“‘There’s the O’Hallaghans,’ says Rose.

“‘Ay,’ replied Katty; ’you may talk of beauty, now; did you ever lay your two eyes on the likes of Rose for downright—­musha, if myself knows what to call it—­but, anyhow, she’s the lovely crathur to look at.’

“Kind reader, without a single disrespectful insinuation against any portion of the fair sex, you may judge what Rose O’Hallaghan must have been, when even these three were necessitated to praise her in her absence!

“‘I’ll warrant,’ observed Katty, ’we’ll soon be after seeing John O’Callaghan’—­(he was my own cousin)—­’sthrolling afther them, at his ase.’

“‘Why,’ asked Rose, ‘what makes you say that?’

“‘Bekase,’ replied the other, I’ve a rason for it.’

“‘Sure John O’Callaghan wouldn’t be thinking of her,’ observed Rose, ’and their families would see other shot:  their factions would never have a crass marriage, anyhow.’

“‘Well,’ said Peggy, ’it’s the thousand pities that the same two couldn’t go together; for fair and handsome as Rose is, you’ll not deny but John comes up to her; but I faix! sure enough it’s they that’s the proud people on both sides, and dangerous to make or meddle with, not saying that ever there was the likes of the same two for dacency and peaceableness among either of the factions.’

“‘Didn’t I tell yez?’ cried Katty; ’look at him now staling afther her; and it’ll be the same thing going home again; and, if Rose is not much belied, it’s not a bit displasing to her.’

“’Between ourselves, observed Peggy, it would be no wondher the darling young crathur would fall in love with him; for you might thravel the country afore you’d meet with his fellow for face and figure.’

“‘There’s Father Ned,’ remarked Katty; ’we had betther get into the chapel before the scroodgin comes an, or your bonnet and gown, Rose, won’t be the betther for it.’

“They now proceeded to the chapel, and those who had been amusing themselves after the same mode, followed their exemplar.  In a short time the hedges and ditches adjoining the chapel were quite in solitude, with the exception of a few persons from the extreme parts of the parish, who might be seen running with all possible velocity ‘to overtake mass,’ as the phrase on that point expresses itself.

“The chapel of Knockimdowny was situated at the foot of a range of lofty mountains; a by-road went past the very door, which had under subjection a beautiful extent of cultivated country, diversificated by hill and dale, or rather by hill and hollow; for, as far as my own geographical knowledge goes, I have uniformly found them inseparable.  It was also ornamented with the waving verdure of rich corn-fields and meadows, not pretermitting phatie-fields in full blossom—­a part of rural landscape which, to my utter astonishment, has escaped the pen of poet, and the brush of painter; although I will risk my reputation as a man of pure and categorical taste,