i8o WHAT I HAVE SEEN WHILE FISHING 



The Irishman had everything in his favour, 

 excepting only that I had a little start. His 

 height and breadth, his smiles, his twinkling eyes 

 and wit-tipped, ready tongue, were such as left me 

 nothing to compare with him. His appearance on 

 the stage where I had been so happy in my young 

 dreams, not yet told to her of whom I dreamt, was 

 anything but pleasing to me from the very first, 

 and I was fast learning to think unkindly of him, 

 until one day he slapped me on the shoulder and 

 said, "Cheer up, or, be.jabers, it's the pair of 

 them you'll be driving to these arms where there's 

 only room for Amy." 



I still remember the joy I felt when my load of 

 fear was lifted by the words which showed that he 

 was not my rival. I purposely make this story 

 short. We married the sisters and thus I got an 

 Irishman for brother-in-law and friend. From him 

 I had to learn willy-nilly, my Anglo-Irish history, 

 and from that learning came the eager wish to see 

 his country a wish ofttimes gratified. 



By a whim of Fate it was he who called me 

 back to England on this occasion, and, as his call 

 was backed by forty years of friendship, I answered 

 quickly, "Coming." I managed to catch the 3.15 

 from Londonderry that afternoon, travelled via 

 Dundalk and Greenore, and at 7.30 next morning 

 I was met at Huston with the good news that the 

 crisis had passed, and that there was great hope of 

 his recovery. He lives and still gives me lessons 



