alone so much yourself here. So you know," – and Father John even blushed a little as he said it, – "it's about this fine lover of yours we are speaking. Now, my dear, I've nothing whatever to say against Captain Ussher, for you know he and I are great cronies; indeed, it's only last night he was taking his punch with your brother and Cullen down at the cottage – "
"You weren't saying anything to Captain Ussher about me, Father John?"
"You may take your oath of that, my dear. I respect a lady's secret a great deal too much for that. No; I was only saying that he was down at the cottage last night, to prove that he and I are friends, and it's not out of any prejudice I'm speaking – about his being a Protestant, and all that; not but that I'd sooner be marrying you to a good Catholic, Feemy – but that's neither here nor there. But you've known him now a long time; it's now four months since we all heard for certain it was to be a match; and, to tell you the truth, my dear, people are saying that Captain Ussher doesn't mean anything serious."
"I think they'll dhrive me mad with their talk! And what good will it do for you and Thady to be coming telling me what they say?"
"This good, Feemy; if what they say is false and unfounded, as I am sure I hope it is, – and if you're so fond of Captain Ussher, – don't you think it would be as well to put an end to the report by telling your father and brother of your being engaged, and settling something about your marriage, and all that?"
"I did tell my brother I was engaged, Father John; what would you have?"
"I'll tell you what I'd have. I'd have Captain Ussher ask your father or brother's consent: there's no doubt, we all know, but he'd get it; but it's customary, and, in my mind, it would only be decent."
"So he will, I dare say; but mayn't there be rasons why he don't wish to have it talked about yet?"
"Then, Feemy, in your situation, do you think a long clandestine engagement is quite the thing for you; is quite prudent?"
"And how can it be clandestine, Father John, when you and Thady, and every one else almost, knows all about it?"
Feemy's sharpness was too much for Father John, so he had to put it on another tack.
"Well, Feemy, now just look at the matter this way, one moment: supposing now – only just for supposition – this lover of yours was not the sort of man we all take him to be, and that he was to turn out false, or inconstant; suppose now it turned out he had another wife somewhere else – "
"Oh, that's nonsense, you know, Father John."
"Yes, but just supposing it, – or that he took some vagary into his head, and changed his mind! You must have heard of men doing such things, and why shouldn't your lover as well as another girl's? We're all likely to be deceived in people, and why mayn't we be as well deceived in Captain Ussher, as others have been in those they loved as well? We'll all hope, and think, and believe it's not so; but isn't it as well to be on the safe side, particularly in so important a thing as your happiness, Feemy? You wouldn't like it to be said through the country that you'd been jilted by the handsome captain, and that you'd been thrown off by your lover as soon as he was tired of you?"
"And that's thrue for you, Father John; but Myles isn't tired of me, else why should he be coming up here to see me oftener than ever?"
"But it's that he never may be tired of you, Feemy; take my word for it, he'll respect you a great deal more if you'll show more respect to yourself."
"Well, Father John, and what is it you'd have me be doing?"
"Why, then, I'd just ask him to speak a word to Thady – just to propose himself in the regular way."
"But Thady hates him so."
"No; Thady don't hate him: he's only jealous lest Captain Ussher isn't treating you quite as he ought to do."
"But Thady is so queer in his manners; and I know Myles wouldn't like to be asking leave and permission to be courting me."
"But, Feemy, he must like it; and you shouldn't like your lover the more for thinking so little of your brother, or, for the matter of that, of yourself either."
"You know, Father John, I can't help what he thinks of Thady. As to his thinking of me, I'm quite satisfied with that, and I suppose that's enough."
Father John was beginning to wax wroth, partly because he was displeased with Feemy himself, and partly because Feemy answered him too knowingly.
"Well, then, Feemy, it'll be one of the two: either Captain Ussher will have to speak to Thady, and settle something about the marriage in a proper and decent way; or else Thady will be speaking to him. And now, which do you think will be the best?"
"It's not like you, Father John, to be making Thady quarrel with Captain Ussher. You know it'd come to a quarrel if Thady was to be spaking to Myles that way; and he would never think of doing so av you didn't be putting him up to it."
"And that's little like you, Feemy, to be saying that to your priest; telling me I put the young men up to be quarrelling: it's to save you many a heart-ache, and many a sting of sorrow and remorse; it's to prevent all the evil of unlawful love – bad blood, and false looks – that I've come here on a most disagreeable and thankless errand; and now you tell me I'd be putting the young men up to fight!"
Feemy had, by this time, become sullen, but she didn't dare go farther with her priest.
"I didn't say you'd be making them fight, Father John. I only said, if you told Thady not to be meddling with Myles, why, in course, they wouldn't be quarrelling."
"And how could I tell a brother not to meddle with his sister's honour, and reputation, and happiness? But now, Feemy, I'll propose another plan to you. If you don't think my advice on such a subject likely to be good – and very likely it isn't, for you see I never had a lover of my own – what do you say to your speaking to your friend, Mrs. McKeon, about it? Or, if you like, I'll speak to her; and then, perhaps, you won't be against taking her advice on the subject. Supposing, now, she was to speak to Captain Ussher – from herself, you know, as your friend – do you think he'd love the girl that's to be his wife worse for having a friend that was willing to stand in the place of a mother to her, when she'd none of her own?"
"Why, I do think it would look odd, Mrs. McKeon meddling with it."
"Well, then, Feemy, what in the blessed name do you mean to do, if you won't let any of your friends act for you? I think you must be very much afraid of this lover of yours, when you won't allow any one speak to him about you. Are you afraid of him, Feemy?"
"Afraid of him? – no, of course I'm not afraid of him; but men don't like to be bothered about such things."
"That's very true; men, when they're false, and try to deceive young girls, and are playing their own wicked game with them, do not like to be bothered about such things. But I never heard of an honest man, who really wanted to marry a young woman, being bothered by getting her friends' consent. And you think, then, things should go on just as they are?"
"Now, Father John, only you've been scolding me so much, I'd have told you before. I mane to spake to Myles myself to-night, just to arrange things; and then I won't have Mrs. McKeon cocking over me that she made up the match."
"There's little danger of that kind, I fear, Feemy, nor would she be doing so; but if you are actually going to speak to Captain Ussher yourself to-night, I'll say no more about it now; but I hope you'll tell Thady to-morrow what passes."
"Oh,
