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168 treated me very badly." And he had his hand down again in his breeches' pocket, handling another coin. The woman saw that as well as if she had twenty eyes.

"You will soon hear from her," said she, with her hand again held out, "and I am not the person to be thanked for it, nor herself any more than I."

He put the second piece into her hand.

"Where is she?" said he. "Or when will she come?"

"She will come," said she, "when you will least expect her. She will come when you will have least welcome for her."

"What is that you say, woman?" said Dermot.

"Or who told you that she would not be welcome here whenever she might come?"

"I say what I know," said she, "and what I know is not agreeable, but if it isn't that is not my fault. It was not I that sent her from home. It was not I that put bad company in her way. If I did my best to protect her from her enemy my trouble was great, and I have had little by it."

"When will she come?" said Dermot.

She only put her left hand to the hood of her cloak again and tightened it over her mouth as she had it at first, and rushed out at the door without saying another word.