Valentine M'Clutchy, The Irish Agent / The Works of William Carleton, Volume Two

Opinion on the Causes of Immorality-Solomon is Gener

sallow woman, with piercing dark eyes, and a very; gipsy-like countenance. Her dress was always black, and very much worn; in fact, everything about her was black-black stockings, black bonnet, black hair, and black kerchief. Poll's occupation was indeed a singular one, and not very creditable to the morals of the day. Her means of living were derived from the employment of child-cadger to the Foundling Hospital of Dublin. In other words, she lived by conveying illegitimate children from the places of their birth to the establishment just mentioned, which has been very properly termed a bounty for national immorality. Whenever a birth of this

the youngest news wid you? And Ray

drove away Widow Branagan's cow, an' left the

ng the Irish, that the curse of an "innocent"

ed Darby; "sure, Raymon

ou do your duty?

l-hem-Mr. M'Clut

ck to h

and hastily towards his mouth, with the obvious intention of suppressing the imprecation; but too

"you oughtn't to curse anybody; sto

bless

McClu

poor, an' drive away their cows from them-doesn't he

, rack them

rack them,

, rack the

ack them, h

n air somewhat li

! and they say a blessin' from the

tted his cheek, and attempted to win him out of the evil humor into which the sight of Darby had thrown him. Darby could observe, however, that she appe

e good for me, darlin'-for your own mother, m

he, in a more

not curse anyb

mothe

ess Mr. M'Clutchy

m," he replied-there'

him, my darlin'-you

caught! his, and she perceived t

"no, I won't ask you; only ho

an to burn in his eye, died gradually away, and no other expressio

will put him out of his own way, once he takes it into his head. This minute, if I had spoke another word about the bles

over, can you tell me, Poll, what's

ff for it now. As for the news, you ought to know what's

as 'ithin side o'mine, I wouldn't know

now it. There's great grumlin' an' great complaints, ever sin

" said Darby; "sure I'd side

'd side wid the man that oppresses

him! and sure 'tis well known that the divil's curse is on

ued, "take my word for it, that these things won't end well. The estate and nei

say, let every herrin' hang by its own tail-I must do my duty. But tell me, Poll-hut, woman, never mind the Vulture

hlin! Was my fine young man worth no more than his garran of a horse

re sent over soon afther h

full revenge on Brian M'Loughlin-ay, either on him or his-or both. Come, Raymond, have you ne'er a spare curse n

son, "he doesn't be

transported

ood to me, and does be good to me; he gives me my dinner or breakfast w

inflammatory wildness of expression which had been awakened by the curse, "it's n

rby, "but where's your

p to the Foundling; although, dear knows, it's hardly worth

'?" asked Darby, who spoke

that they are improvin' a bit," said she, speaking professionally. "M'Clutchy's givin' them a lift, for I've ever an' always remarked, that distress, and

get a job from a sartin pious gentleman,

at I've had my private business, as well as my public business, an' that I'd suffer that ri

o two, but Poll still kept to that which led to M'C

t for; but what he wants wid me, I k

d' them, and in a minute or two, Solomon M'Slime, who

on catching a glimpse of Poll's face, "I think I ought to recollect your features, my good woman-but, no-I can't say I do-No,

you to look at you, sir, that's all-an' it's thrue what you say too, sir, there's nothing but

excellent woman-is that inte

ocent that, hasn't the full comp

e without shoes to his feet, will you accept of five shilling

hem-many thanks, sir; h

good morning to you very kindly! Darby, I bid y

apparently at peace with his heart, his consci

ion to vice in proportion as it diminished the power of being vicious, and presented an instance of a man, at the close of a long life, watching over the grave of a corrupted heart, with a hope of meeting the wan spectres of his own departed passions, since he could not meet the passions themselves; and he met them, for they could not rest, but returned to their former habitation, like unclean spirits as they were, each bringing seven more along with it, b

was studious of every sensual opportunity. His gray, goatish eye, was vigilant and. circumspect, and his under lip protruded in a manner, which, joined to the character of his age, left no one at a l

us asservations, constituted the staple of his thoughts and expressions. According to his own principles he could not look forward to another life, and consequently all that remained for him was to look back upon an unbroken line of seduction and profligacy-upon wealth and influence not merely abused, but prostituted to the lowest and grossest purposes of our wors

-boned animal, not without a vigorous twinkle of low cunning in his eye, and a duplicity of character and principle about his angular and ill-shaped eye-brow

healthy doze, which could scarcely be termed sleep, but rather a kind of middle state between that and waking. At lengt

thin hearing? I say Isabel, Isabel,

least," replied a shrewd-looking lad of

il's pick-tooth? Where's Isabel? Where's Jezabel? Playing her

our brandy and

you scoundrel! Wh

nsing her mouth, si

know-she's drinking-she's drunk,

Fuzzle, sir, she bid me say, that she's doin'

king my health! She's tipsy, the she scoundrel, she

id the falling sickness-she always takes it after rinsing he

ippi was brandy grog, she'd dry the river-drinking at this hour!-well, never mind, I was drunk myself

do it better y

it to my mouth now; hold, you croil-here's the glorious, pious, and immortal memory! Ho! Lanty, there's nothing like bei

d the wild whistle of the wind through the chink of a door-shrill and monotonous; after which he burst out into a chuckling laugh,

ment Deaker saw her, his whole manner changed, notwithstanding his previous violence-the swagger departed from him, his countenance fell, and he lay mute and terror-stricken before her. It was indeed clear that

Lanty, you clip, go and tell her to forgive me; I said

n to come across her now; she'd whale the life out o' me. Sure she's afther flailing the cook out o' the k

r she may hear you-Isn't it strange," he said to himself, "that

our honor, that'll make h

the other eagerly,

hy, sir; he's rid

nly he's a hypocrite, and doesn't set the world at defiance as I do;-no, he's a cowardly, skulking hypo

l. Well, Val-well, my Vulture, what's in the wind no

at your health's not so

ng for my carcase, snuffing the air at a distance under the hope of a gorge.

sir, the

ed the worms? What a precious putrid carcase I'll make, when I'm a month in the dirt. Maybe you wouldn't much relis

sful method of working out any purpose with him. He according

want you to aid me in

ike that-it shows that there's no mock modesty betwe

head agent, out, and in the next, to get into his place, if pos

contrived to put himself so completely! in possession of the political influence of the

rge Gamble, Lord Cumber's o

s swearing, and applied himself to the subject, with all

ever otherwise? Come to the point; the t

it must be by very

nice hand

bit of blister which I, through the tenantry, lay on him at home. Cumber, you know, is an unsteady scoundrel, and in the or

M'Slime bite you? or have you turned Methodist? Holy Jupiter,

him out of the country-if you were to write him a friendly, confidential letter, in which, observe, you are about to finally arrange your affairs; and you are sorry-quite sorry-but

ouch a

rdship or his family-is not in the confidence of government-displeased at the Union-and grumbles about corruption. His lordship is abroad you know, and cannot think for himself. You speak as his friend-his tried

ed-wha

t; nothing more can be done until

u imagine will

and his interests, pecuniary and political, altogether in your h

k, and be merry, for to-morrow you die,-take as much out of life and your fellow-men as you can. There's no knavery in the gra

own purposes while we're here; otherwise I a

ke your son; he's a dishonest blockhead, and I needn't tell you that the man

?" asked Val, in a very dut

t, and could do nothing, not even put a tumbler to my mouth, until I took a stiff glass of brandy

; but I think you ought to

te then, according to your able instructions,

ye, sir, and

ut be off out of this-" and

ercurrents and manoeuvering, succeed in ejecting from the agency; but he could not absolutely ruin him. Nothing short of this, however, did he propose to himself, so far as M'Loughlin, and, we may add, every one connected with him, was concerned; for M'Cl