the fire, by which she was sitting, and sent a cloud
of sparks up the chimney. "Ay, ay," she said,
" * man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly
upwards ; ' though indeed, sir, I never could see what
trouble the sparks have in flying upwards."

I am not sure whether it was the same lady who
asked a clergyman how it was that Solomon was
permitted to have seven hundred wives, not to
mention the three hundred other ladies. He ex-
plained to her that the manners and customs of
those times were quite different from those of the
present day. " Dear me," she said, " what privileges
those early Christians had ! "

There was an old blind lady in Dublin who used
to have a little girl to read aloud to her. She was
reading that part of the Book of Exodus where the
building of the tabernacle is described. In reading
the verse which says the roof is to be covered with
badger's skins, the girl read aloud, " A.nd a covering
of beggar's skins." " What did you say, child ? "
said the old lady. " Beggar's skins, ma'am," said
the girl. " Oh dear 1 oh dear ! " said the old lady,
" weren't those terrible times when it was just * up
with the beggar and off with his skin ' ! "

There are many stories of the witty priests in
old times ; I shall only mention two.
