The Black Prophet: A Tale Of Irish Famine

rable hovel of Condy Dalton. At present our readers will acc

ctitude or vague humanity, which rendered her liable to occasional visitations of compunction for whatever she did that was wrong. The strongest principle in her, however, was one which is frequently to be found among her class-I mean such a lingering impression of religious feeling as is not sufficiently strong to prevent the commission of crime, but yet is capable by its influence to keep the conscience restless and uneasy under its convictions. Whether to class this feeling with weakness or with virtue, is indeed difficult; but to w

acter on the general matters of life, was accessible to the feeling or principle we have just describ

white thorn wood with an old hatchet, for the fire, and the other sitting with his head bent

of a blue praskeen which she always wore, and this she did with a serious and stern face, intimating

?" she inquired of Sarah,

lied the other; "don't

hem white thorns tha

I get the

I sai

-ha, ha, ha! There's

w do you expect to ge

n-although not, maybe

ou cut them

hat won't satisfy you, I cut

ardened jade, have you no

that I know of

fairies, and that some evil will betide any one

," replied Sarah, laughing; "I c

its safe to live in the hous

Sarah; "an' I have no objection that you should go to glory, body an' soul

them thorns

we want them

ood people'-this day's Thursday, the Lord stand bet

e sorra

Are you afeard of neit

ear of either o' them," repli

ard o' the good

, why should we be afea

rns out, I b

' the fairies, don't think I am. I don't care that about them. These same thorns must boil the din

se, that's all, an' over some, if not all o' them that'

, turning to him, "and let her hear how much of the divil's lingo you can give?-It's hard, if you can't prophesy as much evil as she can. Shake yourself, ruffle your fea

ures of starvation and misery, came to the door, and, in that voice of terrible destitution, wh

n," said Nelly, in her cold, indiff

in which she was answered. She looked, however, at her famishing children,

pointing to the children. "I don't care abou

uted the prophet-"don't be torment

u got your answer? We're poor ourselves, and we can't

you?" again cried the prophet, in an an

ood woman," repeated Nell

Sarah, addressing her step-mother. "

g, for he had again relapsed into his mo

an bear it-to a rich bodagh, or his proud lady of a wife-although it's a mean thing even to them; but to tell a lie to that heartbroken woman and her poor childhre-her childhre-aren't they her own?-an' who w

is," said her step-mother, looki

you. If these two choose to let you and your childhre die or sta

went also to the meal, and was about to interpose, when Sarah's frame became

elp these creatures I will. I'm your match now,

you won't have your wil

ied Sarah; "but help that poor

, "its a nice quarrel, although

r hould-I'm beginnin' to hate this kind of quarrellin'-here, let her have as much meal

d, but at the same time so resolute, that Nelly s

isted the poor creatures, who began to feel alarmed at the a

aid she, whilst emptying the

"you've saved my orphans;" and, as she uttered the words, her

ng up the youngest of the children, stroked

go without your supper

e same quick, abrupt manner,

ingled anger and disdain, "is it tears you're sheddin'-c

ty and full of strong contempt, and, as she stood in this singular but striking mood, it would indeed be difficult to conceive a finer type of energy, feeling, and beauty, than that which was embodied in her finely-turned and exquisite figure. Having thus

elf; "I never got it from either the one or the other-the ki

and made tender by its own sympathies, and she wept. Both of them looked at her; but as they were utterly incapable of underst

ed laboring under a fierce but gloomy

this, no longer; the saic

say it! Let me leave the counthry. Let me go

-," sa

"a murdherer! I know it now-I k

ren't you? Say how you did it. It was a struggle-a fight; he opposed you-he did, and your blood riz, and you stabbed him for fear he might stab you. That was it. Ha! ha! I k

ommanding in her sparkling eyes, and the energe

d it. This is the last night that I'll spend with a murdherer. You know what I've to

an' disgrace, an' guilt is all upon his head; you'd leave him, would you, and join the world against him? Father, on my knees I go to you;" and she dropped down as she spoke; "here on my knees I go to you, an' before you spake, mark, that through shame an' pain,

Donnel. "Did I say that I was a mur

d Nelly; "I knew it si

ce this day, and seen where you dug the Casharrawan. I have been strugglin' for

dherer?" asked Sarah; "what saicret; but t

dher on my head! but I know who the murdher

t'll do; all's right now; you're not a murdherer, you killed no man, aither in cowld blood or othe

her forefinger and thumb; and instead of seeming relieved by the disclosure she had just heard, which exonera

rved coolly, "an' tell us a

if she would hav

ubject as this?" But no sooner had she uttered the words than she started as if seized by a spasm. "Ah,

t," said Nelly, cold

sight of God, never to breathe this t

ied Sarah; "in the s

e," said he, ad

omise

God?" he added,

he sight of God, sinc

nger. It's my intention to go to a magistrate's as soon as my face gets well. For near two-and-twenty years, now, this saicret is lyin' ha

t," said his wife; "an' n

; "sorry for the sake of the Daltons. Oh! who

their knowledge of murdher saicret and won't tell it, is as bad as the murdherer himself. There's another thing I have to mention," h

ed Sarah, with animation;

he mean time it's hard to tell but it may turn up somewhere or

t was mixed up in some way with an act of murder, she determined to wait until he should explain himself at greater length upon the subject. Had Sarah been aware of its importance, she would have at once disclosed all she knew concerning it,

s already acquainted. On inspecting the newly-disturbed earth, he felt satisfied that the body had been discovered, and this circumstance, joined with the disappearance of the Tobacco-box, precipitated his determination to act as he was about to do; or, perhaps alt