caubeen[1] from his head and bared his yellow bald forehead; and a great shaggy head he had with very black and curry hair.
"Come along, Patrick, my son," said the priest, smiling. "You need not fear," said he. "Perhaps you may be able to give us some account of this rumour that is abroad about Sive and Cormac the bailiff."
"Upon my word, Father," said the tinker, "that was exactly what brought me here now, and little notion I had that your reverence would be beforehand with me. There is no use in talking! It is my belief that a strange robin redbreast couldn't come into the parish unknown to you."
"Sharp as we both are, Patrick," said the priest, "we need not be too boastful. Murring has been beforehand even with me, and she was near bringing a relapse upon this poor man with her incantations and fooling. She said there was a hen crowing in this house, and she said that Sive had met with some bad companion. And do you know what she said? She said she was from Ulster, and declared that she was sent all the way from the north in order to protect Sive against her enemies. I myself was coming over to see how this man was getting on, when I met a messenger coming to tell me the neighbours were afraid he was getting a relapse. I was wondering what could be the cause of the relapse until he told me that she had been talking to him. I dare say she did not give herself time to hear the story fully lest anyone else should be beforehand with her, and that the present she would get should be
- ↑ cáibín, an old hat.
