The Kellys and the O'Kellys

he lay, trembling and anxious; fearing she knew not what, and trying to compose herself-trying to make herself think that she had no present cause for fear; but

return with her and keep her company for the remainder of the night. She did not quite tell the good-natured girl all that had passed; she did not own that her brother had threatened to send her to a madhouse, or that he had sworn to have

s at last asleep, started to carry into immediate execution the counsels she had given during the night. As she passed the head of the stairs, she heard the loud

, darlint! Up wid

be doing out n

e used her disperate. Faix, it's a wo

e are ye

vich. Asy now; I'll be telling you all bye

here'd she be goin

another night in his dhrunkenness. We must git her out before he sleeps h

of the inn. She tried to get in at the back, but the yard gates were fastened; and Jack, the ostler, did not seem to be about yet. So she gave a timid, modest knock, with the iron knocker, on the front door. A pause, and then a second k

ly, in her little bed-room behind the shop, well knew the sound of that knocker, and,

" said Biddy, well kno

What is it yo

ate thin

Who are you, I say;

'm wanting to spake to yerself, ma'am-about

Why don't you go to Doctor Colligan, av

a'am. Av' you'd just be good enough to

t her curiosity was stronger than her charity; they both, howev

sich terrible doings up at the

ifferent; and the careful widow again bolted the door, and followed the woman into certainly the warmest place in Dunmore, for the turf fire in the inn kitch

ad, settled it over her shoulders, and pre

hearing, in the morn yesterday, as how Miss Anty and Mr Martin, God bless him!-were to make a match

er without a wife for one while, and he needn't be quar

nder; and Terry says he dhrunk the whole of a bottle of wine, and then he called for the sperrits, and swilled away at them till he was nigh dhrunk. Well, wid that, ma'am, he sent for Miss Anty, and the momen

ll this, Biddy?

him, and nobody nigh, so I and Terry betook ourselves nigh the door, and, partly heard what was going on; that's the thruth on it, Mrs Kelly; and, afther a dale of rampaging a

't see th

her, the big blackguard, stricking at her wid all his force! Well, wid that ma'am, I rushed into the room-at laist, I didn't rush in-for how could I, and the door locked?-but I knocked agin and agin, for I war afeard he would be murthering her out and out. So, I calls out, as loud as I could, as ho

iddy, that her own brothe

warn't long coming round-she didn't say much, nor did I; for I didn't just like then to be sayin

e cursin

Mr Barry war just like the divil-as he's painted, only for his ears. After that Terry wint to bed; and I and Judy weren't long afther him, for we didn't care to be sitting up alone wid him, and he mad dhrunk. So we turned in, and we were in bed maybe two hours or so, and fast enough, when down come the misthress-as pale as a sheet, wid a candle in her hand, and begged me, for dear life, to come up into her room to her, and so

he much hu

ma'am: and he shuck the very life out of her po

what is it your misthress is wishing to

r anything be staying in the house with Mr Barry; and as she didn't seem to be kno

ol! Did she tell you sh

he didn't unsay it; so, wid that, I thought I'd come down here the first thing, and av' you,

he must encounter; and she didn't like the thoughts of its being said that her son had married an old fool, and cozened her out of her money. But still, four hundred a-year was a great thing; and Anty was a good-tempered tractable young woman, of the right religion, and would not make a bad wife; and, on reconsideration, Mrs Kelly thought the thing wasn't to be sneezed at. Then, again, she hated Barry, and, having a high spirit, felt indignant that he should think of preventing her son from marrying his sister, if th

you so arly? I thought maybe you'd be glad to befrind Miss

u're right, this morning. Mr

be off him yet this long while. And will I

es and stockings, and my cloak, and bonnet. I must go up wid you myself, and ask yer misthress down, as

s you are, God bless you!" whimpered forth Biddy, who, now that she had obtained

tle parlour upstairs, and to get a cup of tay ready, and to have Miss Meg up. Your misthress'll be the better of a quiet sleep aft

n the widow, as she went to announce all the news to Sally and Kate, while Mrs Kelly ma

had to pick her way in the half light, and observed that "she'd never been up to the house since old Simeon Lynch built it, and w

let them in; and though she stared when she saw

eful to avoid waking Barry, for, had a drove of oxen been driven upstairs, it would not have roused him. However, up she cre

and she trembled in her bed, when, on her asking what was the

ading on one of his stray fingers. "It's only me, my dear. Biddy's been down to me, like a good girl; and I tell you what-this is no place for you, just at present, Miss Anty; not till such time as things is settled a li

be a dale betther for you than waiting here to be batth

usly afraid of Barry now that she was in his house, "don't be saying such things, to frighthen her. But you'll be asier there than here," she

the town to the inn; while Biddy was left to pack up such things as were necessary for her mistress' use, and enjoined to hurry down with them to the inn as quick as she could; for, as the widow said, "there war no use

already beginning to repent what she was doing; for there were idlers about, and she felt ashamed of carrying off the young heiress. But these feelings vanished the moment she had crossed her own sill. When she had once got Anty home

at the lawyer's, when the deeds were prepared which young Kelly's genuine honesty made him think necessary before he eloped with old Sim Lynch's h

ot of tea sufficient to supply the morning wants of half a regiment, and had fully determined that it should not be wasted. The Kelly girls were both up, and ready

nd safest course, for the present, would be, as she expressed it to her

ighty, that put a good roof over the lone widow this day, he can't clutch her here. Wouldn't I like to see him come to the door and ax for her! And he can't smash the acres, nor the money they say Mulholland has, at Tuam; and faix, av' he does any harm up there at the house, shure enough Anty can make him pay for it-every pot and pan of it-out of his share, and she'll do it, too-av' she's said by me. But mind, I'll neither meddle nor make; neither do you, and then we're safe, and Anty too. And Martin'll be here soon-I wondher what good Dublin'll do him?-They might have the Repale without him, I suppose?-And when he's here, why, av' he's minded to marry her, and she's plased, why, Fathe

he could exercise the Christian virtues of charity and hospitality towards Anty, and, at the same time, secure her son's wishes and welfare, without subjecting her own name to any obloquy, or putting herself to any loss or inconvenience. She determined to

on as Anty showed the slightest inclination that way; and, though she at first was afraid to talk about her brother, and was even, from kindly feeling, unwilling to do so, the luxury of such an opportunity of unrestrained confidence overcame her; and, befo

n to murder her, unless she promised him not to marry; and when she described how brutally he had struck her, and how, afterwards, he had crept to her room, with his red eyes and swollen face, in the

the intended effect, and frighten her from the match. However, they kindly talked of other things-of how impossible it was that she should go back to Dunmore House, and how comfortable and snug they would make her at the inn, till sh

behest, one of them darted down to mix a dandy of punch, or weigh a pound of sugar, when the widow was imperatively employed elsewhere, she was upstairs again, before her mother could look about her; and, at last

me down and mind the shop, till her sister, having dined, should come down and relieve guard. She ha

the moment, have been more frightened; and she stood staring at him, as if

Barry; "d'ye hear? I want to s

how Mr Lynch had managed to