Sheelah And didn’t I watch the kettle all night, not to let it off the boil?—there now.
Myles [Quarreling with Sheelah.] No, you didn’t, etc.
Sheelah [Quarreling.] Yes, I did, etc.
Eily No, no; I’ll make it, and nobody else.
Father T Aisy now, ye becauns, and whist; Myles shall put in the whisky, Sheelah shall put in the hot water, and Eily, my Colleen, shall put the sugar in the cruiskeen. A blessin’ on ye all three that loves the ould man. [Myles takes off hat—Women curtsey—they make punch.] See now, my children, there’s a moral in everthing, e’en in a jug of punch. There’s the sperrit, which is the sowl and strength of the man. [Myles pours spirit from keg.] That’s the whisky. There’s the sugar, which is the smile of woman; [Eily puts sugar.] without that life is without taste or sweetness. Then there’s the lemon, [Eily puts lemon.] which is love; a squeeze now and again does a boy no harm; but not too much. And the hot water [Sheelah pours water.] which is adversity—as little as possible if ye plaze—that makes the good things better still.
Myles And it’s complate, ye see, for it’s a woman that gets into hot wather all the while. [Pours from jug to jug.
Sheelah Myles, if I hadn’t the kettle, I’d bate ye.
Myles Then, why didn’t ye let me make the punch? There’s a guinea for your riverince that’s come t’ye—one in ten I got a while ago—it’s your tithe—put a hole in it, and hang it on your watch chain, for it’s a mighty great charm entirely.
[They sit, Sheelah near fire, Colleen on stool beside her, Father Tom in chair, Myles on stool, L. of table.
Father T Eily, look at that boy, and tell me, haven’t ye a dale to answer for?