“Tace,” said Father Ned—­“tace, and that’s Latin for a candle.”

“I deny that,” said the curate; “tace is the imperative mood from tacco, to keep silent.  Tacco, taces, tacui, tacere, tacendi, tacendo tac—­”

“Ned, go on with your story, and never mind that deep larning of his—­he’s almost cracked with it,” said the superior:  “go on, and never mind him.”

“‘Well,’ says he, ’I’m still willing to marry you, particularly as you feel conthrition for what you were going to do.’  So, with this, they all gother about her, and, as the officer was a fine fellow himself, prevailed upon her to let the marriage be performed, and they were accordingly spliced as fast as his Reverence could make them.

“‘Now, Jack,’ says the dog, ’I want to spake with you for a minute—­it’s a word for your own ear;’ so up he stands on his two hind legs, and purtinded to be whisp’ring something to him; but what do you think?—­he gives him the slightest touch on the lips with his paw, and that instant Jack remimbered the lady and everything that happened betune them.

“‘Tell me, this instant,’ says Jack, seizing him by the throat, ’where’s the darling, at all, at all, or by this and by that you’ll hang on the next tree!’

“Jack spoke finer nor this, to be sure, but as I can’t give his tall English, the sorra one of me will bother myself striving to do it.

“‘Behave yourself,’ says the dog, ‘just say nothing, only follow me.’

“Accordingly, Jack went out with the dog, and in a few minutes comes in again, leading along with him, on the one side, the loveliest lady that ever eye beheld, and the dog, that was her brother, metamurphied into a beautiful, illegant gintleman, on the other.

“‘Father Flannagan,’ says Jack, ’you thought a little while ago you’d have no marriage, but instead of that you’ll have a brace of them;’ up and telling the company, at the same time, all that had happened to him, and how the beautiful crathur that he had brought in with him had done so much for him.

“Whin the gintlemen heard this, as they Were all Irishmen, you may be sure there was nothing but huzzaing and throwing up of hats from them, and waving of hankerchers from the ladies.  Well, my dear, the wedding dinner was ate in great style; the nobleman proved himself no disgrace to his rank at the trencher; and so, to make a long story short, such faisting and banquetteering was never since or before.  At last, night came; among ourselves, not a doubt of it, but Jack thought himself a happy man; and maybe, if all was known, the bride was much in the same opinion:  be that as it may, night came—­the bride, all blushing, beautiful, and modest as your own sweetheart, was getting tired after the dancing; Jack, too, though much stouter, wished for a trifle of repose, and many thought it was near time to throw the stocking, as is proper, of coorse, on every occasion of the kind.