Page 148 - The snake's pass

136 " THE snake's pass.
a woman as was no more nor a mere simple gover-
ness !
It would be impossible to convey the depth of social
unimportance conveyed by his tone and manner ; and
coming from a man of " shreds and patches," it was
more than comic. Andy had his good suit of frieze
and homespun; but whilst he was on mountain duty,
he spared these and appeared almost in the guise of a
scarecrow.
"
" Well
! what happened ?
" Faix, whin she tould her shtory the shquire's coun-
cillor luked up at the jury, an' he whispered a wurrd
to the shquire and his 'an'r wrote out a shlip iv paper
an' handed it to him, an' the councillor ups an' says
he : ' Me Lard and Gintlemin iv the Jury, me client
is prepared to have the honour iv the lady's hand if
she will so, for let bygones be bygones.' An' sure
enough they was married on the Sunday next four
weeks ; an' there she is now dhrivin' him about the
counthry in her pony- shay, an' all the quality comin' to
tay in the garden, an' she as affable as iver to all the
farmers round. Aye, an' be the hokey, the shquire himself
sez that it was a good day for him whin he sot eyes on
her first, an' that he don't know why he was such a dam
fool as iver to thry to say ' no ' to her, or to wish it."
" Quite a tale with a moral, Andy ! Bravo ! Mrs.
Murphy."
"A morial is it? Now may I make bould to ask
yer 'an'r what morial ye take out iv it?