A Boy from Garryowen [pp. 390-411]

A Bo y FROM GARR YO WEN.
sight of me seemed to revive recollections which I heartily
wished for ever dead, and I had to run the ghuntlet of a hundred
criticisms. Mrs. Murphy was the least severe.
"We all live," she said very charitably, "to regret many
things we have said and done. You see now, of course, how
a warm-hearted youth can exaggerate impressions. Algernon
is doing very well. His wife is a dear woman, and they are so
happy, and the bishop has taken a fancy to him and discusses
points of doctrine with him; and for you to suppose that the dear
boy would lose his faith, and so many other horrible things!
Don't let us make you feel hurt by reminding you of your little
mistakes."
"I am so glad of Algernon's escape," said I smilingly, playing
a very good card to the lady's knave, " that I cannot be reminded
of my mistake too often. What does Mr. De Lisle think about
his success?"
This question brought out a bit of gossip with which I was
already acquainted. Mrs. Murphy spoke of it in a tone ot
suppressed horror. The very High-Churchman and society
favorite had become a sceptic; no longer talked of functions or
led the anthems in Trinity, but sat home Sundays and read Voltaire and Tyndall and Harrison. He still taught the high-school,
however, and when I wondered thereat, "Oh!" said Mrs. Murphy, "these things do not come into arithmetic. You are not
acquainted with us yet, Mr. Hinchy. Pray study us more
closely."
Thus the ladies bothered me as I went the round of visits
called for by my position. Hon. John McIntyre dealt me a
morsel of consolation.
"Algernon," he said, "is the same superficial, conceited little
bummer he was at the university. He drinks like a fishsecretly, you know, and it doesn't affect his business so far, but
in time it must out. He is a crony of De Lisle's. Anything cusseder than that Anglican-sceptical swell 1 haven't seen in a lifetime. Long after he got.to the bottom of the High-Church business and switched off nowhere he kept up the function and vestry
doings. He argued on the sly with the youngsters, and broke
up the belief of a dozen, so that the matter got whispered about
and he had to resign or get kicked out. But the school he kept.
He played the innocent-guilty dodge, said he was still a believer
of the Stanley stripe and distasteful to the bigoted class of
Anglicans. So some one held him on, and now he smokes pipes,
drinks beer, and talks rot when he dares. I'd like to punch him."
4o6
[Dec.,