ST. MARTIN'S EVE. 557 



" God save all here/ says Syl to his mother, who was smoking her 

 pipe on the hearth. 



" 'God save ye kindly, genteels,' says the ould woman, taking the 

 dhudeen* from her jaw, and making a curtshey, for how could the 

 crather know her son Syl in all his fine clothes, and his topped boots 

 and carline hat ? 



" * Mother asthore, don't you know me says Syl. 

 *' 'Och mabouchileen bawn,^ Syl, is it yourself is in it ? Och wirra ? 

 Where wor you all this time ? And who is this cailleen oge you have 

 brought back with you?' 



44 ' Mother, dear, don't be axing me any more questions at the pre- 

 sent, but get down half a dozen of geese and plenty of bacon and cab- 

 bage for dinner, and run up to Dan Costigan's and tell him to send me 

 live gallons of his best whiskey ; and you may as well call on Father 

 Pether, and say that he's wanting down in all haste to marry me to 

 a grand lady.' 



"Away scampered the ould woman, and as she went along she tould 

 all the neighbours of Syl's good fortune, and becoorse they came 

 gathering to wish him joy until the house was as full as a bee- 

 hive, all laughing, drinking, and talking together ; and there was Syl 

 in the middle of them, with the Queen sitting on his knee, but she 

 kept a white veil over her face, because she was rather shy of the 

 strange people, and Syl was in the heart of a long noration about 

 his thravels when Father Pether's horse stopped at the door. So he 

 went out to make his manners, and while he was helping his rever- 

 ence off he whispered in his ear that as the warning for marrying 

 him was something of the shortest, he had brought him a dacent fee, 

 at the same time slipping a glove that had as good as twenty guineas 

 tied up in it into the priest's hand. 



" 4 By my breviary ! Sylvesther, you're a big sleeveen^ to be coaxing 

 the'girls this way ; but since you have both set your hearts upon en- 

 thering the holy state of mathrimony, I wouln't like to see you put to 

 an amplush, and so,' says his reverence, thrusting the glove into his 

 breeches pocket, * I'll see what I can do for you. Where's the 

 cailleen P 



"'Here she is, your reverence,' says Syl, pulling the Queen out of 

 the corner where she was sitting. ' Hould up your head, asthore 

 machree ; I'll be bail you won't fellow her in the four provinces, and 

 that's a big word. Take off this mischief's veil, alliannah, and let 

 his reverence see your purty face.' 



" With that Sylvesther took away her veil, and, as I have hard tell, 

 there was not one there that was not knocked all of a heap with the 

 sight of her beauty ; but her face was as white as marvel, and her 

 eyes were brighter and darker than ever was seen in mortal head. 



" * More power to you, Syl,' says the priest, ' it's yourself made a 

 good choice ; but, come, let us have the dinner at once, for I am 

 getting cruel hungry, and I long to drink both your healths.' 



" It wasn't long till the dinner was smoking upon the table; and, 

 afther Father Pether said grace, they fell to work upon the geese and 



* A short pipe, t My white little boy, \ A sly fellow. 



