[Valentine M’Clutchy, The Irish Agent by William Carleton]@TWC D-Link bookValentine M’Clutchy, The Irish Agent CHAPTER XIV 10/16
Her eyes brightened into clear and perfect fire, the roundness of her beautiful arm was distended by the coming forth of its muscles--her lips became firm--her cheek heightened in color--and her temples were little less than scarlet. There she stood, a concentration of scorn, contempt, and hatred the most intense, pouring upon the dastardly villain an unbroken stream of withering fury, that was enough to drive back his cowardly soul into the deepest and blackest recesses of its own satanic baseness.
Her father, in fact, was obliged to address her twice, before he could arrest her attention; for such was the measureless indignation which her eye poured upon him, that she could scarcely look upon any other object. "My child, did you hear me ?" said her father.
"How did this heartless and down-looking scoundrel get into your apartment ?" She looked quickly upon her father's features-- "How ?" said she; "how but by treachery, falsehood, and fraud! Is he not Val M'Clutchy's son, my dear father ?" Her brothers had not yet uttered a syllable, but stood like their sister with flushed cheeks and burning indignation in their eyes.
On hearing what their sister had just said, however, as if they had all been moved by the same impulse, thought, or determination--as in truth they were--their countenances became pale as death--they looked at each other significantly--then at Phil--and they appeared very calm, as if relieved--satisfied; but the expression of the eye darkened into a meaning that was dreadful to look upon. "That is enough, my child," replied her father; "I suppose, my friends, you are now satisfied--." "Yes, by h--l," shouted Burke, "we are now satisfied." Irwin had him again by the neck--"Silence," said he, "or, as heaven's above mo, I'll drive your brainless skull in with the butt of my pistol." "You are satisfied," continued M'Loughlin, "that there are no arms here. I hope you will now withdraw.
As for you, treacherous and cowardly spawn of a treacherous and cowardly father, go home and tell him to do his worst .-- that I scorn and defy him--that I will live to see him----; but I am wrong,he is below our anger, and I will not waste words upon him." "You will find you have used a thrifle too many for all that," said another of them; "when he hears them, you may be sure he'll put them in his pocket for you--as hear them he will." "We don't care a d--n," said another, "what he does to blackguard Papishes, so long as he's a right good Orangeman, and a right good Protestant, too." "Come now," said Irwin, "our duty is over--let us start for home; we have no further business here." "Won't you give us something to drink ?" asked a new voice; "I think we desarve it for our civility.
<<Back Index Next>> D-Link book Top TWC mobile books
|