Fardorougha, The Miser: The Works of William Carleton, Volume OneCarleton, William
General
Fardorougha, The Miser: The Works of William Carleton, Volume One
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
When asked why he ran away on meeting Phil. Curtis, near O'Brien's
house, on their return that night, while Connor held his ground, he
replied that it was very natural he should run away, and not wish to
be seen after having assisted at such a crime. In reply to another
question, he said it was as natural that Connor should have ran away
also, and that he could not account for it, except by the fact that God
always occasions the guilty to commit some oversight, by which they
may be brought to punishment. These replies, apparently so rational and
satisfactory, convinced Connor's counsel that his case was hopeless, and
that no skill or ingenuity on their part could succeed in breaking down
Flanagan's evidence.
The next witness called was Phil. Curtis, whose testimony corroborated
Bartle's in every particular, and gave to the whole trial a character of
gloom and despair. The constables who applied his shoes to the footmarks
were then produced, and swore in the clearest manner as to their
corresponding. They then deposed to finding the tinder-box in his
pocket, according to the information received from Flanagan, every
tittle of which they found to be remarkably correct.
There was only one other witness now necessary to complete the
chain against him, and he was only produced because Biddy Nulty, the
servant--maid, positively stated, and actually swore, when previously
examined, that she was ignorant whether Connor slept in his father's
house on the night in question or not. There was no alternative,
therefore, but to produce the father; and Fardorougha Donovan was
consequently forced to become an evidence against his own son.
The old man's appearance upon the table excited deep commiseration for
both, and the more so when the spectators contemplated the rooted sorrow
which lay upon the wild and wasted features of the woe-worn father.
Still the old man was composed and calm; but his calmness was in an
extraordinary degree mournful and touching. “When he, sat down, after
having been sworn, and feebly wiped the dew from his thin temples, many
eyes were already filled with tears. When the question was put to him if
he remembered the night laid in the indictment, he replied that he did.
“Did the prisoner at the bar sleep at home on that night?”
The old man looked into the face of the counsel with such an eye of
deprecating entreaty, as shook the voice in which the question was
repeated. He then turned about, and, taking a long gaze at his son, rose
up, and, extending his hands to the judges, exclaimed:
“My lords, my lords! he is my only son--my only child!”
These words were followed by a pause in the business of the court, and a
dead silence of more than a minute.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account