Domestic fiction; Ireland -- Fiction; Land tenure -- Fiction; Landlord and tenant -- Fiction; Landowners -- Fiction
“Poor people like the Kellys!” shouted the widow, now for the first
time really angry with Daly—“not so poor, Mr Daly, as to do dirthy work
for anyone. I wish I could say as much this day for your mother’s son!
Poor people, indeed! I suppose, now, you wouldn’t call Barry Lynch one
of your poor people; but in my mind he’s the poorest crature living
this day in county Galway. Av’ you’ve done now, Mr Daly, you’ve my lave
to be walking; and the less you let the poor Kellys see of you, from
this time out, the betther.”
When Anty’s sobs commenced, Martin had gone over to her to comfort her,
“Ah, Anty, dear,” he whispered to her, “shure you’d not be minding what
such a fellow as he’d be saying to you?—shure he’s jist paid for all
this—he’s only sent here by Barry to thry and frighten you,”—but it was
of no avail: Daly had succeeded at any rate in making her miserable,
and it was past the power of Martin’s eloquence to undo what the
attorney had done.
“Well, Mr Daly,” he said, turning round sharply, “I suppose you have
done here now, and the sooner you turn your back on this place the
betther—An’ you may take this along with you. Av’ you think you’ve
frightened my mother or me, you’re very much mistaken.”
“Yes,” said Daly, “I have done now, and I am sorry my business has been
so unpleasant. Your mother, Martin, had betther not disregard that
notice. Good morning, Miss Lynch: good morning, Mrs Kelly; good
morning, Martin;” and Daly took up his hat, and left the room.
“Good morning to you, Mr Daly,” said Martin: “as I’ve said before, I’m
sorry to see you’ve taken to this line of business.”
As soon as the attorney was gone, both Martin and his mother attempted
to console and re-assure poor Anty, but they did not find the task an
easy one. “Oh, Mrs Kelly,” she said, as soon as she was able to say
anything, “I’m sorry I iver come here, I am: I’m sorry I iver set my
foot in the house!”
“Don’t say so, Anty, dear,” said the widow. “What’d you be sorry
for—an’t it the best place for you?”
“Oh! but to think that I’d bring all these throubles on you! Betther be
up there, and bear it all, than bring you and yours into law, and
sorrow, and expense. Only I couldn’t find the words in my throat to say
it, I’d ’ve tould the man that I’d ’ve gone back at once. I wish I
had—indeed, Mrs Kelly, I wish I had.”
“Why, Anty,” said Martin, “you an’t fool enough to believe what Daly’s
been saying? Shure all he’s afther is to frighthen you out of this.
Never fear: Barry can’t hurt us a halfporth, though no doubt he’s
willing enough, av’ he had the way.”
“I wish I was in a convent, this moment,” said Anty. “Oh! I wish I’d
done as father asked me long since. Av’ the walls of a convent was
around me, I’d niver know what throubles was.”
“No more you shan’t now,” said Martin: “Who’s to hurt you? Come, Anty,
look up; there’s nothing in all this to vex you.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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