Page 143 - The snake's pass

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"
VANISHED. " 131
another state from his usual mental condition ; but I
hardly knew the man yet. He had the true humorist's
persistence, and before I was ready with another intellec-
tual herring he was off on the original track.
I know some
" I thrust I didn't dishturb yer 'an'r.
gintlemin likes to luk at views and say nothin'. I'm
tould that a young gintleman like yer 'an'r might be
up on top iv a mountain like this, an' he'd luk at the
view so hard day afther day that he wouldn't even shpake
to a purty girrul—if there was wan forninst him all the
!
time
" Then they lied to you, Andy ! " I said this quite
decisively.
it's glad I am to hear that same,
" Faix, yer 'an'r, an'
for I wouldn't like to think that a young gintleman
was afraid of a girrul, however purty she might be."
" But, tell me, Andy," I said, " what idiot could have
started such an idea ? And even if it was told to you,
how could you be such a fool as to believe it ?
"Me belave it! Surr, I did't belave a wurrd iv it
not until I met yer 'an'r." His face was quite grave,
and I was not sorry to find him in a sober mood, for I
wanted to have a serious chat with him. It struck me
that he, having relatives at Knocknacar, might be able
to give me some information about my unknown.
"Until you met me, Andy! Surely I never gave you
any ground for holding such a ridiculous idea?"
" Begor, yer 'an'r, but ye did. But p'raps I had
betther not say any more — yer 'an'r mightn't like it."