Tell me now,
did you ever hear what was foretold of the children of Lir, and did
you ever hear if it came true or not?"
Perhaps Peter had never heard about the children of Lir, or perhaps he
had heard and did not like to say so, because the story would be proof
that a prophecy had come true. At any rate, he said nothing. But the
old woman seemed resolved that if he had never heard about the
children of Lir he should hear about them now.
"Lir was a powerful man in the old days of Ireland," she said, "He had
three sons and one daughter, and their mother was dead. The names of
the sons were Hugh, Fiachra, and Conn, and the name of the daughter
was Fair-shoulder, and beautiful and good children were they all. Lir
was visiting once at the castle of Bogha Derg, the King of Conacht,
and he saw the daughter of the King, and he fell in love with her and
married her.
"For a time they were happy, and then the new wife began to be jealous
of the love of her husband for his four children. It troubled her so
much that she began to lose her beauty and her health, and at last she
took to her bed and did not leave it for a year.
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