"There's no knowin'," mumbled the crone, mysteriously, as she shook the ashes out of her tobacco-pipe, and replenished the doodeen with some of the fresh stock Darby had presented.
"Faix, an' that's thrue, sure enough. O, but you've a power o' knowledge, granny!! Sure enough, indeed, there's no knowin'; but they say there's great virtue in dhrames."
"That's ondeniable, Darby," said the hag, "and by the same token maybe you'd step into the house and bring me out a bit o' 'live turf2 to light my pipe."
2 In Ireland the tobacco in a pipe is very generally ignited by the application of a piece of burning turf, or, as it is figuratively called, 'live turf.
"To be sure, granny." And away went Darby to execute the commission.
While he was raking, from amongst the embers on the hearth, a piece of turf sufficiently "alive" for the purpose, Oonah made her appearance outside the hut, and gave the usual cordial salutation to the old woman; just as she had done her civility, out came Darby, holding the bit of turf between the two extremities of an osier twig, bent double for the purpose of forming rustic tongs.
"Musha, an' is that you, Darby?" said Oonah.
"Who else would it be?" said Darby.
"Why, you towld me over an hour agone, down there in the big field, that you wor in a hurry."
"And so I am in a hurry, and wouldn't be here, only I jist stepped in to say God save you to the mother here, and to light her pipe for her, the craythur."