nters. He is
elderly, and with a pessimistic expression of face, relieved somewhat
by the sly humour that is in his eyes. He walks slowly to the centre
of the kitchen, looks at_ KATE, _and then turns his eyes, with a
disgusted shake of the head, towards the dresser as if searching for
something._)

BROWN. Well! Well! Pigs get fat and men get lean in this house.

KATE. It's you again, is it? And what are you looking now?

BROWN. I'm looking a spanner for the boss. The feedboard to the
threshing machine got jammed just when halfway through the first
stack, and he is in a lamentable temper.

KATE (_uneasily_). Is he? (_She starts hurriedly to clear up the
table._)

BROWN (_watching her slyly to see what effect his words have_). And
he's been grumbling all morning about the way things is going on in
this house. Bread and things wasted and destroyed altogether.

KATE. Well, it's all Miss Mary's fault. I told her about this bread
yesterday forenoon, and she never took any heed to me.

BROWN. Miss Mary? (_With a deprecatory shake of his head._) What does
a slip of a girl like that know about housekeeping and her not home a
half-year yet from the boarding-school in the big town, and with no
mother nor nobody to train her. (_He stares in a puzzled way at the
dresser._) I don't see that spanner at all. Did you see it, Kate?

KATE. No. I've more to do than look for spanners.

BROWN (_gazing reproachfully at her and then shaking his head_). It's
a nice house, right enough. (_Lowering his voice._) And I suppose old
Mr. Dan is never up yet. I was told by Johnny McAndless, he was
terribly full last night at McArn's publichouse and talking--ach--the
greatest blethers about this new invention of his.

KATE. Do you say so?

BROWN. Aye. No wonder he's taking a lie this morning. (_He peeps into
the door of the workshop._) He's not in his wee workshop?

KATE. No. Miss Mary is just after taking up his breakfast to him.

BROWN. Some people get living easy in this world. (_He gives a last
look at the dresser._) Well divil a spanner can I see. I'll tell the
master that. (_He goes out again through the yard door, and as he does
so,_ MARY MURRAY _comes through the door from the inner rooms,
carrying a tray with teacups, &c., on it. She is a pretty, vivacious
girl about eighteen years of age._)

MARY. Who was that?

KATE. It's the servant man looking for a spanner for your father, Miss
Mary. There's something gone wrong with the