Willy Reilly: The Works of William Carleton, Volume OneCarleton, William
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Willy Reilly: The Works of William Carleton, Volume One
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
“Who's the robber now, Mr. Folliard?” he asked, with something, however,
of a doubtful triumph in his red glaring eye. “Your daughter had jewels
in a black cabinet, and I'd have secured the same jewels and your
daughter along with them, on a certain night, only for Reilly; and it
was very natural he should out-general me, which he did; but it was only
to get both for himself. Let him be searched at wanst, and, although I
don't say he has them, yet I'd give a hundred to one he has; she would
never carry them while he was with her.”
The old squire, who would now, with peculiar pleasure, have acted in
the capacity of hangman in Reilly's case, had that unfortunate young man
been doomed to undergo the penalty of the law, and that no person in the
shape of Jack Ketch was forthcoming--he, we say--the squire--started
at once to the room where Reilly was secured, accompanied also by the
sheriff, and, after rushing in with a countenance inflamed by passion,
shouted out:
“Seize and examine that villain; he has robbed me--examine him
instantly: he has stolen the family jewels.”
Reilly's countenance fell, for he knew his Fearful position; but
that which weighed heaviest upon his heart was a consciousness of the
misinterpretations which the world might put upon the motives of his
conduct in this elopement, imputing it to selfishness and a mercenary
spirit. When about to be searched, he said:
“You need not; I will not submit to the indignity of such an
examination. I have and hold the jewels for Miss Folliard, whose
individual property I believe they are; nay, I am certain of it, because
she told me so, and requested me to keep them For her. Let her be sent
for, and I shall hand them back to her at once, but to no other person
without violence.”
“But she is not in a condition to receive them,” replied the sheriff
(which was a fact); “I pledge my honor she, is not.”
“Well, then, Mr. Sheriff, I place them in your hands; you can do with
them as you wish--that is, either return them to Miss Folliard, the
legal owner of them, or to her father.”
The sheriff received the caske't which contained them, and immediately
handed it to Mr. Folliard, who put it in his pocket, exclaiming:
“Now, Reilly, if we can hang you for nothing else, we can hang you for
this; and we will, sir.”
“You, sir,” said Reilly, with melancholy indignation, “are privileged
to insult me; so, alas! is every man now; but I can retire into the
integrity of my own heart and find a consolation there of which you
cannot deprive me. My life is now a consideration of no importance to
myself since I shall die with the consciousness that your daughter loved
me. You do not hear this for the first time, for that daughter avowed
it to yourself! and if I had been mean and unprincipled enough to have
abandoned my religion, and that of my persecuted forefathers, I might
ere this have been her husband.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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