"I was not thinking of anyone in particular."
"How would Kathleen O'Brien do, do you think?" the King asked.
"I don't want to be troubling the O'Briens," the Queen said, "and they always so kind to us."
"It would not be troubling them much; we'ld only keep her a little while and they'ld hardly miss her."
"If she was once here," said the Queen, "some one of your men would want to keep her, and it would break the heart of her grandmother. So it would her father's, too, but I'm not thinking so much of him."
"We'll not keep her," said the King, "only as long as the child needs her."
"You say that now," said the Queen; "it would be different if she was once here—I'ld like to have her as well as anyone I know."
"We could find no one else so good," said the King. "It's May Eve, you mind. There's no time when we have more power, and few when we have so much. We'll all be dancing to-night, and Kathleen often passes along just about dark. It's likely we could get her to dance with us, and then we'ld be sure enough of her. If that fails, there's other ways. Our power lasts till sunrise."
"And you think we'ld not be keeping her long?" said the Queen.
"We'ld have her home almost before she was missed," the King answered.