Page:Shiana - Peadar Ua Laoghaire.djvu/23

 Rh "Here, then," said he. "There is another hundred for you, for the second shilling you gave away today."

"That is the shilling I gave to the woman who was bare-footed."

"That is the shilling you gave to the same lady."

"If she was a lady, how did she come to be bare-footed? And what made her take my shilling from me, when I had only one other shilling left?"

"If she was a lady! If you only knew! She is the Lady that ruined me!"

While he was saying those words he began to tremble, hand and foot. The growling ceased. His head fell back upon his neck. He gazed up into the sky. A death-like appearance came over him, and the look of a corpse upon his face.

When Shiana saw this change of colour he was very much surprised.

"This," said he, carelessly, "cannot be the first time that you have heard tell of that Lady."

The Black Man jumped. He struck a blow with his hoof upon the ground, so that the sod under Shiana's foot trembled.

"Maiming to you!" said he. "Shut your mouth or you will be hurt!"

"I beg your pardon, sir," said Shiana, meekly.

"I thought that perhaps you had taken a little drop, seeing that you gave me a hundred pounds in exchange for a shilling."

"I would give you that, and seven hundred, if I could take away anything from the good that that same shilling did; but since you gave it away for the Saviour's sake, it is for ever impossible to spoil the good it has done."