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his face into a horrible grimace and Con stuck out his tongue as far
as the roots would permit. Then, feeling the smooth and pleasant
coolness of the glass, Con flattened out his tongue on the pane.
It stuck there, like a poppy petal, between his face and the window,
and the boy outside forgot his enmity, and laughed, and edged forward
a little the better to see. Con winked, and as he winked he was
suddenly plucked backward into the darkness of the kitchen and his
place was taken by his mother, angrily wiping the damp mark from the
pane, and avoiding the questioning eyes of the child outside.
Meanwhile, in the cottage, Sarah, Agnes and Petie sat round the
fire drinking tea. Suddenly Petie said I heard toll that the Bourkes
are selling out all the land beyond the road to the lough.” Agnes
paused with her cup halfway to her mouth, waiting for her husband to
continue, but as he did not, she asked with some asperity, "Does that
mean the cottages, too?”
”Aye, it’ll mean the cottages, too,” said Petie, in a tone of
patient explanation. "Considering that the cottages sit twixt the
road and the lough, it’ll mean the cottages, too, woman dear."
"And did it dawn on ye that we’re living in one of them?"
demanded Agnes, annoyed by her husband’s reiterative reply. "Whare
did. ye hear this story?"
"Stewartie Purdy heard tell of it at McIlveen’s auction rooms
yesterday, and he told me the-day."
Agnes turned to Sarah. "Did ye ever see the match of that man?
The roof might he sold over our heads and he would never think o’ going
up to see Mr Bourke and making sure that we’re no moved! I declare to
