111
SHIANA
Sheila.—How could she believe he had promised to marry her, when he had never mentioned such a thing to her?
Peg.—It is wonderful, Sheila, how readily and easily we sometimes believe a thing that pleases us, especially if we are so obstinate that nobody thinks it worth while to give us wholesome advice, and that if they did, we wouldn't take it from them.
Abbie.—Indeed I suppose that was what happened to Con Shaun Og. He was coming home from the town one night, and he stayed drinking somewhere until most of the night was spent. Then when he was getting near home he was afraid his mother would blame him for keeping her all night at the fireside waiting for him. What did he do but pretend that he had seen a ghost below on the Broad Road. His mother believed it because of the place having the name of being eerie. Never a neighbour came in for a long time after, that she didn't make Con tell the story. The end of it was that Con became so terrified of the ghost he had never seen, that he daren't walk along the Broad Road after nightfall, though he were to get all Ireland for it.
Peg.—Whether Sive herself believed it or not, there were many of the neighbours who believed it at once, and it was not long until they all believed it. Probably they thought that, owing to the dealing in leather between Dermot and Shiana, it was likely that the promise did exist. At all events, it was fixed in their minds that it was on account of Sive that Short Mary's match had come to
