Page 76 - The snake's pass

64 THE SNAKE S PASS. —
a detective after me all the time." "It's all very well
to be a good Samaritan as a luxury—but as a profession
it becomes monotonous." " Confound Andy ! I wish I'd
never seen him at all."
This last thought brought me up standing, and set
me face to face with my baseless ill-humour. If I had
never seen Andy I should never have heard at all of
Shleenanaher. I should not have known the legend
I should not have heard Norah's voice.
" And so," said I to myself, " this ideal fantasy—this
embodiment of a woman's voice, has a concrete name
already. Aye! a concrete name, and a sweet one too."
And so I took another step on my way to the bog,
and lost my ill-humour at the Fame time. When my
cigar was half through and my feelings were propor-
tionately soothed, I strolled into the bar and asked Mrs.
Keating as to my companion of the morrow. She told
me that he was a young engineer named Sutherland.
" What Sutherland ? " I asked. Adding that I had
been at school with a Dick Sutherland, who had, I
believed, gone into the Irish College of Science.
" Perhaps it's the same gentleman, sir. This is Mr.
Eichard Sutherland, and I've heerd him say that he
was at Stephen's Green."
"The same man!" said I, "this is jolly! "Tell me,
Mrs. Keating, what brings him here?"
" He's doin' some work on Knockcalltecrore for Mr.
Murdock, some quare thing or another. They do tell
me, sir, that it's a most mystayrious thing, wid poles