The Real Charlotte, 315 



" Throth, it was not, but two plates in the sate of his 

 breeches was what he faulted, and the divil mend him ! " 



" Two plates ! " exclaimed Charlotte, in not unnatural 

 bewilderment ; '* what m the name of fortune was he doing 

 with them ? " 



" Well, indeed, Miss Mullen, with respex t'ye, when he 

 came here he hadn't as much rags on him as'd wipe a 

 candlestick," repHed Mrs. Lydon, with fluent spitefulness ; 

 " yerself knows that ourselves has to be losing with puttin' 

 clothes on thim apprentices, an' feedin' them as lavish and 

 as natty as ye'd feed a young bonnuf, an' afiher all they'd 

 turn about an' say they never got so much as the wettin' of 

 their mouths of male nor tay nor praties — " Mrs. Lydon 

 replenished her lungs with a long breath, — " and this lad 

 the biggest dandy of them all, that wouldn't be contint with- 

 out Dinny'd cut the brea'th of two fingers out of a lovely 

 throusers that was a little sign bulky on him and was 

 gethered into nate plates — " 



" Oh, it's well known beggars can't bear heat," said Char- 

 lotte, interrupting for purposes of her own a story that 

 threatened to expand unprofitably, "and that was always 

 the way with all the M'Donaghs. Didn't I meet that lad's 

 cousin, Shamus Bawn, driving a new side-car this morning, 

 and his father only dead a week. I suppose now he's got 

 the money he thinks he'll never get to the end of it, though 

 indeed it isn't so long since I heard he was looking for 

 money, and found it hard enough to get it." 



Mrs. Lydon gave a laugh of polite acquiescence, and 

 wondered inwardly whether Miss Mullen had as intimate a 

 knowledge of everyone's affairs as she seemed to have of 

 Shamus Bawn's. 



" Oh, they say a manny a thing — " she observed with 

 well-simulated inanity. " Arrah ! dheen dheffeth^ Dinny ! 

 thiirrum cussoge mri'na." 



" Yes, hurry on and give me the coat, Dinny," said 

 Charlotte, displaying that knowledge of Irish that always 

 came as a shock to those who were uncertain as to its 

 limitations. 



The tailor untwisted his short legs and descended stiffly 

 to the floor, and having helped Charlotte into the coat, 

 pushed her into the light of the open door, and surveyed 



