Prince Levis passed the liquor. Pretty Pierre, seated on a candle-box, with a glass in his delicate fingers, said: “Eh, well, the Honourable has much language. He can speak, precise—this would be better with a little lemon, just a little,—the Honourable, he, perhaps, will tell. Eh?”
Pretty Pierre was showing his white teeth. At this stage in his career, he did not love the Honourable. The Honourable understood that, but he made clear to Shon’s mind what toboganing is.
And Shon, on his part, with fresh and hearty voice, touched here and there by a plaintive modulation, told about that ride on Farcalladen Rise; a tale of broken laws, and fight and fighting, and death and exile; and never a word of hatred in it all.
“And the writer of the song, who was he”? asked the Honourable.
“A gentleman after God’s own heart. Heaven rest his soul, if he’s dead, which I’m thinkin’ is so, and give him the luck of the world if he’s livin’, say I. But it’s little I know what’s come to him. In the heart of Australia I saw him last; and mates we were together after gold. And little gold did we get but what was in the heart of him. And we parted one day, I carryin’ the song that he wrote for me of Farcalladen Rise, and the memory of him; and him givin’ me the word,‘I’ll not forget you, Shon, me boy, whatever comes; remember that. And a short pull of the Three-Star together for the partin’ salute,’ says he. And the Three-Star in one sup each we took, as solemn as the Mass, and he went away towards Cloncurry and I to the coast; and that’s the last that I saw of him, now three years gone. And here I am, and I wish I was with him wherever he is.”
“What was his name”? said the Honourable.
“Lawless.”
The fingers of the Honourable trembled on his cigar. “Very interesting, Shon,” he said, as he rose, puffing hard till his face was in a cloud of smoke. “You had many adventures together, I suppose,” he continued.
“Adventures we had and sufferin’ bewhiles, and fun, too, to the neck and flowin’ over.”
“You’ll spin us a long yarn about them another night, Shon”? said the Honourable.