248 WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



the door with a letter which he said was for Mr. Carson. 

 Well, when the minister opens it, he got as pale as a 

 sheet, and I thought he would have fainted. Father 

 Patt crossed himself. ' Arrah, Dick,' says he, ' the 

 Lord stand between you and evil ! is there anything 

 wrong ? ' ' I'm ruined,' says he ; ' for some bad 

 member has wrote to the bishop, and told him that 

 I have no congregation, because you and I are so intimate, 

 and he's coming down to-morrow, with the dane, to see 

 the state of things. Och, hone ! ' says he, ' I'm fairly 

 ruined.' ' And is that all that's frettin' ye ? ' says the 

 priest, ' Arrah, dear Dick ' for they called each other 

 be their cristen names, ' is this all ? If it's a congrega- 

 tion ye want, ye shall have a decent one to-morrow, 

 and lave that to me ; and now we'll take our drink, 

 and not matter the bishop a fig.' 



" Well, next day, sure enough, down comes the bishop, 

 and a great retinue along with him ; and there was Mr. 

 Carson ready to receive him. * I hear,' says the bishop, 

 mighty stately, ' that you have no congregation.' ' In 

 faith, your holiness,' says he, ' you'll be soon able to 

 tell that,' and in he walks him to the church, and there 

 were sitting threescore well-dressed men and women, 

 and all of them as devout as if they were going to be 

 anointed ; for that blessed morning, Father Pa.t whipped 

 mass over before ye had time to bless yourself, and the 

 clanest of the flock was before the bisi.op in the church, 

 and ready for his holiness. To see that all behaved 

 properly, Father Patt had hardly put off the vestment, 

 till he slipped on a cota more,* and there he sat in a 

 back sate like any other of the congregation. I was 

 near the bishop's reverence ; he was seated in an arm- 



* Anglice, a great-coat. 



