nestes ladies as ever were born can't make pretty things out of their fingers' ends, else for sure Miss Helen Granard is the ganius for it."
"But you don't think her so clever or so pretty as her sisters, Judy?"
"Faith and troth, my lord yer honour, I should be glad to see which o'them (barrin thare aqual in the real goodness all five) can stand beside her in regard to the blue eyes, which are as innocent as the virgin's in Bethlehem (afore ever she cast them over the crowds in Jerusalem); and, as to the length of her white neck, and the way her head stands upon it, which, I'll be bound to say, will hardly be matched in all Connaught, and that's a bould word, rimimbering them that springs from the true Irish gentry."
A slight colour tinged the cheek and even flitted over the brow of our handsome, not less than noble questioner, as he recollected that his own conclusions and recollections coincided with the opinions of an ignorant old Irishwoman, "but certainly no fool—the Irish are all acute and discerning. But why did she look at him? What could she mean by it?"
"Then you have nothing to sell in your basket, Judy? You are going to take those screens and things, I trust, to the true owner."
"Of course; and it's true, yer honour, my basket has nothing whatever that 'ud tempt a gentleman to buy who is not in the matrimonial line, for it wants plenishing sadly, and it's little Miss Helen can do to-
