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 whin ye want it bad, and then niver laves ye till he has tuk all ye've got—yer land an' yer shanty an' yer holdin' an' yer money an' yer craps; an' he would take the blood out of yer body if he could sell it or use it anyhow!"

"Oh, I see, a sort of usurer."

"Ushurer? aye that's it; but a ushurer lives in the city an' has laws to hould him in. But the gombeen has nayther law nor the fear iv law. He's like wan that the Scriptures says 'grinds the faces iv the poor.' Begor! it's him that'd do little for God's sake if the divil was dead!"

"Then I suppose this man Murdock is a man of means—a rich man in his way?"

"Rich is it? Sure an' it's him as has plinty. He could lave this place if he chose an' settle in Galway—aye or in Dublin itself if he liked betther, and lind money to big min—landlords an' the like—instead iv playin' wid poor min here an' swallyin' them up, wan be wan.—But he can't go! He can't go!" This he said with a vengeful light in his eyes; I turned to Andy for explanation.

"Can't go! How does he mean? What does he mean?"

"Whisht! Don't ax me. Ax Dan, there. He doesn't owe him any money!"

"Which is Dan?"

"The ould man there be the settle what has just spoke, Dan Moriarty. He's a warrum man, wid money