"Then this man came to me and said that because the tenants away in County Mayo were not paying their rents, he could not pay his. And he can sell his interest on his holding now for £150. When I endeavoured to explain this to him, and that it was at my cost his interest in the farm has been created, he became my enemy. I don't mind that; one has to look for that. But that others should be joined in it, and that there should be no one to say that they had seen it! There must have been five pairs of hands at work, and twenty pairs of eyes must have seen what the others were doing."
The two sisters looked at each other, but they said nothing. "I suppose we shall work it out of them some day," said Frank.
"I suppose nothing of the kind," said the father. "There are eighty acres of meadow lying under Lough Corrib this moment which will not give a ton of hay next summer, or food for a sheep next autumn. The pastures will be saturated, and sheep would perish with foot-rot and fluke. Then money must be laid out again upon it, just that Mr. Carroll may again wreak his vengeance." After that there was silence, for the children felt that not a word could be spoken which would comfort their father.
When they sat down to dinner, Mr. Jones asked after Florian. "He's not well," said Edith.
"Florian not well! So there's another misfortune."
"His ill-health is rather ill-humour. Biddy will take care of him, father."
"I do not choose that he should be looked after by Biddy in solitude. I suppose that somebody has been teasing him."
"No, father," said Edith, positively.
"Has anyone been speaking to him about his religion?"
"Not a word," said Edith. Then she told herself that to hold her tongue at the present moment would be cowardly. "Florian, father, has misbehaved himself, and has gone away cross. I would leave him, if I were you, till to-morrow."