Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

82 RAVENSHOE.
Master and Miss Mary against the corner of the stone wall to
turn her down the gully, you must have her."
The look of astonishment had gradually faded from Father
Tiernay's face. It is said, that one of the great elements of
power in the Roman Catholic priesthood is, that they can lend
themselves to any little bit of- well, of mild deception - which
happens to be going. Father Tiernay was up to the situation.
He looked from the keeper to Charles, with a bland and stolid
expression of face, and said, -
"If she is a witch, mark my words, the dogs will never touch
her. The way would be to bite up a crooked sixpence and fire
at her with that. I shall be there to see the sport. I never
hunted a witch yet."
" Has your reverence ever seen a white polecat?" said the
keeper.
" No, never," said the priest; " I have heard of them, though.
My friend, Mr. Moriarty, of Castledown (not Mountdown Castle,
ye understand; that is the state of my lord Mountdown, whose
blessed mother was a Moriarty, the heavens be her bed), claimed
to have seen one; but, bedad, no one else ever saw it, and he said
it turned brown again as the season came round. Mlay the -
may the saints have my sowl, if I believe a word of it."
"I have one, your reverence; and it is a rarity, I allow.
Stoats turn white often in hard winters, but polecats rarely. If
your reverence and your honor will excuse me a moment, I will
fetch it. It was shot by my Lord Welter when he was staying
here last winter. A fine shot is my lord, your reverence, for so
young a man."
He left the room, and the priest and Charles were left alone
together.
"Does he believe all this rubbish about witches? " said Father
Tiernay.
"As firmly as you do the liquefaction of the blood of- "
" There, there; we don't want all that. Do you believe
in it?"
"Of course I don't," said Charles; "but why should I tell
him so?"
"Why do you lend yourself to such a humbug?"
"Why do you?"
" Bpgorra, I don't know. I am always lending. I lent a lowbrowed, hang-jawed spalpeen of a Belgian priest two pound the
other day, and sorra a half-penny of it will me mother's son ever
see again. Hark "
There were voices approaching the lodge, - the voices of two
uneducated persons quarrelling; one that of a man, and the other
of a woman. They both made so much out in a moment. Charles