656 st. MARTIN'S EVE. 



alongside herself on the sophy, and helped him to the best of every 

 thing ; but what was mighty quare antirely, the sarra morsel of fish 

 was to be seen on the table, though it was Friday a day, gintle- 

 inen, that no conthrite Christian would ate mate. As Syl was bred 

 and born in the thrue Church, he was a little stomached at first to 

 touch the vittals that was put afore him, until the Queen told him 

 it was agin the laws of the country to ate fish, and there could be no 

 harm in tasting a bit of fresh mate when there was nothing else to 

 be had, even if the soggarth more* himself was present. Well, fair 

 persuadance from a honey mouth goes a great way with a man, and 

 so it was with Syl Coogan, for he made no more bones about the 

 business, but set-to upon a shoulder of mutton > and ate as hearty a 

 dinner as the Pope of Rome himself. When it was over the Queen 

 took a black bottle out of a corner cupboard, and, filling a glass from 

 it, she first tasted it herself, and then handed it to Syl ; and by all 

 accounts it was most beautiful liquor antirely, and Syl was the boy 

 could do it justice. Any how, he soon got mighty loving with the 

 Queen, and they grew so uncommon thick together, that Syl, the 

 bould rogue, afthef one of his blarneying speeches, ups and gives her 

 a smack upon the lips that sounded through the palace like a pistol- 

 shot. After this to be sure there was no more to be said, and matters 

 were soon made up as pleasant as you plase. 



" Syl now lived like the son of an Irish prince, for the Queen 

 doted down upon him, and thought nothing in life too good for him* 

 However, at long last the Queen began to grow a little stout in the 

 waist, and it was as plain as eggs that there would be shortly a little 

 Syl to the fore. So when he saw how matters were likely to be, he 

 began to think upon his coorses, and, though he was a wild harum* 

 scarum devil, he thought it was high time to make the Queen an 

 honest woman, so he tould her bouldly, one morning afore they got 

 up, that he was detarmined to go back to his own parish, and get 

 dacently married like all his people afore him. When the Queen 

 hard this she set up the mischiefs own phillalieu, and the tears run 

 down from her beautiful eyes like a couple of mill-coorses ; but 

 Syl's mind was made up to go; so when she saw there was no use in 

 talking agin it, bedad she consinted at last, and away they set out 

 one fine morning together to return to Syl's parish. 



'* So far all went on well, but Syl, who had never tasted a morsel of 

 fish all the time he had lived with the Water Queen, began to long 

 for a male of it, and as the dickens would have it, he thought it 

 would be a good time for him to bring up a dish of fresh fish to his 

 mother ; so taking his advantage when the Queen wasn't minding him, 

 packing up her little things in a handkerchief, he cotched a couple of 

 the footmen (them was the silver trouts, gintlemen), and thrust them 

 into his coat pocket unownst. 



" When they were all ready, the Queen took Syl Coogan [by the 

 hand, and before you could bless yourself, they^ were standing 

 forninst his own cabin door. 



* The great priest, or bishop* 



