they

seen it was raly Bill Malowney himself that was in it, it was only who'd be foremost out agin, tumblin'

backways, one over another, and his raverence roarin' an' cursin' them like mad for not waitin' for him.

Well, my dear, it was betther than half an hour before Billy Malowney could explain to them all how it raly

was himself, for begorra they were all iv them persuadin' him that he was a spirit to that degree it's a wondher

Well, his raverence tould the ould people then, there was no use in sthrivin' agin the will iv Providence an' the

vagaries iv love united; an' whin they kem to undherstand to a sartinty how Billy had a shillin' a day for the

rest iv his days, begorra they took rather a likin' to him, and considhered at wanst how he must have riz out of

all his nansinse entirely, or his gracious Majesty id never have condescinded to show him his countenance

An' so, begorra, they never stopt till it was all settledan' there was not sich a weddin' as that in the counthry

sinst. It's more than forty years ago, an' though I was no more nor a gossoon myself, I remimber it like

yestherday. Molly never looked so purty before, an' Billy Malowney was plisant beyont all hearin,' to that

degree that half the girls in it was fairly tarin' madonly they would not let onthey had not him to

themselves in place iv her. An' begorra I'd be afeared to tell ye, because you would not believe me, since that

blessid man Father Mathew put an end to all soorts of sociality, the Lord reward him, how many gallons iv

Pat Hanlon, the piper, had a faver out iv it; an' Neddy Shawn Heigue, mountin' his horse the wrong way,

broke his collar bone, by the manes iv fallin' over his tail while he was feelin' for his head; an' Payther

Brian, the horsedocther, I am tould, was never quite right in the head ever afther; an' ould Tim Donovan was

singin' the 'Colleen Rue' night and day for a full week; an' begorra the weddin' was only the foundation iv

fun, and the beginning iv divarsion, for there was not a year for ten years afther, an' more, but brought round