The Tithe-Proctor: The Works of William Carleton, Volume TwoCarleton, William
General
The Tithe-Proctor: The Works of William Carleton, Volume Two
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
One morning, as a well-known active magistrate of the county was sitting
at his breakfast, a strange woman came to his door, and requested to
see him on business of importance. He immediately called up two of his
servant men, and ordered them to go to the door and see that the woman
was really a woman, and that she had no arms about her. This was
soon done, and the woman, a real one, was ushered into his worship's
presence. She then told him--the room being first cleared of all other
people--that, she was the wife of D---- A------, the brogue-maker of
F----, that her husband was an honest, industrious man, who knew his own
trade and business well, and who knew a great deal about the business of
other people, too, and of what was going on in the country--that he was
a man of upright and Christian principles, who would always feel it a
conscientious duty to aid the laws of his country to preserve social
order and punish crime--that he was not a man to be terrified or bribed
by any amount of punishment or reward; but that if he were properly
managed and kindly treated, he might be found able to give a good deal
of useful information.
His worship had the good-natured poor woman taken good care of for
that day--and at a late hour of the same night he took and put her
comfortably sitting on a horse, behind one of his constables, and,
surrounded by a strong military body, horse and foot, marched her in
safety; she showing the way to her own house. They found honest Darby
sitting by his fire, reading his prayer-book, and in great grief at the
unaccountable absence of his wife. He was dreadfully agitated when he
found himself arrested, and strongly protested that he was an honest,
industrious tradesman, who knew nothing of the wickedness of the world;
and wondered much what this was all about.
His worship advised him to be calm--that all should be well, but that
he should accompany himself to his house. After Darby had spent several
usefully employed days with his new friend, he was transmitted to
Limerick gaol, with orders that he should be well treated, and be
allowed to see his wife as often as she desired it. The wife soon found
that it would be more convenient for her, and perhaps somewhat safer,
to be living near her husband, and therefore went to reside in Limerick.
The news of Darby's arrest caused no little alarm through the county,
and it was soon whispered about that persons were now arrested, of whose
participation in the Boland affair no human being could give any hint
except himself alone. His wife's rooms became crowded every day with
the wives, daughters, and sisters of the men arrested,--and others not
arrested, or suspected by any living being; money in hundreds of pounds
was poured into her lap to purchase the ignorance, the silence, or the
perjury of Darby--and every one went away apparently satisfied with
Darby's promises through his faithful wife.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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