-- I did not then. Oh, they're bloody liars in
the naked parish where I grew a man.

PEGEEN. If they are itself, you've heard it these days, I'm thinking,
and you walking the world telling out your story to young girls or old.

CHRISTY. I've told my story no place till this night, Pegeen Mike, and
it's foolish I was here, maybe, to be talking free, but you're decent
people, I'm thinking, and yourself a kindly woman, the way I wasn't
fearing you at all.

PEGEEN -- [filling a sack with straw.] -- You've said the like of that,
maybe, in every cot and cabin where you've met a young girl on your way.

CHRISTY -- [going over to her, gradually raising his voice.] -- I've
said it nowhere till this night, I'm telling you, for I've seen none the
like of you the eleven long days I am walking the world, looking over a
low ditch or a high ditch on my north or my south, into stony scattered
fields, or scribes of bog, where you'd see young, limber girls, and fine
prancing women making laughter with the men.

PEGEEN. If you weren't destroyed travelling, you'd have as much talk
and streeleen, I'm thinking, as Owen Roe O'Sullivan or the poets of the
Dingle Bay, and I've heard all times it's the poets are your like, fine
fiery fellows with great rages when their temper's roused.

CHRISTY -- [drawing a little nearer to her.] -- You've a power of rings,
God bless you, and would there be any offence if I was asking are you
single now?

PEGEEN. What would I want wedding so young?

CHRISTY -- [with relief.] -- We're alike, so.

PEGEEN -- [she puts sack on settle and beats it up.] -- I never killed
my father. I'd be afeard to do that, except I was the like of yourself
with blind rages tearing me within, for I'm thinking you should have had
great tussling when the end was come.

CHRISTY -- [expanding with delight at the first confidential talk he has
ever had with a woman.] -- We had not then. It was a hard woman was come
over the hill, and if he was always a crusty kind when he'd a hard woman
setting him on, not the divil himself or his four fathers could put up
with him at all.

PEGEEN -- [with curiosity.] -- And isn't it a great wonder that one
wasn't fearing you?

CHRISTY -- [very confidentially.] -- Up to the day I killed my father,
there wasn't a person in Ireland knew the kind I was, and I there
drinking, waking, eating, sleeping, a quiet, simple poor fellow with no
man giving me heed.

PEGEEN -- [getting a quilt out of th