George A. Birmingham

“ Her eyes were on the now distant figures of Sir Giles and Langton. Even if she had listened, it is doubtful whether the word "land-grabber" would have conveyed anything to her. Politicians rarely, if ever, visit Inishgowlan, and the people, even the grown men, are uninstructed in the simple principles of modern nationalism. It had never been worth the while, even of a publican, to grab the land on Inishgowlan. In any case, whether she had understood him or not, Meldon's motives for having the strangers watched would not have interested Mary Kate. ”

“ I'm not a feminist myself or anything extreme of any kind, but I think a man ought to show some respect to women, and not be always sneering at them as you are. After all, Major, if you hadn't had a mother where would you be now? You ought to try and remember little things like that."
"Would there be anything unchivalrous," said the Major, "in asking where Higginbotham does come in if he's not to go to sea in Sir Giles's punt?"
"It's my punt, not Sir Giles's. But we needn't argue about that. The thing's quite simple. Higginbotham is to go to Inishmore in Jamesy O'Flaherty's curragh." ”

“ Meldon, Mrs. O'Flaherty with her baby in her arms, and Major Kent, who lingered a little behind, set out to meet Sir Giles and Langton.
"Good-morning, Sir Giles," said Meldon. "Good-morning, Mr. Langton. You got home safe yesterday off that cliff? That's right. Take my advice and don't risk it again. There isn't a bird's egg in the world worth a broken neck. Do you happen to have a bottle about you?" ”

“ O'Flaherty?"
"It is, your honour. It is, Sir Giles. The old woman's ravelling in her talk this long time, and what's more, she won't stir out of her bed; and if your honour would give her a bottle——"
"Come now," said Meldon, "you won't refuse her, Sir Giles. It's a small request. What's a bottle to you one way or another? Slip back to the yacht and get her one. It won't take you an hour. The Major and I will wait about till you come back."
He winked at the Major as he spoke—a large obvious wink, which neither Sir Giles nor Langton could fail to notice. ”

“ O'Flaherty beyond there, the one that owns the baby with the nice fat legs. You drop down there as soon as ever those two gentlemen go back to their yacht, and tell me what they've been doing. I needn't explain to you, Mary Kate, that I wouldn't be setting you on a job of this kind if those two fellows weren't a pair of bad ones. The fact is they're land-grabbers—the worst kind of land-grabbers. That will probably convey to you better than anything else the sort of fellows they really are. ”

“ Goodbye to you, Mrs. O'Flaherty. I'm really off this time, but very likely I'll look in to-morrow to see Michael Pat and the butter. Will you be off out of this, Mary Kate? You'll spoil the look of your mouth for life if you stand there grinning much longer."
Meldon walked to the pier, passed it, and went down to the sandy beach which lay beyond. There were three curraghs drawn up and laid, as the custom is with such boats, bottom upward on the sand. One of them Meldon recognised as that in which Higginbotham had come off to the Spindrift. It was the property of Jamesy O'Flaherty. ”

“ Meldon made all the speed he could in the canvas punt, a craft singularly ill-suited to a man in a hurry. He reached the pier shortly after Sir Giles and Langton had landed. Mary Kate, who had hesitated for some time between the desire to follow the strangers and the hope of another sixpence from the approaching Meldon, was on the pier to meet him. ”

“ If that isn't exactly the literal truth, as people like the Major would say, it's the nearest thing to the truth that you're at all likely to understand. It will convey to you a perfectly true idea of the character of the men. You understand what I mean, Mary Kate, when I say they're land-grabbers, don't you? ”

“ He noticed while he dressed that Sir Giles and Langton did not go below together. Either one or the other of them remained on deck to watch the Spindrift. Meldon roused the Major and then got breakfast ready. The meal, in spite of the Major's opposition, was eaten on deck.
"It's quite evident to me," said Meldon, "that those fellows mean to watch us. They're pretty certain that we're after the treasure, and they don't intend to let us get round to the hole in the cliff without them." ”

“ If you do it's ten to one you upset this patent punt, and I shouldn't care to rely on Sir Giles to pick you up in his present mood."
Having reached the pier, Meldon, followed unwillingly by Major Kent, set out briskly towards the south end of the island.
"Where are we going now?" asked the Major.
"We're going to convince you. If you don't like it, you can lay the blame on your own sceptical nature. ”

“ I wasn't going to mention my little girl. But as you've introduced the subject of little girls, I must say that I think your tone about women is most discourteous. You display what I may call a graceless want of chivalry. ”

“ O'Flaherty, whose husband occasionally read a copy of the Ballymoy Tribune.
"It is not; it's the men. What you want is what's called sexuo-economic independence of women. Just wipe Michael Pat's mouth with something, will you. I haven't a handkerchief on me, and he's dribbling worse than I could have believed possible."
The half-door of the cabin was pushed open, and Mary Kate entered. At the sight of Meldon with Michael Pat in his arms she stood still and grinned broadly.
"Thank God!" said Meldon fervently. "Come here, Mary Kate. ”