3i6 The Real Charlotte. 



his handiwork with his large head on one side, and the 

 bitten ends of thread still hanging on his lower lip. 



*' It turrned well," he said, passing his hand approvingly 

 over Miss Mullen's thick shoulder ; " afther all, the good 

 stuff's the best ; that's fine honest stuff that'll wear forty of 

 thim other thrash. That's the soort that'll shtand." 



" To the death ! " interjected Mrs. Lydon fervently. 



" How many wrinkles are there in the back ? " said 

 Charlotte ; " tell me the truth now, Dinny ; remember 

 'twas only last week you were * making your sowl ' at the 

 mission." 



" Tchah ! " said Dinny Lydon contemptuously, " it's little 

 I regard the mission, but I wouldn't be bothered tellin' ye 

 lies about the hkes o' this," surreptitiously smoothing as he 

 spoke a series of ridges above the hips; "that's a grand 

 clane back as ever I see." 



" How independent he is about his missions ! " said 

 Charlotte jibingly. " Ha ! Dinny me man, if you were 

 sick you'd be the first to be roaring for the priest ! " 



" Faith, divil a roar," returned the atheistical Dinny ; " if 

 I couldn't knock the stone out of the gap for meself, the 

 priest couldn't do it for me." 



" Oh, Gaad ! Dinny, have conduct before Miss Mullen ! " 

 cried Mrs. Lydon. 



" He may say what he likes, if he wouldn't drop candle 

 grease on my jacket," said Charlotte, who had taken off the 

 coat and was critically examining every seam ; ''or, indeed, 

 Mrs. Lydon, I believe it was yourself did it ! " she ex- 

 claimed, suddenly intercepting an indescribable glance of 

 admonition from Mrs. Dinny to her husband ; " that's wax 

 candle grease ! I believe you wore it yourself at Michael 

 M'Donagh's wake, and that's why it was finished four days 

 ago." 



Mrs. Lydon uttered a shriek of merriment at the absurdity 

 of the suggestion, and then fell to disclaimers so voluble as 

 at once to convince Miss Mullen of her guilt. The accusa- 

 tion was not pressed home, and Dinny's undertaking to re- 

 move the grease with a hot iron was accepted with surpris- 

 ing amiability. Charlotte sat down on a chair whose 

 shattered frame bore testimony to the renowned violence of 

 Mrs. Lydon when under the influence of liquor, and en- 



