"Is that a sample of the difficulties that you have to encounter?" I asked of the inspector, as we left a portion of the Irish district behind us, and approached another quarter, where the inhabitants did not appear to be doing so well in their operations.
"If we never encountered worse cases than that I should be contented," Mr. Brown replied. "I knew that Pat had the money, for he had served me in that manner half a dozen times; but I also knew that he had a great reluctance against working on the road, and that to save himself he would even sell a portion of his claim, if that was necessary. He has made money since he has worked in the mines, and I will do Pat the justice of saying that, with the exception of celebrating St. Patrick's Day, he knows how to save it."
As he ceased speaking, we drew up before a ragged hut, at the entrance of which stood a stout Irishwoman, with a terrible dirty-faced child in her arms.
"It's little ye'll get here," she shouted, shaking her huge fists at the inspector, and spanking the child, who set up a roar of fright. "Go on, an' the divil be wid ye, for not a ha'penny do ye get."
"Now we shall hear lying," muttered the inspector, when he saw a grin upon our faces. "Of all the she devils in the mines, she is the worst."
"Tell Mike that we want his license fee," Mr. Brown said, addressing the huge female, who varied her time in spanking her child and making faces at the police force.
"To the divil wid ye and yer fees, ye lazy spalpeens. There's no money in the house, and if there was ye shouldn't have it. Do ye think that I can pick up goold like dirt? or what do ye think?"
"Come, come, Judy," the inspector said, "we have heard your complaints so often that we don't believe them. Let me have the thirty-four shillings without delay."
"Who do you call Judy? I'm Mrs. Michael O'Flaherty, and a bitter husband and one more honest don't exist; and that's more than I can say of some women who's got husbands tied to 'em. It's little ye think I know of ye; so don't, if ye valey yer reputations, stand there chattering, but pass on to thim that gets the money."
"We are not afraid of our reputation, Judy," the inspector said. "We know that you are bad, but we don't believe that you can corrupt the whole of the squad."