In my ould age and misery I'm now lavin' you--may be forever--never, maybe, to see you again in this world; an' oh, my God, if we are never to meet in the other; if the innocent and the guilty is never to meet, then this is my last look at you, for everlastin', for everlastin'! I can't do it," he added, weeping bitterly--"I must take my lave of them; I must kiss their lips." Sarah, while he spoke, had uttered two or three convulsive sobs; but she shed no tears; on the contrary, her eyes were singularly animated and brilliant.

She put her arms about him, and said, in a soothing and solicitous tone: "Oh, no, it's all thrue; but if you kiss them, you'll disturb and waken them; and then, you know, when they see you taken away in this manner, an' hears what it's for, it may be their death." "Thrue, achora; thrue: well, I will only look at them, then.

Let me keep my eyes on them for a little; may be they may go first, an' may be I may go first; the last time, may be, for everlastin', that I'll see them!" He went over, as he spoke, Sarah still having her hand upon his arm, as if to intimate her anxiety to keep him under such control as might prevent him from awakening them; and, standing first over the miserable bed where Nancy slept, he looked down upon her.
"Ay," said he, while the tears showered down his cheeks, "there lies the child that never vexed a parent's heart or ruffled one of our tempers.
May the blessin', if it is a blessin', or can be a blessin'-- " "It is, it is," said Sarah, with a quick, short sob; "it is a blessin', an' a holy blessin'; but bless him--bless him, too!" "May my blessin' rest upon you, or rather may the blessin' of Almighty God, rest upon you, daughter of my heart! And you too," he proceeded, turning to the other bed; "here is him that among them all I loved the best; my youngest, an' called afther myself--may my blessin' an' the blessin' of God and my Saviour rest upon you, my darlin' son; an' if I never see either of you in this unhappy world, grant, oh, merciful Father, that we may meet in the glory of Heaven, when that stain will be taken away from me for that crime that I have repented for so long an' so bittherly ?" Sarah, while he spoke, had let go his arm, and placing her two hands over her eyes, her whole breast quivered; and the men, on looking at her, saw the tears gushing out in torrents from between her finger.

She turned round, however, for a few moments, as if to compose herself; and, when she again approached the old man, there was a smile--a smile, brilliant, but agitated, in her eyes and upon her lips.
"There now," she proceeded; "you have said all you can say; come, go with them.

Ah," she exclaimed with a start of pain, "all we've done or tried to do is lost, I doubt.