tolerably well, or he would not have made this
proposition. He understood what the real extent of her sorrow was, and
how much of her lamentation he was to attribute to her laudable wish to
appear a martyr to the wishes and pleasures of her children.

"Turn her out!" replied she, "no, niver; and I didn't think I'd 've
heard you asking me to."

"I didn't ask you, mother,--only anything'd be betther than downright
ruin."

"I wouldn't demane myself to Barry so much as to wish her out of this
now she's here. But it was along of you she came here, and av' I've to
pay for all this lawyer work, you oughtn't to see me at a loss. I'm
shure I don't know where your sisthers is to look for a pound or two
when I'm gone, av' things goes on this way," and again the widow
whimpered.

"Don't let that throuble you, mother: av' there's anything to pay, I
won't let it come upon you, any way. But I tell you there'll be nothing
more about it."

Mrs Kelly was somewhat quieted by her son's guarantee, and, muttering
that she couldn't afford to be wasting her mornings in that way,
diligently commenced weighing out innumerable three-halfporths of brown
sugar, and Martin went about his own business.

Daly left the inn, after his interview with Anty and the Kellys, in
anything but a pleasant frame of mind. In the first place, he knew that
he had been signally unsuccessful, and that his want of success had
been mainly attributable to his having failed to see Anty alone; and,
in the next place, he felt more than ever disgusted with his client.
He began to reflect, for the first time, that he might, and probably
would, irretrievably injure his character by undertaking, as Martin
truly called it, such a very low line of business: that, if the matter
were persevered in, every one in Connaught would be sure to hear of
Anty's persecution; and that his own name would be so mixed up with
Lynch's in the transaction as to leave him no means of escaping the
ignominy which was so justly due to his employer. Beyond these selfish
motives of wishing to withdraw from the business, he really pitied
Anty, and felt a great repugnance at being the means of adding to her
troubles; and he was aware of the scandalous shame of subjecting her
again to the ill-treatment of such a wretch as her brother, by
threatening proceedings which he knew could never be taken.

As he got on the car to return to Tuam, he determined that whatever
plan he might settle on adopting,