he ploughs as much for himself, by the day, as he can, and often strives to get the other to do as little per day, on the other side, in order to diminish what will remain due to his partner.  There is, consequently, a ludicrous undercurrent of petty jealousy running between them, which explains the passage in question.

“I disremember now what passed between us as to words—­but I know I had a duck-egg in my hand, and when she spoke, I raised my arm, and nailed—­poor Larry Tracy, our servant boy, between the two eyes with it, although the crathur was ating his dinner quietly fornent me, not saying a word.

“Well, as I tould you, Dick was ever after her, although her father and mother would rather see her under boord* than joined to any of that connection; and as for herself, she couldn’t bear the sight of him, he was sich an upsetting, conceited puppy, that thought himself too good for every girl.  At any rate, he tried often and often, in fair and market, to get striking up with her; and both coming from and going to mass, ’twas the same way, for ever after and about her, till the state he was in spread over the parish like wild fire.  Still, all he could do was of no use; except to bid him the time of day, she never entered into discoorse with him at all at all.  But there was no putting the likes of him off; so he got a quart of spirits in his pocket, one night, and without saying a word to mortal, off he sets full speed to her father’s, in order to brake the thing to the family.

* In that part of the country where the scene of Shane Fadh’s Wedding is laid, the bodies of those who die are not stretched out on a bed, and the face exposed; on the contrary, they are placed generally on the ground, or in a bed, but with a board resting upon two stools or chairs over them.  This is covered with a clean sheet, generally borrowed from some wealthier neighbor; so that the person of the deceased is altogether concealed.  Over the sheet upon the board, are placed plates of cut tobacco, pipes, snuff, &c.  This is what is meant by being “undher boord.”

“Mary might be about seventeen at this time, and her mother looked almost as young and fresh as if she hadn’t been married at all.  When Dick came in, you may be sure they were all surprised at the sight of him; but they were civil people—­and the mother wiped a chair, and put it over near the fire for him to sit down upon, waiting to hear what he’d say, or what he wanted, although, they could give a purty good guess as to that!—­but they only wished to put him off with as little offince as possible.  When Dick sot a while, talking about what the price of hay and oats would be in the following summer, and other subjects that he thought would show his knowledge of farming and cattle, he pulls out his bottle, encouraged to by their civil way of talking—­and telling the ould couple, that as he came over on his kailyee,* he had brought a drop in his pocket to sweeten the discoorse, axing Susy Finigan, the mother, for a glass to send it round with—­at the same time drawing over his chair close to Mary who was knitting her stocken up beside her little brother Michael, and chatting to the gorsoon, for fraid that Cuillenan might think she paid him any attention.