My New Curate

priest? He's independent of him." It was not grammatical, and it was not respectful. But the bad grammar and the impertinence

ear old friend and curate, Father Tom Laverty, came to me

ather Dan. L

ty miles distant, and to be in time to discharge his duties in that parish

innovations of any kind. We held the same political opinions, preached the same sermons, administered the Sacraments in the old way, and had a reverence f

re's no help f

I; "but i

made up his mind you might as

morrow?" said I, consult

d he, "sho

I getting?

d he. He was in no h

gh for one of our new laborers' cottages, were crowned by a kitchen table, its four legs pointing steadily to the firmament, like an untrussed fowl's, and between them, carefully roped, was the plague and the pet of the village, Nanny the goat, with her little kid beside her. What Nanny could not do in the way of mischief was so insignificant, that it need not be told. But the Celtic vocabulary, particularly rich in expletives, fai

id you, Father,

ey thry wid you. Sure

the poor do now,

his ring and his mitre, and his grand

"may God be with you." She ran after him. "Pray for me," she whispered.

ed towa

ber you. And don't forg

condescension, that she blushed scarlet: and hast

ghty bless yo

ll the little boys and the sheilas with their wide eyes full of sorrow. He passed by hastily, never looking up. His heart was with these children.

by, Fa

by, Fa

a moment they were all in tears; and I, too, b

walk; for I was feeble enough on my limbs, though my head is as clear as a boy's of seventeen. And here we used to lean over the parapet, and talk o

ays a bite and a sup and a bed, whenever you come hit

I saw the melancholy procession fade away, and until he became a

ent for adaptation, it would have been dispelled as I passed again through the villag

od, we have hi

s, that in our village idioms mean the master and mist

are him to us. God

ong! Wisha, your reverence might have a co

drooped spirits. I went home, sat down by my litt

nd drew my breviary towards me. I had read my Matins and Lauds for the following day, before dinner; I always do, to keep up the old tradition amongst the Irish priests; but I read somewhere that it is always a good thing to edify people who come to see you. And I didn

is

now, your

t a p

," she whispered. "He talks like

candle, an

Letheby, B

new curat

ration for the "strange gintleman" evapor

nclusions from the way he spoke. He bit off his words, as riflemen bite their cartridges, he chiselled every consonant, and gave full free scope to ever

roubling you at such an unseasonable hour; but I am utterly unacquainted with t

packet of pins to Reckitt's blue, and from pigs' crubeens to the best Limerick flitches. There's a conglomeration of smells," I continued, "that would shame the City on the Bosphorus; and there ar

," he said un

was determined to do. Then I

on and poor fare that this poor presbytery affords, I shall be delighted

tremely kind. Would you pardon me a moment, whilst

was softened. But I was dete

was a fine fellow. Fairly tall, square shouldered, not a bit stout, but clean cut from head to spur, I thought I should not like to meet him in a wrestling bout, or try a collision over a football. He had a mass of black hair, glossy and curled, and parted at the left side. Large, blue-black luminous eyes, that looked you squarely in the face, were hardly as expressive as a clear

ng?" I said. "You ha

uble," he said, "I'l

g the

of tea, Han

ah. She had the usual feminine

said decisively, "

make an alderman hungry, and two poached eggs on toast. I was awfully proud of my domestic

ass knobs, and took up his rug, whew! it was that soft and fine it would do to wrap up the Quee

like your

delicious,"

el as a cow would chew the cud on a lazy summer afternoon, without noise or haste, and h

ll find this place dull after your last missi

, "I thought the Bishop m

ing; but the Bishop is rather laconic in his epist

me a curate without letting me know of it. And I thought I was using select language,

ing?" I said. "You ha

a populous mission, and quite full of those daily trials and contingencies that ma

constabulary barracks, you must seek your society here in an occasional conversaz

e you I want some time to brush up the little I have eve

and it made me

only access to which is through a bog or the bed of a mountain stream; and your income will reach the princely sum of sixty pounds per annum. But," I added hastil

id cheerily, "and I am prepared to take them together. I

han a barelegged gossoon; and who was prepared to find his pleasure amongst such untoward sur

and said his own in my little oratory; and he came down to b

ver woke till I heard some f

he great house," I replied

e, "I understood I was

re shaved

"I couldn't think of sitting down to breakfast, much l

Do you mean to say you chang

ly, Sir,

his is a change." But I said nothing; but s

er from the Bish

diocese. He has just returned from England, where he won golden opinions from the people and the priests. I may mention that he was an exhibitioner under the Intermediate System; and took a gold medal fo

in C

d I thought of his Lordship's words: "I can send him a curate who will break his heart in six weeks." But as I looked over my cup at Father Letheby