New Comedies Part 21

_Simon:_ A bald cat there was in the dream, was keeping watch over jewelleries in a cave.

_Staffy:_ No person at all would stretch out his hand to a lad would be rambling and walking the world, and it in its darkness and sleep, and be drowsing and miching from labour through the hours the sun has command of.

_Delia: (At the door)_. Is it that ye are within, Staffy and Ralph?

_Ralph:_ We are, and another along with us.

_Delia:_ Put him out the door!

_Ralph:_ Ah, there's no danger of him coming around Damer. He is simple and has queer talk too.

_Delia:_ Put him out I say! _(Pushes Simon to door.)_ Let him drowse out the day in the car shed! I tell you Damer is at hand!

_Ralph:_ Has he the frown on him yet?

_Staffy:_ Did his anger anyway cool down?

_Delia:_ He is coming I say. I am partly in dread of him. I am afeard and affrighted!

_Ralph:_ He should be in terrible rages so. There was no dread on you yesterday, and he cursing and roaring the way he was.

_Delia:_ He is mad this time out and out. Wait now till you'll see!

_(She goes behind dresser. Damer comes to the door. Staffy goes behind a chair. Ralph seizes a broom.)_

_Damer: (At door.)_ Are you acquainted with any person, Ralph Hessian, is in need of a savage dog?

_Staffy:_ Is it that you are about to part Jubair your dog?

_Damer:_ I have no use for him presently.

_Staffy:_ Is it that you are without dread of robbers coming for to knock in your skull with a stone? Or maybe out in the night it is to burn you out of the house they would.

_Damer:_ What signifies, what signifies? All must die, all must die.

The longest person that will live in the world, he is bound to go in the heel. Life is a long road to travel and a hard rough track under the feet.

_Staffy:_ Mike Merrick the huckster has an apple garden bought against the harvest. He should likely be seeking for a dog. There do be little lads pa.s.sing to the school.

_Damer:_ He might want him, he might want him.

_(He leans upon half-door.)_

_Staffy:_ Is it that you are tired and wore out carrying the load of your wealth?

_Damer:_ It is a bad load surely. It was the love of money destroyed Buonaparte where he went robbing a church, without the men of learning are telling lies.

_Staffy:_ I would never go so far as robbery, but to bid it welcome I would, and it coming fair and easy into my hand.

_Damer:_ There was a king out in Foreign went astray through the same sin. His people that made a mockery of him after his death, filling up his jaws with rendered gold. Believe me, any person goes coveting after riches puts himself under a bad master.

_Staffy:_ That is a master I'd be willing to engage with, he to give me my victuals and my ease.

_Damer:_ In my opinion it was to keep temptation from our path the gold of the world was covered under rocks and in the depths of the streams. Believe me it is best leave it where it is, and not to meddle with the Almighty.

_Staffy:_ You'd be best without it. It is the weight of it is bowing you to your grave. When things are vexing your mind and you are trouble minded they'll be going through your head in the night time. There is a big shift and a great change in you since yesterday.

There is not the half of you in it. You have the cut of the misfortune.

_Damer:_ I am under misfortune indeed.

_Staffy:_ Give over now your load to myself before the coming of the dusk. The way you are there'll be nothing left of you within three days. There is no way with you but death.

_Delia:_ _(To Ralph.)_ Let you raise your voice now, and come around him on my own behalf.

_Ralph:_ It is what herself is saying, you to be quitting the world as it seems, it is as good for you make over to her your crock of gold.

_Damer:_ I would not wish, for all the glories of Ireland, to leave temptation in the path of my own sister or my kin, or to twist a gad for their neck.

_Delia:_ _(To Ralph.)_ Tell him I'll chance it.

_Damer:_ At the time of the judgment of the mountain, when the sun and moon will be all one with two blackberries, it is not being pampered with plenty will serve you, beside being great with the angels!

_Delia:_ _(Shrinking back.)_ I would as soon nearly not get it at all, where it might bring me to the wretched state of Damer!

(_Dog heard barking.)_

_Damer:_ I'll go bring my poor Jubair out of this. A great sin and a great pity to be losing provision with a dog, and the image of the saints maybe to be going hungry and bare. How do I know what troop might be bearing witness against me before the gate of heaven? To be cherishing a ravenous beast might be setting his teeth in their limbs!

To give charity to the poor is the best religion in Ireland. Didn't our Lord Himself go beg through three and thirty years? _(He goes.)_

_Delia: (Coming forward.)_ Will you believe me now telling you he is gone unsteady in the head?

_Staffy:_ I see no other sign. He is a gone man surely. His understanding warped and turned backward. To see him blighted the way he is would stir the heart of a stone.

_Ralph:_ He surely got some vision or some warning, or there lit on him a fit or a stroke.

_Staffy:_ Twice a child and only once a man. He is turned to be innocent with age.

_Ralph:_ It would be a bad thing he to meet with his death unknown to us.

_Delia:_ It would be worse again he that is gone out of his lat.i.tude to be brought away to the asylum.

_Ralph:_ I don't know.

_Delia:_ But I know. He to die, and to make no will, it is ourselves, by rule and by right, that would lay claim to his wealth.

_Staffy:_ So we could do that, and he to come to his end in the bad place, G.o.d save the mark!

_Delia:_ Would you say there would be no fear the Government might stretch out and take charge of it, saying him to be outside of his reason?

_Ralph:_ That would be the worst of all. We to be forced to hire an attorney against them, till we would break one another at law.