"Why there war ould Paddy Rafferty, who war in the Cavan Militia in the Rabellion—av he didn't kill scores of the French at Ballinamuck, he's the biggest liar I ever heard; but he's dead now, yer honour."
"Supposing that the death of Captain Ussher had happened a fortnight before—that the prisoner had killed him a fortnight before the day on which he did kill him, would you not have been surprised then?"
"Why I don't know that a fortnight makes much difference."
"Answer my question. In such a case as that, would you not have felt more surprise than you did when the affair did occur?"
"Why, yer honour, I can't answer that—becase, you see, it didn't happen then, and I couldn't exactly be saying what my feelings might be."
"At any rate, you were not surprised?"
"Oh yes, I war surprised; in course it war a surprise to me when I kicked the dead body; but when I come to think over all about the Captain, I warn't that much surprised."
"After what had taken place at Mrs. Mehan's, you did not expect Captain Ussher would be very long lived?"
"Faix, he lived longer than I expected—seeing the way he war going on through the counthry."
"Do you remember telling me some time ago, speaking of Captain Ussher's death, that the thing had been talked over?"