to give me a penny. [Holds out his hand.] If I wasn’t lucky, I’d starve.
wise man. What have you got the shears for?
fool. I won’t tell you. If I told you, you would drive them away.
wise man. Whom would I drive away?
fool. I won’t tell you.
wise man. Not if I give you a penny?
fool. No.
wise man. Not if I give you two pennies?
fool. You will be very lucky if you give me two pennies, but I won’t tell you!
wise man. Three pennies?
fool. Four, and I will tell you!
wise man. Very well, four. But I will not call you Teigue the Fool any longer.
fool. Let me come close to you where nobody will hear me. But first you must promise you will not drive them away. [wise man nods.] Every day men go out dressed in black and spread great black nets over the hills, great black nets.
wise man. Why do they do that?
fool. That they may catch the feet of the angels. But every morning, just before the dawn, I go out and cut the nets with my shears, and the angels fly away.
wise man. Ah, now I know that you are Teigue the Fool. You have told me that I am wise, and I have never seen an angel.
