Page 213 - The snake's pass

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UN" MAUVAIS QUART D'HEURE. 201 ;
plately, an' lias flew away from ye, maybe ould Joyce
too 'd become a leprachaun ! Hould him tight whin
ye catch him ! Eemimber, wid leprachauns, if ye wance
let thim go ye may niver git thim agin. But if ye
hould thim tight, they must do whatsumiver ye wish !
So they do say—but maybe I'm wrong—I'm itherfarin'
wid a gintleman as was bit be a fairy, and knows more
nor mortials does about thim ! There's the masther
callin'. Good bye, surr, an' good luck ! " and with a
grin at me over his shoulder, Andy hurried away. I
muttered to myself:
"If anyone is a fairy, my bold Andy, I think I can
"
name him. You seem to know everything !
This scene came back to me with renewed freshness.
I could not but feel that Andy was giving me some
advice. He evidently knew more than he pretended
;
indeed, he must have known all along of the identity
of my unknown of Knocknacar with Norah. He now
also evidently knew of my knowledge on the subject
and he either knew or guessed that I was off to see
Joyce on the subject of his daughter.
In my present state of embarrassment, his advice was
a distinct light. He knew the people, and Joyce espe-
cially he also saw some danger to my hopes, and
;
showed me a way to gain my object. I knew already
that Joyce was a proud man, and I could quite con-
ceive that he was an obstinate one; and I knew from
general experience of life that there is no obstacle so
difficult to surmount as the pride of an obstinate man.