EFFIE 63 



to you for driving you all over the country. Is 

 that chair easy? No, it's not — take this one. 

 Look at it before you sit in it. Dan O'Connell 

 took his seat in that chair when he was here for 

 the elections, in my grandfather's time, and I 

 have the bed upstairs he slept in. Which Michael 

 French, I wonder, was it you met? Was it a man 

 with a big black beard? " 



" Yes," replied Mr Dashwood. 



" And gold-rimmed spectacles? " 



" Yes." 



" And bawls like a bull? " 



" He had rather a loud voice." 



" That's him. He's my cousin, bad luck to 

 him. No matter. I'll be even with him some day 

 yet. He's the biggest black — I mean, we have 

 never been friends; but that's always the way 

 between relations. And that reminds me — I've 

 never bid you welcome to Drumgool, Miss Grim- 

 shaw. Welcome you are to the house and all it 

 holds, and make yourself at home. And here we 

 are sitting in the old drawing-room that's only 

 used for company once in a twelvemonth. Come 

 down to the sitting-room, both of you. There's a 

 fire there, and Effie will be in in a minute. She's 

 out driving in the donkey-carriage. This isn't a 

 bad bit of an old hall, is it? " continued he, as they 

 passed through the hall. "It's the oldest part of 

 the house. Do you see that split in the panelling 

 up there? That's where a bullet went in the duel 

 between Counsellor Kinsella and Colonel White. 



