borough. She has given mother her washing, and I was there yesterday and such a beautiful place I never set my eyes on. The housekeeper took me into the gardens, and I got a peep at the drawing room. I say, Nell, how would you like to be a lady, and have a place like yon?"

Kitty's widowed mother was a laundress, and owned a cottage on the Point and a fine field for drying at the foot of the mountain behind.

"I never tried, and I don't know," said Nell; "I'm very well the way I am, if people would only let me alone."

CHAPTER II.

PETER'S COmrade.

"How do I look, Peter, and am I a genuine sailor? Would my mother know me, if she happened to meet me full in the face ?"

The question was asked by one of Peter's fellow-sailors as their ship, bound from Portsmouth to Warrenpoint, crossed the Harbour Bar, and made gallant way down Carlingford Lough.

"I don't know about your mother, sir; they say mothers have sharp eyes; but I don't believe I'd have known you myself-an' that's a good deal to say."

"I'll keep out of her way till the freak is over; and, Peter, don't you be saying Sir' to me, you know. 'Jack' will come as easy to you, won't it? Hallo! those are the white cottages of Killowen Point, aren't they? And there are the coastguards spying at us."

"Aye!" said an old sailor: "Yon's ould Bart, with the telescope cocked at us; and there's Nell herself, the darlin', God bless her, perched beside him on the rocks, with her little fist screwed up to her eye, busy imitatin' her father."

"Who is little Nell herself?" asked the young sailor who had requested to be called Jack.

appear to have

Nell is Bart, woman as ever

"It's well seen you're a stranger, though you do been about the place before," returned the old tar. the coastguard's, only child, and as sweet a bit of a bewitched a parish. We're all in love with her in these parts, man, woman, and child of us. She'll nurse you if you're sick, coax you if you're down-hearted, and tease you if you're well and merry. An' there's nothing that girl can't put her hand to, from heading a breaker to taking the butter from a churn. It's well, to my mind, that she doesn't seem inclined for marryin'; for what her ould father would do without her, I'm sure I cannot tell."

"She seems a lively young woman by her movements," said Jack, eyeing the group on the shore through his glass. "What is her face like, Peter ?"

But Peter had removed himself some minutes ago, and was busy at the other end of the ship.

Some months had passed since Peter had been sent away " downhearted" by Nell, and though he had been several times back to Warrenpoint in his ship since then, yet he had never once found his way to Killowen. However, the day following the above conversation saw him on the way thither, accompanied by his new fellowsailor, Jack. The gloaming fell as they trudged along, and the road through Rostrevor wood is a dark and gloomy one to travel after the sun has gone down. Through the breaks in the trees on the bay side they could see lights twinkling in the cottages at the Point, moving here and there on the sea, and glimmering faintly on the shores under the opposite mountains. Jack sang and whistled to cheer their travel. Peter was silent, and often glanced anxiously at the lights towards which their faces were set. Arrived at the hamlet, he knocked at the door of a lonely old widow who was his aunt. "Why, Peter, it's never you, my boy? friend."

Come in, and bring your

"You can put us up, aunt? My friend from Portsmouth here has come to see the country."

"Welcome be ye both, and I hope the country will please him. Here, Peggy, put turf on the fire! And if he wants fun as well as sight-seein' off with the two of you to Bart the coastguard's. It's Hallow-eve, as I suppose you know, and they're burnin' their nuts and their fingers."

"They may burn them for me," said Peter; "I'm tired."

"But I'm not tired," cried Jack.

"Then, if you'd like to go, sir, Peggy 'll show you the way. Just say you're Peter's comrade, and Peter's aunt sent you with her compliments. Peter 'll have a crack here with me till he goes to bed.”

Great was the surprise at Bart's when Peggy (a little orphan kept by the widow) appeared on the threshold dragging in a tall stranger by the hand.

"Please, Mr. Mulligan, Peter Dunne's come home, and Peter's aunt sends her compliments, and Peter's friend from England will spend the evenin' with you."

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Nell's pleasant kitchen was full of merry faces, and all around were preparations for an evening's amusement. In one corner stood a large tub of clear water, at the bottom of which lay an apple, ducking for apples" being one of the time-honoured pastimes sacred to Hallow-eve. From a hook in the ceiling hung a string with a cross stick, on one end of which was a candle, on the other an apple; this arrangement being necessary for another play which would shortly be played. A fiddle and bow were slung to a nail on the wall, but the fiddler was at present among those who were clustered round the hearth watching the wonderful revelations of the future which were being made between the bars of the fire by fateful nuts that burned lovingly side by side in fiery couples, or sprang from each other, hissing with hate, and burying their disgust in the ashes. Nell ruled these nut-burning operations, and the first thing

that Jack saw on his entrance was her charming head, with its shining dark braids, leaning against the chimney, eyes and lips smiling with mischievous delight, as she named the nuts by the names of her neighbours and friends, and applied to them the light which was sure to discover their future. All the merry faces that had been watching the fire turned on the door and scrutinized Peter's friend as he came in.

Jack, the strange sailor from England, entered Nell's kitchen with a graceful step and gentlemanly bearing to which the simple cottagers were unaccustomed. He was a tall, slight young fellow, with fair, curly hair, laughing eyes, and a yellow moustache. His sailor clothing sat upon him in the most picturesque manner possible. Old Bart involuntarily rose to meet him, as if he had been a superior instead of only a strange sailor who had dropped upon the Point, as strange sailors are in the habit of frequently doing.

"You're welcome, sir, being a stranger, let alone a friend of Peter's. I've been in England myself. Do they burn nuts on Hallow-eve where you came from? Nell, put down a pair of nuts for Peter's comrade."

"He must name them, then," said Nell, as she obeyed, "for I do not know his friends."

"I shall not take fire at all unless you burn me with yourself," said Jack, who had managed to make his way to her side.

Every one laughed, and Nell, not displeased, proceeded to place the nuts and set them alight, all eyes being turned towards the fire, to see what Fate would do for pretty Nell and the handsome young stranger who had suddenly dropped at her feet. For awhile the nuts burned beautifully, shooting forth frolicsome flames and keeping close together, but at last the nut Nell uttered a long hiss, and bounded with a shriek into the ashes.

"That's me," said Nell, triumphantly; "I never was burned yet but I did the same!"

"Take care, then, Miss Nellie," said an old man, shaking his white head, "you may jump oncet too often."

Nell laughed good-humouredly, and gathering up the nut-ashes of the faithful stranger who had burned quietly away alone upon the bar, she presented them to their owner "to be dreamed on" with a mocking little curtsey, and after that the sports began in earnest, Girls had their thick hair drenched, trying to bring the apple out of the tub with a bite; and men had their whiskers singed off, snap'ping at the stick on which the blazing candle twirled. The fiddler performed on his fiddle, and many merry feet beat time to his tunes. Jack the stranger did not know how to dance the Irish jig, and Nell acted as his dancing-mistress,

"Peter," said Jack the next morning, "this adventure of mine becomes interesting. There is a girl in yonder little house fit to be a duchess."

Peter turned pale. 'Do you mean Nell ?" he asked."

"That is her name."

'Sir-you must not make a jest of that girl!"

"Peter!"

"She is too good for it, sir. I will not allow it."

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Hallo, my brother! Are you going to marry her?" Peter turned away. "I wish to God I was," he said. "You asked her, perhaps, and were refused?"

"Just so," said Peter, folding his arms, and looking his friend in the face.

"Then, my good fellow, be content to stand aside and make way for other people."

The two young men gazed at each other, making a contrast, the one so light and fair and womanishly handsome, the other with broad steady brow and thoughtful eye, more roughly hewn, more firmly knit; of stronger, though not of coarser clay.

"So I do," said Peter, "for other people like myself who would cherish her as she ought to be cherished. Not for one like you-out of her station, only come across her by an adventure, and sure to break her heart and go away and forget her."

Jack suddenly held out his hand. "You are a good fellow, Peter, and I respect you. Don't be afraid, even if I do fall in love with Nell. I am of age and my own master, and can marry whom I please."

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Your word upon that," said Peter, gloomily.

"My word and oath," said Jack; and then they parted, Peter groaning as he went at the easy condescension in the tone of the voice that had vowed not to break the heart of his precious Nell.

Sailor Jack had no intention of leaving Killowen Point again in a hurry. He hired a small hooker and appeared to be doing some little business between Carlingford and Warrenpoint; but his account of the "business" was rather vague, and his irregular movements from place to place had very much the air of being directed by the whim of his own sweet will. Wherever he went, Peter Dunne accompanied him, except, indeed, when he walked on the beach with Nell, or took her out with him in his boat; Peter was then careful to be absent, having no wish to see the girl's brightening eyes and hear her joyful laugh, both of which told him how happy she was in the company of this stranger, who had bewitched her. The neighbours were surprised to find that Peter allowed his ship to sail without him, but concluded that his share in the stranger's somewhat mysterious "business" must be so profitable as to induce him to give up everything else for its sake. What those two did with their hooker to make it pay, when they were away in it occasionally, for a day at a time, the good people of the Point were perplexed to find out. Some who disliked the stranger's airs of superiority were fain to hint that the trade they carried on was not altogether a fair one, and lamented that an honest fellow like Peter Dunne should have fallen in with bad company. The same people shook their heads over Nell's bewitchment, and did not fail to foresee much misery in her future. Others there were who admired handsome Jack, liked to hear him speaking with his pretty English accent, took no offence from his gentlemanly manners, and were rather proud of

his foreign testimony to the winsome charms of their favourite. Nell.

There was one who did not actually dislike his handsome face and dashing ways, and yet who resented sorely the cloud on Peter's brows, and the look of unusual happiness which was becoming habitual to Nell. Kitty feared that the coming of Jack to Killowen would prove in no way a blessing to her friends, though she could not exactly have said what was the danger she feared from his influence.

A great delight of Kitty's life was the hour when, having finished her ironing, she could escape from her own toilsome home to Nell's bright little kitchen, and her joy was complete if old Bart happened to be smoking his pipe in a neighbour's house, so that she and Nell could sit with their heads together over the blazing turf, telling their innocent secrets, and dreaming and wondering, as girls of all classes are accustomed to do.

"Kitty!" said Nell, one evening, "why does Peter Dunne look So strange these days ?"

"Why do you think ?" said Kitty. "If I was you I wouldn't need to ask, 'deed! How could he look but strange, to see the way you're goin' on; his own heart bein' in you, poor fellow!"

"No, Kitty, it isn't that; Peter isn't the man to keep grudgin' and hankerin'. He wouldn't stay here watching me if he hadn't some good reason for it. Peter's no spy; but he's true-hearted and kind as ever a man in the world. There's not many Peters goin', I can tell you. Kitty."

"I'm glad to hear you say it, Nell. Maybe you're goin' to marry him after all."

"No, indeed," said Nell, with something between a laugh and a sob. "Then something has happened to you since morning, however," said Kitty, "I suppose you've given your word to that yellow-haired sailor-that you didn't even know was alive two months ago."

Nell nodded her head, and a brilliant smile shone out through her glistening tears.

"Kitty, I wish you would take up with Peter Dunne. He'd make the best husband in the world; and you'd be such a good little wife to comfort him."

"Na, Nell," said Kitty, drily, "I would not be a comfortin' sort of a sweetheart. I'll see and have a whole man to myself as soon as I feel to want one. Them rusty old flat irons of mother's are enough on my mind at present; when she buys me a box-iron, I'll have time to begin to think about my future prospects. There'll be plenty of little boys grown up for me in the meantime, I'm afeard.”

Nell looked at her for a minute, inquiringly, struck by something in the girl's tone; and then her mind suddenly fell back on the original thought with which she had started the conversation.

"Oh, Kitty!" she said, clasping her hands and lowering her voice to a whisper, "why does Peter Dunne keep watching us so anxiously? Do you think can he know anything wrong about Jack? It's not jealousy nor crossness I see in his face, but only anxiety for me. And he's the only one here that knows anything about him!"