Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/82

 78 DERMODY. lingering look upon the village of his birth, which seemed fast sinking behind the neighbouring trees, a tear of regret stole down his youthful cheek, which was soon dried, and was suffused with smiles of ardent expectation. He had gone a considerable way, and night had cast her shadows round him, ere he thought of looking out for a lodging; but no token of any such retreat could he discover, except the languid glimmer of a low cottage standing in a dark corner; and to this he bent his weary footsteps, with the utmost speed. As soon as he entered the hut, where a l l around was wretchedness and misery, h e saw be fore him i n the middle o f the floor—a corpse i n a few unshaped boards, which were intended for i t s coffin, a t the foot o f which sat five children sobbing and weeping, while a female, pale and emaciated, hung over the head o f i t i n silent grief. Dermody stood during some minutes, amazed and terrified, and was o n the point o f retiring from a spectacle which t o him was alike distressing and mysterious, when the woman lifting up her eye from the de ceased and fixing i t stedfastly upon him, pointed t o a seat near the hearth, where some expiring embers cast a bicker ing light and illumed faintly. She again sunk into her former melancholy state, and uttered several incoherent speeches i n the agony o f grief, from which h e gathered, that she was grandmother t o the little mourners, and that she had seen happy days, though now surrounded b y spoverty, and misery, and want; and that the deceased was her daughter. This dismal and distressful scene, deeply affected Dermody, who, wiping the tears from his eyes, put his hand into his pocket, and gave one o f his shillings (the half o f a l l h e had i n the world) t o the female, and with many sighs, left her; but had not walked far from the door, before he returned with some trivial excuse, for the purpose o f gratifying the finest feelings o f humanity, by pressing his last shilling into the bands o f the unfortu nate and aged woman. He then sallied forth once more, and took the road, till h e came t o the ruins o f a n old mo nastery, within whose dilapidated walls h e determined