of the solitary man had rendered almost domestic, flew in and out of various holes towards the top, which he had perforated for their accommodation. Under the eaves of the hut, which a very moderately-sized person could touch without reaching the hand much above the head, were the mud-nests of innumerable martins; and the thatch, composed as it was of a strange mingling of rushes and straw—with here and therea blue slate or a red tile—was literally alive with sparrows, who, where they could not find holes, had scooped them, and therein made their nests of hay, lined with feathers, and laid therein each pair-five or six white eggs, spotted with red, in the hope of keeping up the sparrow tribe, which no naturalist that ever I heard of dreaded would become extinct-little busy, noisy, destructive chatterers they are. Over the door was a round hole which enabled several pigeons to go in and out-partakers alike of their master's affections and his fare; beneath grunted and grubbed a pig, while a one-eyed grey-faced terrier, whose upper lip, nearly torn off in some rude fray, exposed to view a set of aged, yet most unamiable teeth, which rendered him certainly a very picturesque, if not a very pleasing personage, kept a careful look-out over all living things and their behaviour; the fellow's

.one eye also possessed the intelligence of two, it was so bright, so keen, so observant--no vile rat, no stoat, no weazel, neither badger, nor cub fox, could escape "Fangs," that is, when he thought proper to exert his talents and industry for their destruction; but he was not always disposed to activity-he suffered from the inroads of time, and waged but little war, except indeed that occasionally he would seize on an incautious wild rabbit, never meddling with hares, an animal his master took under his own especial protection, and Fangs protected all his master cared for, a proof of canine friendship which man would do well to imitate. Fangs had seen Ellen so frequently that he treated her as an old acquaintance, moved from his position, and wagged his little stumpy tail in token of recognition. He smelt Alice's hand, and seemed satisfied that she might be permitted to enter the hut without so much as a suspicious growl; and as she bowed her head in compliance with the rules prescribed by the low doorway, the Bocher from within cried, or rather whispered out, "Asy-asy turn your shadow t'other way-there-there asy-asy-or you'll fright her off her nest. My dawshy darlint you warkeep still, my beauty-there now-there nowasy-asy-Nelly, keep quite, will you. Well,

Nelly, sure I am there was a cross in my star the night you were born, for it's one of my heart scalds you are. Will you, and her that is with you, just keep asy till I settle Vourneen on her nest, or else I'll lay the addling of her eggs on the pair of you?”

own.

Thus warned, the two girls stood on the threshhold, Ellen smiling, and even making wry faces at the delay, Alice patiently waiting until she was desired to enter, while the Bocher coutinued talking to his favourite pigeon, Vour neen, who appeared to have a way of her "It's your coming, Nelly, has bothered the bird!" he exclaimed in an angry tone, “and it's small sense and worse manners you have, to stand there making faces at the wise man-if wise he be. Ay, stop, now that you're found out, and look as mild as new milk. Ah! there's more cunning in you than's good for you, any way. What are you after now? Have you got a new bachelor and sent off the ould one? or have you lost the half of a lucky sixpence or

do

you want a cup tossed, (when you want that done, I'll trouble you not to forget to bring the tay, as you did last time,) or do you want to find out whether your colour at the next pattern should be blue or green?-to think of a man like me, and with my knowledge, being bothered

about such things by a pack of silly wenches! God be with the times, when those well-born and well-bred came to the lone Bocher of the Red-gap, to know of wars, and signs, and life, and death! Ah, those were tines!"

"Indeed, then, daddy," replied the mortified Ellen, who had often boasted to Alice that she was one of the Bocher's prime favourites, “indeed, then, daddy, though you're a little put out now, I can tell you, that many a girl comes from the love and respect she has for yourself, and only that."

"Love!" screamed the Bocher, irritated at the word, "love!-love for me!-What girl ever loved me!-ever could love this-Ah !— ah-love a crooked back-a lame, disjointed leg, and a withered arm-respect too—no, no— not respect, but fear-sharp, bitter fear!" He continued muttering and murmuring to himself, when, in the midst of his invectives, Vourneen, his favourite, escaped from his assiduities, and flew almost into Alice's bosom; the pretty white creature expanded and contracted the circle of her pink and glowing eyes, and did not seem at all inclined to leave the protection she had chosen, and the Bocher, as he came forth to seek her, seemed both pleased and surprised to see her there. "Oh, Vourneen, Vourneen," he

exclaimed, attempting to caress the bird, who made believe to peck at his finger with her fair soft bill-"there's no use in fighting against natur, her own two eggs were broke by accident, and I wanted to give her two others—but she knows the differ-she knows the differ. You're in luck, young woman, to have a white pigeon light on your shoulder-you're in great luck-it's a blessed omen. Vourneen, agra! it's long till you'd go to that brown-skinned witch, though you know her fast enough, and good right you have to remember her, by token of the feathers she pulled out of your tail for mischief."

"Law, daddy! that was long ago, when I had but small sense."

"Small sense! small sense!" repeated the Bocher," as if you ever had any other; and now, Mistress Nelly, just because you bothered Stiff Tom Dizney last night, about his daughter's letter and the like, you think you have a right, I suppose, to walk yourself in here, and gather yourself up in my chimney-corner, and, opening that great fly-trap of a mouth of yours, swallow down every word said by Miss Alice to me, or me to Miss Alice; but you never war more out in your life, so tramp off with yourself, while Miss Alice and I talk our talk."