“Well, no swerin', Bartle; keep the commandments, my boy. I'll tell you in the mane time, an' that's more than you did me, you close-mouth-is-a-sign-of-a-wise-head spalpeen!”
“Did you ever hear tell of one Colleen dhas dhun as she's called, known by the name Una or Oona O'Brien, daughter to one Bodagh Buie O'Brien, the richest man, barin' a born gentleman, in the three parishes?”
“All very fair, Connor, for you or any one else to be in love wid her—ay, man alive, for myself, if it goes to that—but, but, Connor, avouchal, are you sure that sure you'll bring her to be in love wid you?”
“Bartle,” said Connor, seriously and after a sudden change in his whole manner, “in this business I'm goin' to trate you as a friend, and a brother. She loves me, Bartle, and a solemn promise of marriage has passed between us.”
“Connor,” said Bartle, “it's wondherful, it's wondherful! you couldn't believe what a fool I am—fool! no, but a faint-hearted, cowardly villain.”
“What do you mane, Bartle? what the dickens are you drivin' at!”
“Driven at! whenever I happen to have an opportunity of makin' a drive that id—but! I'm talkin' balderdash. Do you see here, Connor,” said he, putting his hand to his neck, “do you see here?”
“To be sure I do. Well, what about there?”
“Be my sowl, I'm very careful of—but!—sure I may as well tell you the whole truth—I sed I was in love; well, man, that was thrue, an',” he added in a low, pithy whisper, “I was near—no, Connor, I won't but go an; it's enough for you to know that I was an' am in love, an' that it'll go hard wid me if ever any one else is married to the girl I'm in love wid. Now that my business is past, let me hear yours, poor fellow, an' I'm devilish glad to know, Connor, that—that—why, tunder an' ouns, that you're not as I am. Be the crass that saved us, Connor, I'm glad of that!”
“Why, love will set you mad, Bartle, if you don't take care of yourself; an', faith, I dunna but it may do the same with myself, if I'm disappointed. However, the truth is, you must sarve me in this business. I struv to see her twiste, but couldn't, an' I'm afraid of bein' seen spyin' about their place.”