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 Just then a woman entered the room. Fionn thought she was the ugliest woman the world had ever seen, for one side of her face was white, and one black, and her hair was like red fire-flames waving round her head. She reminded him vaguely of the curious black and white animal they had chased so unsuccessfully that day.

"I give you greeting," she said to Fionn, "your name is well known to me as that of the greatest hero in Ireland; for that reason I sent for you to say that if your appearance pleased me I would take you for my husband, and all the treasure I have shall be yours."

"Not all the treasure in the world would induce me to take you for my wife," said Fionn quickly, horrified at the proposal, and startled out of his usual kindliness of speech. "I cannot help thinking you have some relationship with that strange animal we hunted to-day, and through which we have lost our precious hounds. Tell me what became of them?"

"Dead; they are all dead," she cried, and her face gleamed with a mad delight as she