Monday 18 November 2013

jarvies in highpitched provincial voices which pierced through their skin-tight accents.

How could he hit their conscience or how cast his shadow over the imaginations of their daughters, before their squires begat upon them, that they might breed a race less ignoble than their own? And under the deepened dusk he felt the thoughts and desires of the race to which he belonged flitting like bats across the dark country lanes, under trees by the edges of streams and near the pool-mottled bogs. A woman had waited in the doorway as Davin had passed by at night and, offering him a cup of milk, had all but wooed him to her bed; for Davin had the mild eyes of one who could be secret. But him no woman's eyes had wooed.

His arm was taken in a strong grip and Cranly's voice said:

----Let us eke go.

They walked southward in silence. Then Cranly said:

----That blithering idiot, Temple! I swear to Moses, do you know, that I'll be the death of that fellow one time.

but his voice was no longer angry and Stephen wondered was he thinking of her greeting to him under the porch.

They turned to the left and walked on as before. When they had gone on so for some time Stephen said:

----Cranly, I had an unpleasant quarrel this evening.

----With your people? Cranly asked.

----With my mother.

----About religion?

----Yes, Stephen answered.

After a pause Cranly asked:

----What age is your mother?

----Not old, Stephen said. She wishes me to make my easter duty.

----And will you?

No comments:

Post a Comment