Aunt Judy [whispering to her].  Whisht, whisht, child!  Don’t set him back on that again.

Keegan [to Nora].  When I look at you, I think that perhaps Ireland is only purgatory, after all. [He passes on to the garden door].

Nora.  Galong with you!

Broadbent [whispering to Cornelius].  Has he a vote?

Cornelius [nodding].  Yes.  An there’s lots’ll vote the way he tells them.

Keegan [at the garden door, with gentle gravity].  Good evening,
Mr Broadbent.  You have set me thinking.  Thank you.

Broadbent [delighted, hurrying across to him to shake hands].  No, really?  You find that contact with English ideas is stimulating, eh?

Keegan.  I am never tired of hearing you talk, Mr Broadbent.

Broadbent [modestly remonstrating].  Oh come! come!

Keegan.  Yes, I assure you.  You are an extremely interesting man. [He goes out].

Broadbent [enthusiastically].  What a nice chap!  What an intelligent, interesting fellow!  By the way, I’d better have a wash. [He takes up his coat and cap, and leaves the room through the inner door].

Nora returns to her chair and shuts up the backgammon board.

Aunt Judy.  Keegan’s very queer to-day.  He has his mad fit on him.

Cornelius [worried and bitter].  I wouldn’t say but he’s right after all.  It’s a contrairy world. [To Larry].  Why would you be such a fool as to let him take the seat in parliament from you?

Larry [glancing at Nora].  He will take more than that from me before he’s done here.

Cornelius.  I wish he’d never set foot in my house, bad luck to his fat face!  D’ye think he’d lend me 300 pounds on the farm, Larry?  When I’m so hard up, it seems a waste o money not to mortgage it now it’s me own.

Larry.  I can lend you 300 pounds on it.

Cornelius.  No, no:  I wasn’t putn in for that.  When I die and leave you the farm I should like to be able to feel that it was all me own, and not half yours to start with.  Now I’ll take me oath Barney Doarn’s goin to ask Broadbent to lend him 500 pounds on the mill to put in a new hweel; for the old one’ll harly hol together.  An Haffigan can’t sleep with covetn that corner o land at the foot of his medda that belongs to Doolan.  He’ll have to mortgage to buy it.  I may as well be first as last.  D’ye think Broadbent’d len me a little?

Larry.  I’m quite sure he will.

Cornelius.  Is he as ready as that?  Would he len me five hunderd, d’ye think?

Larry.  He’ll lend you more than the land’ll ever be worth to you; so for Heaven’s sake be prudent.

Cornelius [judicially].  All right, all right, me son:  I’ll be careful.  I’m goin into the office for a bit. [He withdraws through the inner door, obviously to prepare his application to Broadbent].