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and asked him if he was about to depart。
〃Yes; signore; I shall presently start for Denbigh。〃
〃After breakfast I shall start for Bangor;〃 said I。
〃Do you propose to reach Bangor to…night; signore?〃
〃Yes;〃 said I。
〃Walking; signore?〃
〃Yes;〃 said I; 〃I always walk in Wales。〃
〃Then you will have rather a long walk; signore; for Bangor is
thirty…four miles from here。〃
I asked him if he was married。
〃No; signore; but my brother in Liverpool is。〃
〃To an Italian?〃
〃No; signore; to a Welsh girl。〃
〃And I suppose;〃 said I; 〃you will follow his example by marrying
one; perhaps that good…looking girl the landlady's daughter we were
seated with last night?〃
〃No; signore; I shall not follow my brother's example。 If ever I
take a wife she shall be of my own village; in Como; whither I hope
to return; as soon as I have picked up a few more pounds。〃
〃Whether the Austrians are driven away or not?〃 said I。
〃Whether the Austrians are driven away or not … for to my mind
there is no country like Como; signore。〃
I ordered breakfast; whilst taking it in the room above I saw
through the open window the Italian trudging forth on his journey;
a huge box on his back; and a weather…glass in his hand … looking
the exact image of one of those men; his country people; whom forty
years before I had known at N…。 I thought of the course of time;
sighed and felt a tear gather in my eye。
My breakfast concluded; I paid my bill; and after inquiring the way
to Bangor; and bidding adieu to the kind landlady and her daughter;
set out from Cerrig y Drudion。 My course lay west; across a flat
country; bounded in the far distance by the mighty hills I had seen
on the preceding evening。 After walking about a mile I overtook a
man with a game leg; that is a leg which; either by nature or
accident not being so long as its brother leg; had a patten
attached to it; about five inches high; to enable it to do duty
with the other … he was a fellow with red shock hair and very red
features; and was dressed in ragged coat and breeches and a hat
which had lost part of its crown; and all its rim; so that even
without a game leg he would have looked rather a queer figure。 In
his hand he carried a fiddle。
〃Good morning to you;〃 said I。
〃A good morning to your hanner; a merry afternoon and a roaring;
joyous evening … that is the worst luck I wish to ye。〃
〃Are you a native of these parts?〃 said I。
〃Not exactly; your hanner … I am a native of the city of Dublin;
or; what's all the same thing; of the village of Donnybrook; which
is close by it。〃
〃A celebrated place;〃 said I。
〃Your hanner may say that; all the world has heard of Donnybrook;
owing to the humours of its fair。 Many is the merry tune I have
played to the boys at that fair。〃
〃You are a professor of music; I suppose?〃
〃And not a very bad one; as your hanner will say; if you allow me
to play you a tune。〃
〃Can you play Croppies Lie Down?〃
〃I cannot; your hanner; my fingers never learnt to play such a
blackguard tune; but if you wish to hear Croppies Get Up I can
oblige ye。〃
〃You are a Roman Catholic; I suppose?〃
〃I am not; your hanner … I am a Catholic to the back…bone; just
like my father before me。 Come; your hanner; shall I play ye
Croppies Get Up?〃
〃No;〃 said I; 〃it's a tune that doesn't please my ears。 If;
however; you choose to play Croppies Lie Down; I'll give you a
shilling。〃
〃Your hanner will give me a shilling?〃
〃Yes;〃 said I; 〃if you play Croppies Lie Down; but you know you
cannot play it; your fingers never learned the tune。〃
〃They never did; your hanner; but they have heard it played of ould
by the blackguard Orange fiddlers of Dublin on the first of July;
when the Protestant boys used to walk round Willie's statue on
College Green … so if your hanner gives me the shilling; they may
perhaps bring out something like it。〃
〃Very good;〃 said I; 〃begin!〃
〃But; your hanner; what shall we do for the words? though my
fingers may remember the tune my tongue does not remember the words
… that is unless 。 。 。〃
〃I give another shilling;〃 said I; 〃but never mind you the words; I
know the words; and will repeat them。〃
〃And your hanner will give me a shilling?〃
〃If you play the tune;〃 said I。
〃Hanner bright; your hanner?〃
〃Honour bright;〃 said I。
Thereupon the fiddler taking his bow and shouldering his fiddle;
struck up in first…rate style the glorious tune; which I had so
often heard with rapture in the days of my boyhood in the barrack…
yard of Clonmel; whilst I; walking by his side as he stumped along;
caused the welkin to resound with the words; which were the delight
of the young gentlemen of the Protestant academy of that beautiful
old town。
〃I never heard those words before;〃 said the fiddler; after I had
finished the first stanza。
〃Get on with you;〃 said I。
〃Regular Orange words!〃 said the fiddler; on my finishing the
second stanza。
〃Do you choose to get on?〃 said I。
〃More blackguard Orange words I never heard!〃 cried the fiddler; on
my coming to the conclusion of the third stanza。 〃Divil a bit
farther will I play; at any rate till I get the shilling。〃
〃Here it is for you;〃 said I; 〃the song is ended; and; of course;
the tune。〃
〃Thank your hanner;〃 said the fiddler; taking the money; 〃your
hanner has kept your word with me; which is more than I thought
your hanner would。 And now your hanner let me ask you why did your
hanner wish for that tune; which is not only a blackguard one but
quite out of date; and where did your hanner get the words?〃
〃I used to hear the tune in my boyish days;〃 said I; 〃and wished to
hear it again; for though you call it a blackguard tune; it is the
sweetest and most noble air that Ireland; the land of music; has
ever produced。 As for the words; never mind where I got them; they
are violent enough; but not half so violent as the words of some of
the songs made against the Irish Protestants by the priests。〃
〃Your hanner is an Orange man; I see。 Well; your hanner; the
Orange is now in the kennel; and the Croppies have it all their own
way。〃
〃And perhaps;〃 said I; 〃before I die; the Orange will be out of the
kennel and the Croppies in; even as they were in my young days。〃
〃Who knows; your hanner? and who knows that I may not play the old
tune round Willie's image in College Green; even as I used some
twenty…seven years ago?〃
〃Oh then you have been an Orange fiddler?〃
〃I have; your hanner。 And now as your hanner has behaved like a
gentleman to me I will tell ye all my history。 I was born in the
city of Dublin; that is in the village of Donnybrook; as I tould
your hanner before。 It was to the trade of bricklaying I was bred;
and bricklaying I followed till at last; getting my leg smashed;
not by falling off the ladder; but by a row in the fair; I was
obliged to give it up; for how could I run up the ladder with a
patten on my foot; which they put on to make my broken leg as long
as the other。 Well your hanner; being obliged to give up my
bricklaying; I took to fiddling; to which I had