The Holy Wells of Ireland. By the Most Rev. John Healy, D.D., Father Theodore Ratisbonne. By the Rev. J. F. Hogan, C.O., Last Relics of Father Thomas Burke, O.P. By the Rev. Matthew Russell, S.J. 260 271 An American Girl's Visit to the Pope, Notes of a Short Trip to Spain. By John Fallon. Part I. On board a P. and O. Steamship, Part II. From Gibraltar to Seville, Father Harper's "Metaphysics of the School." 624 Miss Mulholland's Gems for the Young from Favourite Poets.-The Bishop of Ossory's Prayerbook.-Chantrel's History of the Church.-Mrs. Sad- lier's Alice Riordan, &c.—Paddy Blake among the Soupers.—The Manual Parvulorum of Thomas à Kempis.-Thy Name is Truth.-Holy Child- Miss Mulholland's Gems for the Young.-Uriel.-New Motet by Mr. T. H. M'Dermott.-Dr. Joyce's Names of Irish Places.-Ailey M'Cabe.-Hand- book of Flowering Plants.-Mary Stuart's Marriage with Bothwell.— 96 ansactions of Ossory Archæological Society. -Miss O'Hara's St. Teresa.- Rev. C. P. Meehan's Dr. Kirwan.-Fottrell's Sales from Landlord to Tenant in Ireland.-Scholar's Note-Book of Home Lessons.-St. Mildred. -For Better, not for Worse.-Rev. Arthur Ryan's Novena of St. Patrick for Irishmen.-Lord O'Hagan's Occasional Papers and Addresses.-May- nooth College Calendar.-Manuale Parvulorum.-League of the Cross Lord O'Hagan's Papers and Addresses.-Irish Birthday Book.-Archdeacon Kinane's St. Joseph.-American Catholic Quarterly.-Merry England and other Magazines.-Spirit of St. John the Baptist.-Mr. J. G. Mac- Carthy's French Revolution.-Manual of the Confraternity of the Sacred Thirst.-Faith of our Fathers.-Sanctuary Boy's Illustrated Manual. Uriel.-The Divine Ideal, &c. &c., Rev. J. O'Laverty's Down and Connor.—Debrett's Peerage.-Rev. A. Ryan's Complete Story of the Passion.—A Flower each evening for Mary.— Glories of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.-Father Gallery's Funeral Dis- course on Lady Herries.-Fitzachery's Poems.-Festival of the Rosary at the Tomb of St. Dominick.-Mr. Britten's Lecture.-The Smuggler's Revenge.-Esterina Antinori.-Pamphlets, Month of Mary, &c., . Father Jackman's Poems.-Wakeman's Tourist Guide. Dr. O'Mahony's Life of Carrière.-St. Malachy's Prophecies.-Told in the Gloaming.-Light from the Lowly.-Francis Macary.-Dr. Moriarty's and Dr. Conroy's Sermons, 422 Nieremberg's "Temporal and Eternal."-The Augustinian Manual.—“Thy Mr. Orby Shipley's Annus Sanctus.-Life of St. Charles Borromeo.-Alphonsus Ratisbonne.-Mgr. Capel's Faith of Catholics.-Miss Rosa Mulholland s Oisin the Bard and St. Patrick. By Aubrey de Vere, The Old Year and the New. By F. Pentrill, Coplas del Nino de Dios. From the Spanish. By Isabella M. Sherrington, In Honorem SS. Francisci, Catharinæ, et Claræ, with Translation, My Lady: a Portrait. By Katharine Tynan, 100, 150, 213, 367, 589 MISS CARNDUFF'S NEXT-OF-KIN. A COMEDIETTA IN TWO ACTS. BY THE AUTHOR OF "AUNT MAXWELL'S RETURN," &c. CHARACTERS. MISS CARNDUFF, an old maiden lady, rich but miserly. FANNY, two young cousins of the old lady's, who have lived at the MILDRED, castle since their childhood. SHEILA, a young lady, friend of Miss Carnduff's. MR. M'NAUGHTON, Solicitor. MRS. M'NAUGHTON, wife of the above. BIDDY, maid-of-all-work at the castle. PEGGY, sister of the above, and servant to Mrs. M'Naughton. PADDY, gardener at the castle, much talked about, but never seen. Аст І. SCENE I.-Room in Carnduff Castle. FANNY is discovered alone in a small shabby-looking room. She is coughing and shivering with cold, and yet there is no fire in the grate. She is mending an old dress. FANNY NANNY.-Oh! dear how cold it is! The winter is going to be a severe one, I am sure, when it begins to freeze so early in the year. And if it is, what will become of us in this wretched old castle ? Carnduff Castle!-how grand it sounds, to be sure! And yet what a miserable hovel it is! Would anyone in the world imagine I was in a room in a castle? (looks about). Castle, indeed! And we are not allowed to have a bit of fire (shivers), and, oh, it is so cold! And then the food we get is not fit for a dog to eat, and yet we are told that we should be grateful; grateful for the twelve years of slow torture that we have gone through in this horrid place. We had no friends, no money, my little sister and I, and so, when our poor mother died, our kind cousin, Miss Carnduff, brought us home here, and told us we should live with her always. Kind! Why, it would have been kinder to have sent us to the workhouse; there we might have learned to do something, whilst here we have been taught nothing, and are perfectly useless. O Miss Carnduff! Miss Carnduff! you have a great deal to answer for. But, at least, there is one thing to comfort us, you can't live for ever; and then-oh! then-we shall begin to enjoy our lives at VOL. XII., No. 127. January, 1884. 2 last! But what keeps that child Mildred ? She is a long time coming. Ah! there she is! I am glad! (A noise is heard in the passage, the door is burst open, and MILDRED, a merry girl of eighteen, looking very much blown about and dishevelled, enters the room. Over her shoulder she carries a rabbit, and by a rope she drags a bundle of sticks). MILDRED. Oh, dear! here I am safe at last (flinging the rabbit on the floor, and sinking on a chair beside her sister). I have had such fun! FANNY.-It doesn't take much to amuse you, anyway, Mildred. I cannot think how you can be so frivolous! MILDRED.-Frivolous! My dear Fanny, if I did not laugh I should die. What I wonder is, how you can sit and cough and mope all day the way you do (imitating Fanny). It is really dreadful, and ought to be stopped. FANNY.-You are very unkind, Mildred! You know I am not well, and my troubles are more than I can bear. MILDRED (jumping up, and throwing her arms round her sister's neck).— Forgive me, darling; I did not wish to vex you; but, indeed, Fan dear, you make too much of your troubles. I assure you, if you would only laugh and be gay you would not feel them half so much. I FANNY.-That is nonsense, Milly. You are not half so sensitive or as old as I am. You are a child, and do not feel things as I do. MILDRED.-Ah, well, perhaps not; and very thankful I am that I do not; for I could not bear to sit and mope the way you do. However, we'll say no more about that; but just look here, Fan; here's a sight that will do your heart good! Oh, dear; Paddy and I had such fun catching him, the rascal (holding up the rabbit). We caught him in the trap; and Biddy, the dear soul, will cook him for us, and we'll have such a fine supper. And here (undoing her bundle of sticks, and beginning to put them in the grate) is a fine lot of dry sticks that will and make a pleasant fire in no time. blaze up FANNY.-That will be a blessing! I haven't been so cold for an age (shivers). November is the coldest time of the year I do believe. MILDRED (gaily).-So it is if you sit in the house all day! But just look at the colour the air has given me. Oh, it was lovely scampering through the woods! Why, I declare the sight of the beautiful country and the dear old hills makes one so happy that one feels glad to live. FANNY.-Oh, yes, that would be very nice if one were properly dressed and properly shod; but with such boots as ours I can't think how you can run about the way you do. MILDRED (looking ruefully at her boots).-Well, yes, they are rather holey, certainly; but when I haven't any others, why they might be worse! I will soon dry them up at the fire. But, oh, Fan, I haven't told you half the fun. |