"But wouldn't it be a pity," said Pat Phelan, "to tell her this if Peter is not going to marry her in the end?"
"I'll have him out of his bed," said James, "and he'll tell us before this fire if he will or won't."
"It's a serious thing you are doing, James, to get a girl out of a convent, I am thinking."
"It will be on my advice that you will be doing this, father; and now I'll go and get Peter out of his bed."
And Peter was brought in, asking what they wanted of him at this hour of the night; and when they told him what they had been talking about and the plans they had been making, he said he would be catching his death of cold, and they threw some sods of turf on the fire.
"It is against myself that I am asking a girl to leave the convent, even for you, Peter," said James. "But we can think of nothing else."
"Peter will be able to tell us if it is a sin that we'd be doing."
"It is only right that Catherine should know the truth before she made her vows," Peter said. "But this is very unexpected, father. I really—"
"Peter, I'd take it as a great kindness. I shall never do a hand's turn in this country. I want to get to America. It will be the saving of me."
"And now, Peter," said his father, "tell us for sure if you will have the girl?"