My New Curate

A strong, rough lot they were, with whom a word meant a blow; gentlemen every inch of them, who would die for the faith whose dogmas they knew nothing of, and whose commands they ignored. Often in th

here he fidgeted in his pew, and twisted and writhed under the sermon. He never went to Confession; not even to his Easter duty,-which prevented me from accepting the hospitalities which he freely proffered. There were other little circumstances which made me wish not to be too intimate. Whatever political opinions I held, and they were thin and colorless enough, were in direct antagonism to his. He was a three-bottle Tory, who regarded the people as so many serfs, who provided laborers for his comfort, and paid him for the privilege of living on stony mountain or barren bog. The idea of their having any rights struck him as positively ludicrous. There was but one thing that had rights, and that was the fetish, property. Every attempt, therefore, to lift the people from that condition of serfdom h

d usually placid face stole a look of apprehension, as if a shadow of coming evil was thrown forward by the undefined future. Yet why should she fear, who hated no one, but poured her love abroad upon all? Ah, why? is it not upon the gentle and the kind that the hailstones of destiny beat oftenest, as if

e said. "A penny, nay, a

d eagerly, "I want a poun

good imagination. You shall have it, Bittra," he said, coming over, and gently strok

awk, Bittra; would

her tall, beautiful figure passed

like her

ofa, and looked out ove

ange and crimson sky, and a cool, welcome breeze from the sea, that just lifts up the fans of the palms, and a stray curl on the forehead of a girl-for she was hardly more than a girl-who sat out on the tiny lawn, and at her feet the young naval officer, who had carried off his bride at the last season at the Castle and brought her here under southern skies, and believed that this was the world-and he

imself, "and I called her 'Bittra' i

and Bittra came in, immediately

he said, as he broke up his toast, "an

it fitted in with her appreh

ing. "But I have got mysterious

d Bittra. "She can

se, she said, as if co

are pretty certain to be troublesome.

you do? Life is warp and woof. It must be held toge

e a station at the glen in the morning. M

n a room with two beds, and a squalling baby, with the bread tak

so bad as that. They do

eir reverences. There are two or th

think there was a little kindly malice in my thoughts when I allowed him enter first, and plunge into the night of smoke that generally filled these huts. Then the saying of Mass on a deal table, with a horse collar overhead, and a huge collie dog beneath, and hens making frantic attempts to get on the altar-cloth,-I smiled to myself, and was quite imp

tchen,-it took me a long time to discern their faces in the gloom of the smoke. And then I'd have given half that I have ever learned to be able to paint them,-strong, brave mountaineers, their faces ruddy from sun and wind; and such a reverential attitude! And then the idea of their coming over to me, a young lad like themselves, and kneeling down on

e did not see the cabin until we were quite close to it; and when we entered, the first person we saw, kneeling on the mud floor, but the kindness of the people had placed a bag under her knees, was Bittra Campion. She was wrapped round about with a waterproof cloak, the hood of which, lined with blue, covered her head, and only left her face visible. There she knelt among the simple people; and if the saint of the

and when I knew it was ended, and was studying some faded photographs of American friends over the

ct for Him whom you have just received

ease there in that little bedroom with its mud floor and painted chairs, than in Captain Campion's dining-room. It is quite true, that James Casey cut the bread very thick, and drank his tea with a good deal of expression from his saucer. But these were slight drawbacks. The eggs were fresh and milky, the cream delicious, the tea strong, the bread crispy, the butter sweet and golden; and the daughters of the house and the mother waited on us with a thoroughness and courtesy, that would have done credit to a court; and we talk

e boulders of the torrent, and made our way through slushy mud and dripping

hat, and shaking down st

gine those people standing up coolly, immediately after having received

they were kneeling?"

ed it was n

pointed, like some allusions in our sermons. D

Mass,"

g peas in pilgrims' shoes? Some, I believe, and I think Erasmus is the authority, had the wisdom to boil those peas. But you cannot boil cobblestones. I n

reverence, would you lave m

rain, I took the opportunity of giving a little advice. It is a little luxury I am rather fond of, like the ki

en, like that famous monster, you must cauterize the wound to heal, or prevent new hideous developments. You have, as yet, no idea of how many ways, all different and mutually antagonistic, there are, of looking at things in Ireland. To your mind there seems but one,-one judgment

eat attention. Do I understand you to say that each mirror is prepared to fight for

I mean," I said, "I mean the

upidity. But I am a little b

say: "Yes! yes! to be sure! to be sure!" or, "Ki bono? ki bono?" which grated h

. "It is very interesting, indeed. You wer

idity here; but the p

uieta non movere. Take now your frequent altar denunciations of local superstitions,-the eggs found in the garden, and the consequent sterility of the milk, the evil eye and the cattle dying, etc., etc.,-it will take more than altar denunciations, believe me,-it will take years of vigorous education to relegate these ide

from the gig; "but it sounds also, pardon t