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192 upon him, a greater favour than any of the nobles who were around him had ever conferred upon him, much as he had confided in them, and close as was their kinship with him. It was on the day after that that Ulick Burke heard of the match. What people were saying was that Sive and Cormac were to be married, and that they would go to live in the big house, and that there never was anything like the amount of wealth that Sive had got, beside the six hundred pounds."

"Well, well, well!" said Dermot. "It is a wonderful world! Who would have thought that that pair would ever be seen in a marriage bond?"

"Will you go to live in Dublin, Dermot?" said Patrick.

"Wherever he goes," said the priest, "I don't think he will get a relapse this time."

"When will you be going down to the city yourself, Father?" said Patrick.

"Why should I, Patrick?" said the priest.

"Why should you, Father, but to marry those two! If I were in your position, Father, I would not give leave to the city people to perform this marriage, whatever you might do about Sheeghy's marriage."

"I never believed in Sheeghy's marriage," said the priest, "nor did I wish to have anything to do with it."

"Ulick says," said Patrick, "that the King said that he must get sight of Shiana; that it was a pity that a man of such keen intelligence should not be in some position or in some business where he or somebody else would have the benefit of his intelligence. He thinks that if he had had a man like