Willy Reilly: The Works of William Carleton, Volume OneCarleton, William
General
Willy Reilly: The Works of William Carleton, Volume One
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
His secretary acknowledged the receipt of the memorial, and stated that
the object of his Excellency was not to administer the laws in cruelty,
but in mercy; that he considered all classes of his Majesty's subjects
equally entitled to their protection; and that with respect to the
persons against whom such serious charges and allegations had been made,
he had only to say, that if they were substantiated against them in a
court of justice, they must suffer like other criminals--if they can be
proved, Government will leave them, as it would any common felons, to
the laws of the country. His Excellency is determined to administer
those laws with the strictest impartiality, and without leaning to any
particular class or creed. So far as the laws will allow him, their
protection shall be extended, on just and equal principles to the poor
and to the rich, to the Catholic and to the Protestant.
This communication, which was kept strictly secret, reached the Marquis
of ---- at a critical period of our narrative. Whitecraft, who was
ignorant of it, but sufficiently aware of the milder measures which the
new Administration had adopted, finding that the trade of priest-hunting
and persecution was, for the present, at an end, resolved to accelerate
his marriage with Miss Folliard, and for this purpose he waited upon her
father, in order to secure his consent. His object was to retire to
his English estates, and there pass the remainder of his life with his
beautiful but reluctant bride. He paid his visit about two o'clock, and
was told that Miss Folliard and her father were in the garden. Hither he
accordingly repaired, and found the squire, his daughter, and Reilly, in
the green-house. When the squire saw him he cried out, with something
of a malicious triumph: “Hallo, Sir Robert! why art thou so pale,
young lover? why art thou so pale?--and why does thy lip hang,
Sir Robert?--new men, new measures, Sir Robert--and so, 'Othello's
occupation's gone,' and the Earl of Chesterfield goes to mass every
Sunday, and is now able to repeat his padareem in Irish.”
“I am glad to find you so pleasant, Mr. Folliard; but I'm delighted to
see the beautiful state of your green-house--oh, Miss Folliard!--excuse
me. Your back was to me, and you were engaged in trailing that beautiful
shrub; allow me the honor of shaking hands with you.”
“Sir Robert, I bid you good-day, but you see that I have my garden
gloves on; you will excuse me.”
“Oh, Miss Folliard,” he replied, “your will is the spirit of the British
Constitution to me.”
“A spirit which, I fear, you have too frequently violated, Sir Robert;
but, as papa says, I believe your cruel occupation is gone--at least I
hope so.”
“'Gad, you got it there, Sir Robert,” replied her father, laughing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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