152 LOVE AND SEA SICKNESS. 



this before ? — marry her, by all means, if she was ten times a fish ; 

 money, you know, is not to be refused in these bad times, and I 

 may as well have the hansel of it as another, that, may be, would 

 not take half the pains in counselling you that I have done." 



So Father Fitzgibbon married Dick Fitzgerald to the Merrow, 

 and, like any loving couple, they returned to Gollerus, well pleased 

 with each other. Every thing prospered with Dick — he was at the 

 sunny side of the world ; the Merrow made the best of wives, and 

 they lived together in the greatest contentment. 



It was wonderful to see, considering where she had been brought 

 up, how she would busy herself about the house, and how well she 

 nursed the children ; for, at the end of three years, there were as 

 many young Fitzgeralds — two boys and a girl. 



In short, Dick was a happy man, and so he might have continued 

 to the end of his days, if he had only the sense to take proper care 

 of what he had got ; many another man, however, beside Dick, 

 has not had wit enough to do that. 



One day, when Dick was obliged to go to Tralee, he left the wife 

 minding the children at home, after him, and thinking she had plenty 

 to do without disturbing his fishing tackle. 



Dick was no sooner gbne, than Mrs. Fitzgerald set about cleaning 

 up the house, and chancing to pull down a fishing net, what should 

 she find behind it, in a hole in the wall, but her cohuleen driuth. 



She took it out and looked at it, and then she thought of her 

 father the king and her mother the queen, and her brothers and sis- 

 ters, and she felt a longing to go back to them. 



She sat down on a little stool, and thought over the happy days 

 she had spent under the sea ; then she looked at her children, and 

 thought on the love and affection of poor Dick, and how it would 

 break his heart to lose her. But, thought she, he wont lose me 

 entirely, for I'll come back to him again ; and who can blame me 

 for going to see my father and my mother, after being so long away 

 from them. 



She got up and went towards the door, but came back again to 

 look once more at the child that was sleeping in the cradle. She 

 kissed him gently, and as she kissed it, a tear trembled for an in- 

 stant in her eye, and then fell on its rosy cheek. She wiped away 

 the tear, and turning to the eldest little girl, told her to take good 

 care of her brothers, and to be a good child herself, until she came 

 back. The Merrow then went down to the strand. The sea was 

 lying calm and smooth, just heaving and glittering in the sun, and 

 she thought she heard a faint sweet singing, inviting her to come 



