Page 144 - The snake's pass

132 the shake's pass. ! —
This both surprised and nettled me, and I was deter-
mined now to have it out, so I said, " You quite surprise
me, Andy. What have I ever done ? Do not be afraid
Out with it," for he kept looking at me in a timorous
kind of way.
"Well, then, yer 'an'r, about poor Miss Norah?"
This was a surprise, but I wanted to know more.
"Well, Andy, what about her?"
" Shure, an' didn't you refuse to shpake iv her intirely
an' sot on me fur only mintionin' her — an' she wan
iv the purtiest girruls in the place."
"My dear Andy," said I, "I thought I had explained
to you, last night, all about that. I don't suppose
you quite understand; but it might do a girl in her
position harm to be spoken about with a—a man like
me."
"Wid a man like you—an' for why? Isn't she as
"
good a girrul as iver broke bread ?
"Oh, it's not that, Andy; people might think harm."
" Think harrum — phwhat harrum—an' who'd think
!
it?"
" Oh, you don't understand—a man in your position
can hardly know."
" But, yer 'an'r, I don't git comprehindin' ! What
harrum could there be, an' who'd think it ? The people
here is all somethin' iv me own position—workin' people
—an' whin they knows a girrul is a good, dacent girrul,
why should they think harrum because a nice young
gintleman goes out iv his way to shpake to her?