194 GARRYOWEN 



" Of course you can't poach vegetables," she 

 went on, " but you can poach eggs, and, as a 

 matter of fact, I beheve our fried eggs are poached 

 eggs — could such a statement ever occur out of 

 Ireland andcarrysense with it? It'sawful, isn'tit? " 



" I think it's a jolly lark," said Mr Dashwood. 

 " Gloats! to think of old Bingham gobbhng his 

 own turkeys — " 



" Pheasants, you mean. Don't talk of turkeys, 

 for we've had three since Christmas, and I don't 

 know what's been going on in the kitchen in the 

 way of food, but I know they had jugged hare for 

 supper last night — " 



" When did you find out about it? " 



" Yesterday morning I began to guess. You 

 see, I had been wondering for a long time how Mrs 

 Driscoll had been managing to produce such good 

 food for two pounds ten a week. She pays for the 

 groceries and everything out of it. Well, yester- 

 day morning she brought me six pounds that she 

 had ' saved ' out of the housekeeping money ; she 

 said it might be useful to ' the master.' I must 

 say it was a perfect godsend, but I thought it more 

 than pecuhar, and I tried to cross-question her. 

 But it was useless. She swore she had been saving 

 the money for months — before we left Drumgool, 

 even, so I could say no more. However, things 

 came to a cHmax last night. I was lying in bed; 

 it was long after eleven, and the moon was very 

 bright, and I heard a noise in the stable-yard. My 

 window looks on to the stable-yard. I got up and 



