The Black Baronet; or, The Chronicles Of Ballytrain: The Works of William Carleton, Volume OneCarleton, William
General
The Black Baronet; or, The Chronicles Of Ballytrain: The Works of William Carleton, Volume One
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
“Well, sir, in that shop lives a man who is ten times a greater
benefactor to this town and neighborhood than is the honorable and right
reverend the lordly prelate, whose silent and untenanted palace stands
immediately behind us. In every position in which you find him, this
admirable but unassuming man is always the friend of the poor. When an
industrious family, who find that they cannot wring independence, by
hard and honest labor, out of the farms or other little tenements
which they hold, have resolved to seek it in a more prosperous country,
America, the first man to whom they apply, if deficient in means to
accomplish their purpose, is James Trimble. In him they find a friend,
if he knows, as he usually does, that they have passed through life with
a character of worth and hereditary integrity. If they want a portion of
their outfit, and possess not means to procure it, in kind-hearted
James Trimble they are certain to find a friend, who will supply their
necessities upon the strength of their bare promise to repay him.
Honor,--then--honor, sir, I say again, to the unexampled faith,
truth, and high principle of the industrious Irish peasant, who, in no
instance, even although the broad Atlantic has been placed between them,
has been known to defraud James Trimble of a single shilling. In all
parochial and public meetings--in every position where his influence
can be used--he is uniformly the friend of the poor, whilst his high
but unassuming sense of honor, his successful industry, and his firm,
unshrinking independence, make him equally appreciated and respected
by the rich and poor. In fact, it is such men as this who are the
most unostentatious but practical benefactors to the lower and middle
classes.”
He had proceeded thus far, when a carriage-and-four came dashing up the
street, and stopped at the very shop which belonged to the subject
of Fenton's eulogium. Both went to the window at the same moment, and
looked out.
“Pray, whose carriage is that.” asked the stranger, fastening his eyes,
with a look of intense scrutiny, upon Fenton's face.
“That, sir,” he replied, “is the carriage of Sir Thomas Gourlay.”
As he spoke, the door of it was opened, and a lady of surpassing
elegance and beauty stepped out of it, and entered the shop of the
benevolent James Trimble.
“Pray, who is that charming girl?” asked the stranger again.
To this interrogatory, however, he received no reply. Poor Fenton
tottered over to a chair, became pale as death, and trembled with such
violence that he was incapable, for the time, of uttering a single word.
“Do you know, or have you ever known, this family?” asked the other.
After a pause of more than a minute, during which the emotion subsided,
he replied:
“I have already said that I could not--” he paused. “I am not well,”
said he; “I am quite feeble--in fact, not in a condition to answer
anything. Do not, therefore, ask me--for the present, at least.”
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account