herself and take him about with her. I am quite sure she understood that he was to be her protector."
"Thank you, Dick," I said, and I am sure he knew I was grateful.
By this time we had come near the house, outside which the car stood. Andy was inside, and evidently did not expect our coming so soon, for he sat with a measure of stout half emptied before him on the table, and on each of his knees sat a lady—one evidently the mother of the other. As we appeared in the doorway he started up.
"Be the powdhers, there's the masther! Grit up, acushla!"—this to the younger woman, for the elder had already jumped up. Then to me:—
"Won't ye sit down, yer 'an'r—there's only the wan chair, so ye see the shifts we're dhruv to, whin there's three iv us. I couldn't put Mrs. Dempsey from off iv her own shtool, an' she wouldn't sit on me knee alone—the dacent woman!—so we had to take the girrul on too. They all sit that way in these parts!" The latter statement was made with brazen openness and shameless effrontery. I shook my finger at him:—
"Take care, Andy. You'll get into trouble one of these days!"
"Into throuble! for a girrul sittin' on me knee! Begor! the Govermint'll have to get up more coorts and more polis if they want to shtop that ould custom. An' more betoken, they'll have to purvide more shtools, too. Mrs. Dempsey, whin I come round agin, mind ye kape
