Sho da slainthah ma collenee agus ma bouchalee.  Hoigh, oigh, oigh, healths all! gintlemen seculars!  Molshy,’ says the friar to my mother-in-law, ’send that bocaun* to bed—­poor fellow, he’s almost off—­rouse yourself, James!  It’s aisy to see that he’s but young at it yet—­that’s right—­he’s sound asleep—­just toss him into bed, and in an hour or so he’ll be as fresh as a daisy.

     * A soft, unsophisticated youth.

Let parsons prache and pray—­
-----Forral, orral, loll.’

“For dear’s sake, Father Rooney,’ says my uncle, running in, in a great hurry, ’keep yourself quiet a little; here’s the Squire and Mister Francis coming over to fulfil their promise; he would have come up airlier, he says, but that he was away all day at the ‘sizes.’

“‘Very well,’ says the friar, ’let him come—­who’s afeard—­mind yourself, Michael.’

“In a minute or two they came in, and we all rose up of course to welcome them.  The Squire shuck hands with the ould people, and afterwards with Mary and myself, wishing us all happiness, then with the two clergymen, and introduced Master Frank to them; and the friar made the young chap sit beside him.  The masther then took a sate himself, and looked on while they were dancing, with a smile of good-humor on his face—­while they, all the time, would give new touches and trebles, to show off all their steps before him.  He was landlord both to my father and father-in-law; and it’s he that was the good man, and the gintleman every inch of him.  They may all talk as they will, but commend me, Mr. Morrow, to some of the ould squires of former times for a landlord.  The priests, with all their larning, were nothing to him for good breeding—­he appeared so free, and so much at his ase, and even so respectful, that I don’t think there was one in the house but would put their two hands under his feet to do him a sarvice.

“When he sat a while, my mother-in-law came over with a glass of nice punch that she had mixed, at least equal to what the friar praised so well, and making a low curtshy, begged pardon for using such freedom with his honor, but hoped that he would just taste a little to the happiness of the young couple.  He then drank our healths, and shuck hands with us both a second time, saying—­although I can’t, at all at all, give it in anything like his own words—­’I am glad,’ says he, to Mary’s parents, ’that your daughter has made such a good choice;’—­throth he did—­the Lord be merciful to his sowl—­God forgive me for what I was going to say, and he a Protestant;—­but if ever one of yez went to heaven, Mr. Morrow, he did;—­’ such a prudent choice; and I congr—­con—­grathu-late you,’ says he to my father, ’on your connection with so industrious and respectable a family.  You are now beginning the world for yourselves,’ says he to Mary and me, ’and I cannot propose a better example to you both than that of your respective parents.  From this forrid,’ says he, ’I’m