Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 13
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Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 13
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The very next day, being too proud, as he said to me, to stay an hour
longer in a house that did not belong to him, he sets off to the
lodge, and I along with him not many hours after. And there was great
bemoaning through all O'Shaughlin's Town, which I stayed to witness,
and gave my poor master a full account of when I got to the lodge. He
was very low and in his bed when I got there, and complained of a
great pain about his heart; but I guessed it was only trouble, and all
the business, let alone vexation, he had gone through of late; and
knowing the nature of him from a boy, I took my pipe, and while
smoking it by the chimney, began telling him how he was beloved and
regretted in the county, and it did him a deal of good to hear it.
"Your Honor has a great many friends yet, that you don't know of, rich
and poor in the country," says I; "for as I was coming along the road,
I met two gentlemen in their own carriages, who asked after you,
knowing me, and wanted to know where you was, and all about you, and
even how old I was: think of that!" Then he wakened out of his doze,
and began questioning me who the gentlemen were. And the next morning
it came into my head to go, unknown to anybody, with my master's
compliments, round to many of the gentlemen's houses where he and my
lady used to visit, and people that I knew were his great friends, and
would go to Cork to serve him any day in the year, and I made bold to
try to borrow a trifle of cash from them. They all treated me very
civil for the most part, and asked a great many questions very kind
about my lady and Sir Condy and all the family, and were greatly
surprised to learn from me Castle Rackrent was sold, and my master at
the lodge for health; and they all pitied him greatly, and he had
their good wishes, if that would do, but money was a thing they
unfortunately had not any of them at this time to spare. I had my
journey for my pains, and I, not used to walking, nor supple as
formerly, was greatly tired, but had the satisfaction of telling my
master, when I got to the lodge, all the civil things said by high and
low.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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