“Yes,” said Jemmy, “to the divil I pitch slavery!  I will come home able to rise yez from your poverty, or never show my face in the parish of Ballysogarth agin.”

When the lad’s determination was mentioned to his mother and the family, there was a loud and serious outcry against it:  for no circumstance is relished that ever takes away a member from an Irish hearth, no matter what the nature of that circumstance may be.

“Och, thin, is it for that bocaun (* soft, innocent person) of a boy to set off wid himself, runnin’ through the wide world afther larnin’, widout money or friends!  Avourneen, put it out of yer head.  No; struggle on as the rest of us is doin’, an’ maybe yell come as well off at the long run.”

“Mother, dear,” said the son, “I wouldn’t wish to go agin what you’d say; but I made a promise to myself to ’rise yez out of your poverty if I can, an’ my mind’s made up on it; so don’t cross me, or be the manes of my havin’ bad luck on my journey, in regard of me goin’ aginst yer will, when you know ’twould be the last thing I wish to do.”

“Let the gossoon take his way, Vara.  Who knows but it was the Almighty put the thoughts of it into his head.  Pasthorini says that there will soon be a change, an’ ’tis a good skame it ’ill be to have him a sogarth when the fat living will be walkin’ back to their ould owners.”

“Oh, an’ may the Man above grant that, I pray Jamini this day! for are not we harrished out of our lives, scrapin’ an’ scramblin’ for the black thieves, what we ought to put on our backs, an’ into our own mouths.  Well, they say it’s not lucky to take money from a priest, because it’s the price o’ sin, an’ no more it can, seein’ that they want it themselves; but I’m sure it’s their (* The Protestant clergy) money that ought to carry the bad luck to them, in regard of their gettin’ so many bitter curses along wid it.”

When a lad from the humblest classes resolves to go to Munster as a poor scholar, there is but one course to be pursued in preparing his outfit.  This is by a collection at the chapel among the parishioners, to whom the matter is made known by the priest, from the altar some Sunday previous to his departure.  Accordingly, when the family had all given their consent to Jemmy’s project, his father went, on the following day, to communicate the matter to the priest, and to solicit his co-operation in making a collection in behalf of the lad, on the next Sunday but one:  for there is always a week’s notice given, and sometimes more, that the people come prepared.

The conversation already detailed between father and son took place on Friday, and on Saturday, a day on which the priest never holds a Station, and, of course, is generally at home, Dominick M’Evoy went to his house with the object already specified in view.  The priest was at home; a truly benevolent man, but like the worthies of his day, not over-burdened with learning, though brimful of kindness and hospitality mixed up with drollery and simple cunning.