THE LEGEND OF ROSE ROCHE. 223 



unanimously agreed, that the several parties interested in 

 the chase, were under the immediate influence of the prince 

 of darkness. 



Nor did the holy Superior of the Ursulines fare hetter 

 than the persecuted Knight and his afflicted companions. 

 Everything ahout the convent went astray, and the culinary 

 preparations for entertaining the Lord of Iveagh were awfully 

 interrupted hy accident and forgetfulness. The sister who 

 presided over the pastry, and whose conserves, throughout a 

 long and blameless life, had been pronounced unique and irre- 

 proachable, now actually omitted the necessary ingredients ; 

 the soup, when uncovered for a second, was invaded with 

 Buch a discharge of soot, as reduced it, in colour, at least, to 

 an equality with the broth of Sparta. The nun at the organ, 

 instead of a "jubilate," struck up a "nunc dimittis ;" the very 

 bells were "jangled out of tune ;" and the Lady Abbess was 

 horrified by a succession of prodigies that, from her novitiate 

 to her promotion, had never before visited the quiet residence 

 of the sisterhood of Saint Ursula. 



What were the nocturnal visitations inflicted upon the 

 lovely novice, have not been exactly handed down. One thing 

 alone is certain, she visited the Lady Abbess with the first 

 dawn, and in her maternal bosom the bride elect deposited 

 the causes of her sorrow. 



In this perplexity, the Knight and the Superior held secret 

 counsel in the parlour of the convent, and long and difficult 

 was the conference. The result was, that Cormac More 

 vowed a golden chalice to the offended virgin ; and the Ab- 

 bess, not to be outdone in liberality, agreed to double aves and 

 credos for a fortnight. But with Rose Roche herself the 

 chief difficulty was found to lie. All measures proposed by 

 the holy mother were inefficacious ; and, in this desperate 

 dilemma, it was deemed advisable to add to the number of 

 counsellors, and the Prior of the Dominicans was summoned 

 to the assistance of the conclave. 



To that holy man the exigencies of the respective parties 

 were intrusted. The Prior was sorely disturbed with doubts, 

 but after a night's deliberation, during which he discussed a 

 capon single-handed, and fortified his stomach with a second 

 scoup of Rhenish wine, he decided, that the Lord of Iveagh 

 should add a flagon to the chalice ; the Abbess should double 



