When six o’clock had come I felt that there was no more chance for me that day; so I went sadly down the hill, and, after a glance for Dick’s sake at the cutting, sought the sheebeen where Andy had the horse ready harnessed in the car. I assumed as cheerful an aspect as I could, and flattered myself that I carried off the occasion very well. It was not at all flattering, however, to my histrionic powers to hear Andy, as we were driving off, whisper in answer to a remark deploring how sad I looked, made by the old lady who kept the sheebeen:—
“Whisht! Don’t appear to notice him, or ye’ll dhrive him mad. Me opinion is that he’s been wandherin’ on the mountain too long, an’ tamperin’ wid the rings on the grass—you know—an’ that he has seen the fairies!” Then he said aloud and ostentatiously:—
“Gee up! ye ould corncrake—ye ought to be fresh enough—ye’ve niver left the fut iv the hill all the day,”—then turning to me, “An’ sure, surr, it’s goin’ to the top that takes it out iv wan—ayther a horse or a man.”
I made no answer, and in silence we drove to Carnaclif, where I found Dick impatiently waiting dinner for me.
I was glad to find that he was full of queries concerning the cutting, for it saved me from the consideration of subjects more difficult to answer satisfactorily. Fortunately I was able to give a good account of the time spent, for the work done had far exceeded my expectations. I thought that Dick was in much better spirits than he had been; but it was not until the subject of the bog at Knocknacar was completely exhausted that I got any clue on the subject. I then asked Dick if he had had a good time at Shleenanaher?
“Yes!” he answered. “Thank God! the work is nearly done. We went over the whole place to-day and there was only one indication of iron. This was in the bog just beside an elbow where Joyce’s land—his present land—touches ours; no! I mean on Murdock’s, the scoundrel!” He was quite angry with himself for using the word “ours” even accidentally.
“And has anything come of it?” I asked him.
“Nothing! Now that he knows it is there, he would not let me go near it on any account. I’m in hopes he’ll quarrel with me soon in order to get rid of me, so that he may try by himself to fish it—whatever it may be—out of the bog. If he does quarrel with me! Well! I only hope he will; I have been longing for weeks past to get a chance at him. Then she’ll believe, perhaps——” He stopped.
“You saw her to-day, Dick!”
“How did you know that?”