'Sally, dear, the good woman wants to speak with me alone: so you may as well go and wait for me in my room.' And so the young lady stood alone in presence of her two visitors, whereupon, with a good many courtesies, and with great volubility, the elder dame commenced-- ''Tis what we heerd, Ma'am, that Captain Devereux, of the Artillery here, in Chapelizod, Ma'am, that's gone to England, was coortin' you my lady; and I came here with this little girl, Ma'am, if you plaze, to tell you, if so be it's thrue, Ma'am, that there isn't this minute a bigger villian out iv gaol--who brought my poor little girl there to disgrace and ruin, Ma'am ?' Here Nan Glynn began to sob into her apron.
''Twas you, Richard Devereux, that promised her marriage--with his hand on the Bible, on his bended knee.

'Twas you, Richard Devereux, you hardened villian--yes, Ma'am, that parjured scoundrel--( don't be cryin', you fool)--put that ring there, you see, on her finger, Miss, an' a priest in the room, an' if ever man was woman's husband in the sight of God, Richard Devereux is married to Nan Glynn, poor an' simple as she stands there.' 'Stop, mother,' sobbed Nan, drawing her back by the arm; 'don't you see the lady's sick.' 'No--no--not anything; only--only shocked,' said poor Lilias, as white as marble, and speaking almost in a whisper; 'but I can't say Captain Devereux ever spoke to me in the way you suppose, that's all.

I've no more to say.' Nan Glynn, sobbing and with her apron still to her eyes, was gliding to the door, but her mother looked, with a coarse sort of cunning in her eye, steadily at the poor young lady, in some sort her victim, and added more sternly-- 'Well, my lady, 'tis proud I am to hear it, an' there's no harm done, at any rate; an' I thought 'twas only right I should tell you the thruth, and give you this warnin', my lady; an' here's the atturney's writin', Ma'am--if you'll plaze to read it--Mr.Bagshot, iv Thomas Street--sayin', if you'll be plazed to look at it--that 'tis a good marriage, an' that if he marries any other woman, gentle or simple, he'll take the law iv him in my daughter's cause, the black, parjured villian, an' transport him, with a burnt hand, for bigamany; an' 'twas only right, my lady, as the townspeople was talking, as if it was as how he was thryin' to invagle you, Miss, the desaver, for he'd charrum the birds off the trees, the parjurer; and I'll tell his raverence all about it when I see him, in the morning--for 'tis only right he should know.

Wish the lady good-night, Nan, you slut--an the same from myself, Ma'am.' And, with another courtesy, the Glynns of Palmerstown withdrew..