"It's not good news," he proceeded, "in one sense, but it is in another; it's good news to all my family but that girl sittin' there," pointing to Kathleen.
Unfortunately no evil intelligence could have rendered the unhappy girl's cheek paler than it was; so that, so far as appearances went, it was impossible to say what effect this startling communication had upon her.
"I was down wid Misther Clinton," he proceeded; "he hard a report that there was about to be a makin' up of the differences between Kathleen there and Bryan, and he sent for me to say, that, for the girl's sake--who he said was, as he had heard from all quarthers, a respectable, genteel girl--he couldn't suffer a young man so full of thraichery and desate, as he had good raisons to know Bryan M'Mahon was, to impose himself upon her or her family.

He cautioned me," he proceeded, "and all of us against him; and said that if I allowed a marriage to take place between him and my daughter, he'd soon bring disgrace upon her and us, as well as himself.

'You may take my word for it, Mr.Cavanagh,' says he, 'that is not a thrifle 'ud make me send for you in sich a business; but, as I happen to know the stuff he is made of, I couldn't bear to see him take a decent family in so distastefully.
To my own knowledge, Cavanagh,' said he, 'he'd desave a saint, much less your innocent and unsuspectin' daughter.'" "But, father," said Hanna, "you know there's not a word of truth in that report; and mayn't all that has been said, or at least some of what has been said against Bryan, be as much a lie as that?
Who on earth: could sich a report come from ?" "I axed Mr.Clinton the same question," said the father, "and it appears that it came from Bryan himself." "Oh, God forbid!" exclaimed Hanna; "for, if it's a thing that he said that, he'd say anything." "I don't know," returned the father, "I only spake it as I hard it, and, what is more, I believe it--I believe it after what I hard this day; everybody knows him now--man, woman, an' child, Gheernah! what an escape that innocent girl had of him!" Kathleen rose up, went over to her father, and, placing her hand upon his shoulder, was about to speak, but she checked herself; and, after looking at them all, as it were by turns, with a look of distraction and calm but concentrated agony, she returned again to her seat, but did not sit down.
"After all," she exclaimed, "there has been no new crime brought against him, not one; but, if I acted wrongly and ungenerously once, I won't do so again.

Hanna, see his sister Dora, say I give him the next three weeks to clear himself; and, father, listen! if he doesn't do so within that time, take me, marry me to Edward Burke if you wish--of course Hycy's out of the question--since you must have it so, for the sooner I go to my grave the better.

There's his last chance, let him take it; but, in the mean time, listen to me, one and all of you.