The Kellys and the OKellys | Page 5

manage to tell us all
what he did at the Hall yesterday?'
'Av' he's not a prisoner, he's the next-door to it; it's not of his own free
will and pleasure he'd come here to listen to all the lies them
thundhering Saxon ruffians choose to say about him.'
'And why not? Why wouldn't he come here and vindicate himself?
When you hear Sheil by and by, you'll see then whether they think
themselves likely to be prisoners! No no; they never will be, av' there's
a ghost of a conscience left in one of them Protesthant raps, that they've
picked so carefully out of all Dublin to make jurors of. They can't
convict 'em! I heard Ford, the night before last, offer four to one that
they didn't find the lot guilty; and he knows what he's about, and isn't
the man to thrust a Protestant half as far as he'd see him.'
'Isn't Tom Steele a Protesthant himself, John?'
'Well, I believe he is. So's Gray, and more of 'em too; but there's a
difference between them and the downright murdhering Tory set. Poor
Tom doesn't throuble the Church much; but you'll be all for
Protesthants now, Martin, when you've your new brother-in-law. Barry
used to be one of your raal out-and-outers!'
'It's little, I'm thinking, I and Barry'll be having to do together, unless it
be about the brads; and the law about them now, thank God, makes no
differ for Roman and Protesthant. Anty's as good a Catholic as ever
breathed, and so was her mother before her; and when she's Mrs Kelly,
as I mane to make her, Master Barry may shell out the cash and go to
heaven his own way for me.'
'It ain't the family then, you're fond of, Martin! And I wondher at that,
considering how old Sim loved us all.'

'Niver mind Sim, John! he's dead and gone; and av' he niver did a good
deed before, he did one when he didn't lave all his cash to that precious
son of his, Barry Lynch.'
'You're prepared for squalls with Barry, I suppose?'
'He'll have all the squalling on his own side, I'm thinking, John. I don't
mane to squall, for one. I don't see why I need, with œ400 a-year in my
pocket, and a good wife to the fore.'
'The œ400 a-year's good enough, av' you touch it, certainly,' said the
man of law, thinking of his own insufficient guinea a-week, 'and you
must look to have some throuble yet afore you do that. But as to the
wife why, the less said the better eh, Martin?
'Av' it's not asking too much, might I throuble you, sir, to set anywhere
else but on my shouldher?' This was addressed to a very fat citizen,
who was wheezing behind Martin, and who, to escape suffocation in
the crowd, was endeavouring to raise himself on his neighbour's
shoulders. 'And why the less said the better? I wish yourself may never
have a worse.'
'I wish I mayn't, Martin, as far as the cash goes; and a man like me
might look a long time in Dublin before he got a quarter of the money.
But you must own Anty's no great beauty, and she's not over young,
either.'
'Av' she's no beauty, she's not downright ugly, like many a girl that gets
a good husband; and av' she's not over young, she's not over old. She's
not so much older than myself, after all. It's only because her own
people have always made nothing of her; that's what has made
everybody else do the same.'
'Why, Martin, I know she's ten years older than Barry, and Barry's older
than you!'
'One year; and Anty's not full ten years older than him. Besides, what's
ten years between man and wife?'
'Not much, when it's on time right side. But it's the wrong side with you,
Martin!'
'Well, John, now, by virtue of your oath, as you chaps say, wouldn't
you many a woman twice her age, av' she'd half the money? Begad you
would, and leap at it!'
'Perhaps I would. I'd a deal sooner have a woman eighty than forty.
There'd be some chance then of having the money after the throuble

was over! Anty's neither ould enough nor young enough'
'She's not forty, any way; and won't be yet for five years and more; and,
as I hope for glory, John though I know you won't believe me I
wouldn't marry her av' she'd all Sim Lynch's ill-gotten property, instead
of only half, av' I wasn't really fond of her, and av' I didn't think I'd
make her a good husband.'
'You didn't tell mother what you're afther, did you?'
'Sorrow a word! But she's so 'cute she partly guesses; and