precious shabby, and your lady-mother has got such piercing eyes.
But there, we can smuggle in the back way. I'll go up to my room and
put on my bits of finery. Bedad! but I look as handsome as the best
when I am dressed up. Come along, Nora; we'll get in the back way,
and I'll give the invitation in proper style."




CHAPTER IV.


THE INVITATION.

Bridget and Nora began to climb up a very steep and narrow winding
path. It was nothing more than a grass path in the midst of a lot of
rock and underwood, but the girls were like young chamois, and
leaped over such obstacles with the lightness of fawns. Presently
they arrived at the back entrance of Cronane, the Murphys' decidedly
dilapidated residence. They had to cross a courtyard covered with
rough cobbles and in a sad state of neglect and mess. Some pigs were
wallowing in the mire in one corner, and a rough pony was tethered
to a post not far off; he was endeavoring, with painful insistence,
to reach a clump of hay which was sticking out of a hayrick a foot
or two away. Nora, seeing his wistful eyes, sprang forward, pulled a
great handful of the hay, and held it to his mouth. The little
creature almost whinnied with delight.

"There you are," said Bridget. "What right have you to give our hay
to that pony?"