'You don't know anything at all about it, you silly girl,' cried Norah, more cheered by Nancy's news and by her assured interpretation of it than she would have cared to confess even to herself.

''Deed thin, miss, I don't think I know as much about it as you do,' retorted Nancy archly, drying her eyes, and laughing in her relief to find Norah faithful to Maurice; for she had now no doubt of this. Sorra a shweetheart I have in the wurruld.'

You're just as well without one, Nancy,' said Norah, in jesting earnest.

They're a dale more throuble nor they're worth, miss, I'm thinkin'; but we're onaisy till we get 'em, and never aisy afther. But shure it's in bed ye ought to be by this, miss, an' me chatterin' of what "I don't know anything at all about." But I was in dhread it was the other wan, Miss Norah, and that's the truth.’

'Well, it isn't the other one, or anyone or anything; but I'm just tired out, Nancy. I

was done up before I started with fatigue and fright.'

'Fright, miss?

'I was near being burned alive, Nancy.' 'Holy Mother!' exclaimed Nancy, crossing herself.

There, I'll tell you all about it when I get into bed.'

It will be seen that Norah laid a regular trap for Nancy's curiosity to tumble into, with a motive which anyone who is, or has been, in love, will understand a longing desire to talk of Maurice, and tell her hero's heroism even to Nancy.

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CHAPTER XXX.

FATHER MAC FINDS THE SCENT.

It was a system of wise and deliberate contrivance, as well fitted for the oppression and degradation of a people and the debasement in them of human nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man.-EDMUnd Burke.

For the oppression has gone far farther than into the economics of Ireland; inwards to her very heart and soul. The Irish national character is degraded, disordered.-THOMAS CARLYLE.

Since time began a system more atrocious was never devised to crush the human conscience.-LORD O'HAGAN (Lord Chancellor of Ireland).

NORAH was very far from thinking what she said that Nancy didn't know anything at all about it.' On the contrary, she felt that Nancy was a very shrewd person-all the shrewder, she thought, because of her persuasion of Maurice's love and jealousy. Before she slept that night she got out of the girl—what helped her to a sounder sleep than she otherwise would have had a detailed description of

Maurice's frenzied reception of the news that she had gone on a visit to the Summers. That abrupt interview on the doorsteps lost nothing, you may be sure, in Nancy's description; for the girl, for her life, couldn't have helped exaggerating in any case least of all in a case where exaggeration gave Norah such pleasure.

"She's gone," says I.

""Where?" says he, grippin' me by the arrum till I shcreamed, I did. More be token it was as black as my shoe the nexht day.

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Aisy, Misther Maurice," says I; "aisy, an' I'll tell ye all."

"Where?" says he agin, shakin' me like a

""Lord save us!" says I; but before I could crass myself, he was half-way down the avenue like a madman. "You've done it now,

Miss Norah," says I to myself;

I to myself; "an' him the han'somest man in Munster, an' more thought

on nor a juke, an' always followin' you about like your shadow."

That is, as long as the sun shines, Nancy,' retorted Norah, affecting to make light of Nancy's momentous news.

Ah, shure it's all shadow in the dark, miss,' replied Nancy readily; an' sorra a bit of the butterfly there is about Misther Maurice's love, Miss Norah, to come out only when the sun's shinin'. Things looked black enough agin' him when he walked through the fire to save ye for some wan else, as he thought; and thinks still, I'll be bound,' looking keenly at Norah. Only the continuance of a misunderstanding between the two could account in Nancy's shrewd judgment for Norah's evident wretchedness. But at this moment Miles knocked and entered with the tea.

You may bring up dinner, Nancy, as Father

Mac is not likely to come now.' And, indeed,