Page:The Snake's Pass (Stoker).djvu/148

 a woman as was no more nor a mere simple governess!"

It would be impossible to convey the depth of social unimportance conveyed by his tone and manner; and coming from a man of "shreds and patches," it was more than comic. Andy had his good suit of frieze and homespun; but whilst he was on mountain duty, he spared these and appeared almost in the guise of a scarecrow.

"Well! what happened?"

"Faix, whin she tould her shtory the shquire's councillor luked up at the jury, an' he whispered a wurrd to the shquire and his 'an'r wrote out a shlip iv paper an' handed it to him, an' the councillor ups an' says he: 'Me Lard and Gintlemin iv the Jury, me client is prepared to have the honour iv the lady's hand if she will so, for let bygones be bygones.' An' sure enough they was married on the Sunday next four weeks; an' there she is now dhrivin' him about the counthry in her pony-shay, an' all the quality comin' to tay in the garden, an' she as affable as iver to all the farmers round. Aye, an' be the hokey, the shquire himself sez that it was a good day for him whin he sot eyes on her first, an' that he don't know why he was such a dam fool as iver to thry to say 'no' to her, or to wish it."

"Quite a tale with a moral, Andy! Bravo! Mrs. Murphy."

"A morial is it? Now may I make bould to ask yer 'an'r what morial ye take out iv it?" [sic]