The Purcell Papers — Volume 1Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
General
The Purcell Papers — Volume 1
Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
Fantasy fiction, English; Ireland -- Fiction
'"REST my honour?" says the sperit (fairly gettin' red in the face with
the madness), "Rest my honour?" says he. "Why, you ignorant spalpeen,"
says he, "you mane, niggarly ignoramush," says he, "where did you lave
your manners?" says he. "If I AM dead, it's no fault iv mine," says he;
"an' it's not to be thrun in my teeth at every hand's turn, by the likes
iv you," says he, stampin' his foot an the flure, that you'd think the
boords id smash undther him.
'"Oh," says my father, "I'm only a foolish, ignorant poor man," says he.
'"You're nothing else," says the squire: "but any way," says he, "it's
not to be listenin' to your gosther, nor convarsin' with the likes
iv you, that I came UP--down I mane," says he--(an' as little as the
mistake was, my father tuk notice iv it). "Listen to me now, Terence
Neil," says he: "I was always a good masther to Pathrick Neil, your
grandfather," says he.
'"'Tis thrue for your honour," says my father.
'"And, moreover, I think I was always a sober, riglar gintleman," says
the squire.
'"That's your name, sure enough," says my father (though it was a big
lie for him, but he could not help it).
'"Well," says the sperit, "although I was as sober as most men--at laste
as most gintlemin," says he; "an' though I was at different pariods a
most extempory Christian, and most charitable and inhuman to the poor,"
says he; "for all that I'm not as asy where I am now," says he, "as I
had a right to expect," says he.
'"An' more's the pity," says my father. "Maybe your honour id wish to
have a word with Father Murphy?"
'"Hould your tongue, you misherable bliggard," says the squire; "it's
not iv my sowl I'm thinkin'--an' I wondther you'd have the impitence to
talk to a gintleman consarnin' his sowl; and when I want THAT fixed,"
says he, slappin' his thigh, "I'll go to them that knows what belongs to
the likes," says he. "It's not my sowl," says he, sittin' down opossite
my father; "it's not my sowl that's annoyin' me most--I'm unasy on my
right leg," says he, "that I bruk at Glenvarloch cover the day I killed
black Barney."
'My father found out afther, it was a favourite horse that fell undher
him, afther leapin' the big fence that runs along by the glin.
'"I hope," says my father, "your honour's not unasy about the killin' iv
him?"
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