"  '  But  what  use  is  it  to  cry,  even  if  ye  dhragged
the  hair  out  o'  yer  head  !  Ye  might  as  well  be  singin'
an'  dancin'.'

"  She  was  crying  when  she  said  it,  and  was  a  wild-
looking  creature  whom  you  would  like  to  paint,  and

M


162  IRISH  MEMORIES

the  thing  altogether  stays  in  my  mind."  (And  now
abides  in  the  mouth  of  Norry  the  Boat,  in  "  The  Real
Charlotte.")

"  Your  letter  spent  2  hours  after  its  arrival  in
Nurse  Barrett's  pocket,  while  I  entertained  some
thirty  of  the  children  about  here.  Tea,  and  bread  and
jam,  and  barm  bracks  " — (a  sort  of  sweet  loaf,  made
with  barm,  and  "  brack,^^  i.e.  "  spotted,"  with
currants) — "  in  the  lawn,  and  races  afterwards.  I
had  a  very  wearying  day.  Cutting  up  food  in  the
morning,  and  then  at  luncheon  I  received  a  great
shock.  I  had  asked  a  girl  who  teaches  a  National
School  to  bring  12  of  her  best  scholars,  and  besides
these,  we  had  only  invited  about  half  a  dozen.  At
luncheon  in  comes  the  teacher's  sister  to  say  that
the  teacher  had  gone  to  Galway  '  on  business,'  and
that  no  children  were  coming.  Boycotted,  I  thought
at  once.  However  I  thought  I  would  make  an  effort,
even  though  I  was  told  that  the  priest  must  have
vetoed  the  whole  thing,  and  I  sent  a  whip  round
to  the  near  villages,  which  are  loyal,  and  away  I  went
myself  to  two  more.  I  never  had  such  a  facer  as
thinking  the  children  were  to  be  kept  away,  and  with
that  I  nearly  cried  while  I  was  pelting  over  the  fields.
