far to-night?” said some; but they were all well enough pleased when
his honour got up to drink with them, and sent for more spirits from a
shebean-house,[19] where they very civilly let him have it upon credit.
So the night passed off very merrily, but, to my mind, Sir Condy was
rather upon the sad order in the midst of it all, not finding there had
been such a great talk about himself after his death as he had always
expected to hear.
The next morning when the house was cleared of them, and none but my
shister and myself left in the kitchen with Sir Condy, one opens the
door, and walks in, and who should it be but Judy M’Quirk herself! I
forgot to notice, that she had been married long since, whilst young
Captain Moneygawl lived at the Lodge, to the captain’s huntsman, who
after a whilst listed and left her, and was killed in the wars. Poor
Judy fell off greatly in her good looks after her being married a year
or two; and being smoke-dried in the cabin, and neglecting herself like,
it was hard for Sir Condy himself to know her again till she spoke;
but when she says, “It’s Judy M’Quirk, please your honour, don’t you
remember her?” “Oh, Judy, is it you?” says his honour; “yes, sure, I
remember you very well; but you’re greatly altered, Judy.” “Sure it’s
time for me,” says she; “and I think your honour, since I _seen_ you
last,--but that’s a great while ago,--is altered too.” “And with reason,
Judy,” says Sir Condy, fetching a sort of a sigh; “but how’s this,
Judy?” he goes on; “I take it a little amiss of you, that you were not
at my wake last night.” “Ah, don’t be being jealous of that,” says she;
“I didn’t hear a sentence of your honour’s wake till it was all over, or
it would have gone hard with me but I would have been at it sure; but I
was forced to go ten miles up the country three days ago to a wedding
of a relation of my own’s, and didn’t get home till after the wake was
over; but,” says she, “it won’t be so, I hope, the next time,[20] please
your honour.” “That we shall see, Judy,” says his honour, “and may be
sooner than you think for, for I’ve been very unwell this while past,
and don’t reckon any way I’m long for this world.” At this, Judy takes
up the corner of her apron, and puts it first to one eye and then to
t’other, being to all appearance in great trouble; and my shister put in
her word, and bid his honour have a good heart, for she was sure it was
only the gout that Sir Patrick used to have flying about him, and he
ought to drink a glass or a bottle extraordinary to keep it out of
his stomach; and he promised to take her advice, and sent out for more
spirits immediately; and Judy made a sign to me, and I went over to the
door to her, and she said, “I wonder to see Sir Condy so low! has he
heard the news?” “What news?” says I. “Didn’t ye hear it, then?” says
she; “my Lady Rackrent that was is kilt[D2] and lying for dead, and I
don’t doubt but it’s all over with her by this time.” “Mercy on us all,”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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