or your sake the town will have dispensation.
Long days you will have, without envy or strife,
And when you depart you'll find the same life,
And in the next world you'll have your will and your sway,
With a Poorhouse to govern all your own way,
And I'll promise you this; to keep up your state,
You'll have Felix Tournour to watch at the gate.'"

CRILLY
That's damn good. I must get a copy of the whole of it to
show at Keegan's.

_Tournour has swept as far as the corridor door. He opens it and
sweeps down the passage. He goes out and closes door_.

CRILLY
That's a damn clever fellow. _(He becomes anxious, as with a
troubled recollection. He goes to the little cabinet, opens it, and
takes out a bottle of whisky and a glass. He pours some whisky into
the glass, and remains looking at himself in the mirror. He smooths
his beard. He goes to the arm chair with the glass of whisky, the
anxious expression still on his face)_ This is a cursed town.
_(He drinks)_

ALBERT
Every town in Ireland is a cursed town.

CRILLY
But this is an extraordinarily cursed town. Everybody's in
debt to everybody else. I don't know what's to be done. Now, imagine
that fellow, James Covey, failing in business and getting clear out
of the town.

ALBERT
Covey seems to have done it well.

CRILLY
God knows how many he has stuck.

ALBERT
Well, he didn't stick the Crillys for anything.

CRILLY
Albert, you don't know how these financial things work out.
Do you think would his brother settle?

ALBERT
Settle with whom?

CRILLY
Well ... with any of the ... any of the people that have ...
I don't know. It's a cursed town. If I had joined the police at your
age, I'd have a pension by this, and I mightn't care for any of them.

ALBERT
I wish I had a job and I'd wait on the pension.

CRILLY
Oh, you'll be all right. The grandfather is seeing about your
job.

ALBERT
If the grandparent gets me that job I'll want two new suits
at least.

CRILLY
'Pon my soul, Albert, I don't know what's to be done. (
_His mind wanders off)_ I suppose the abstracts have to go out in
the morning.

ALBERT
They have. And damn all the old man has done to them.

CRILLY
The Guardians hear that he's late in the mornings, Albert,
and some of them are beginning to question his fitness to check the
stores.

ALBERT
The old man ought to resign.

CRILLY
I suppose he ought. I'm not wishing for his resignation myself,
Albert. You know