“Whist now, asthore!” adjured her husband. “ ’Tis but a clean scratch after all. Take him into the house and give him something to drink! I’ll swear ’tis what he needs most!”

Molly pouted, laughed and complied.

Over the ale Jack related the whole escapade up to the moment when he had parted from Diana at Littledean. Then O’Hara took up the tale with a delightful chuckle.

“Sure, Molly, ye never saw anything to equal poor old Beauleigh when his daughter had told him Jack’s name! Faith, he didn’t know what to do at all, he was so excited! And Miss Betty I thought would have the vapours from the way she flew from Di to Jack and back again, in such a state of mind as ye can’t imagine!”

Molly, who had listened with round eyes, drew a deep ecstatic breath. Then she bounced up, clapping her hands, and proclaimed that she was right after all!

“What will ye be meaning, alanna?” inquired O’Hara.