"You would," said Meldon, "if you got them. But you won't, not from
Sabina Gallagher, because you're determined to sack her. And not from
any other cook as long as you pay the perfectly miserable wages you do
at present. You can't expect first-rate results when you sweat your
employees. That's a well-known maxim in every business, and the sooner
you get it into your head the better. You set yourself up here in
Ballymoy as a sort of pioneer of every kind of progress. You're the
president of as many leagues and things as would sink a large boat.
There isn't hardly a week in the year but you make a speech of some
sort. Ah! here we are at the hotel. Remind me some time again to
finish what I was saying to you. I must find out now what has happened
to the judge."
He leaped out of the trap and walked straight through the hotel to the
kitchen. He found Sabina there.
"Good morning, Sabina Gallagher," he said. "I hear you did exactly as
I told you. You're a good girl, Mr. Doyle is angry just at present,
and you'd better keep out of his way."
"He'll hunt me," said Sabina.
"He will not," said Meldon. "If you have the sense to keep out of his
way until he has cooled down a bit, and cook him decent dinners in the
meanwhile. I've spoken to him very strongly about you, and I don't
think he'll dare to push matters to extremities, although he may
grumble a bit. If he catches you, and you find his temper particularly
bad, just mention the dog Gelert to him. I told him the story this
morning and it produced a great impression on his mind."
"He'll hunt me," said Sabina tearfully. "Whatever dog I might talk to
him about he'll hunt me."
"If he does," said Meldon, "I'll engage you myself. We'll be wanting a
girl as soon as ever we go home, to look after the baby a bit and do
the cooking and washing, and keep the whole place clean generally.
You'd like to come and live in the house with me, wouldn't you, Sabina?"
"I'm not sure would I."
"You would. There's no doubt about it. But we need not discuss that
yet, for I don't expect Mr. Doyle will sack you. What I really want to
talk to you about is that judge. Where is the judge?"
"He's gone," said Sabina.
"I know that," said Meldon. "But he'll come back all right. He must
come back for his luggage."
"He will not then. It's not an hour ago since Patsy Flaherty, the same
that does be driving the car, came in and said he had orders to take
all the luggage there was and the fishing-rods, and the rest of
whatever there might be in the place belonging to the gentleman."
"He was not taking them to the train, I suppose?"
"He was not then, but up to Ballymoy House."
"Nonsense! He couldn't possibly have been taking them up to Ballymoy
House."
"It's what he said any way, for I asked him. And he told me that the
gentleman had it made up with the young lady that does be stopping
there beyond, the way he'd go and live with her."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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