Liam O'Flaherty - Land

“Then it is quite serious, this scandalmongering,” said Elizabeth, becoming agitated.

“It might become a calamity,” Ahearn said, “unless Mr. Raoul gives up having anything to do with the Committee, before it’s too late. I know the people inside out. To-day they are cheering Mr. Raoul, but only in the hope of getting something out of him, lower rents, or maybe no rents at all. When the English move to put down the agitation, it will be a different story. The people will turn their backs on Mr. Raoul and run for help to Father Costigan. Then the master will be blamed for any bad thing that may happen. Father Costigan knows the people just as well as I do, Miss Elizabeth. He is as shrewd as they make them. He is staying quietly in the background now, waiting for the tide to turn. In the meantime he is planting a few seeds of suspicion by means of scandalmongering. Those seeds will bear fruit at the right moment. He’s a shrewd man, Father Costigan.”

“Dear me!” cried Elizabeth. “How can people be so cruel to one another? My brother is so generous. He wants to make everybody happy, all at once, in the way over-generous people do. This generosity gets him into most unfortunate situations. Dear me! How could an upright man like Father Cornelius be guilty of such questionable intrigue?”

“Sure, he has to defend his bread and butter,” said Ahearn. “You can’t blame him.”

“I do blame him,” said Elizabeth indignantly. “It’s outrageous.”

“And that’s not all,” said Ahearn. “You thought that O’Dwyer was gone for good. Now didn’t you?”

Elizabeth put her hand to the brooch at the neck of her dress. She looked terribly afraid.

“Don’t tell me that he has returned,” she whispered.

“He has, then,” said Ahearn. “I saw him land at the pier a little while ago, in a pucaun that belongs to Pat Lynch of Grealish Island.”

Elizabeth stood very erect, controlled her emotion with an effort of will and then looked haughtily at Ahearn.

“Thank you for telling me all this, Tim,” she said coldly. “You may go now.”

Ahearn made a little curtsy and walked away.

“Dear God!” Elizabeth prayed with her eyes closed. “Help me to protect those I love from all evil influence.”

Since O’Dwyer’s disappearance a fortnight ago, she had felt completely recovered from the nervous shock that she suffered on the day of the shooting. She felt during the interval that life was again reverting to the peaceful routine that preceded her brother’s return. Now her brightening horizon had suddenly darkened once more.

She tried to feel angry with Ahearn for this sudden darkening.

“The drunken rascal!” she said, as she watched him go along the wagon trail. “For twenty years he has twisted me round his little finger, doing just what he pleased with himself and the farm. He is furious at having to keep himself clean and sober since Raoul’s return.”

Then she raised her skirts and hurried up the steeply rising garden to the house.

“I must talk to Raoul,” she muttered. “He must resign at once from that Committee and forbid the house to O’Dwyer.”

The air now felt chilly. The rustling of the leaves had become sinister. Clouds raced across the sky. The surface of the ocean had broken into serried ranks of waves, whose crests were capped with foam.

Lettice looked terribly unhappy as she leaned against a pillar by the outer rim of the terrace. The rising wind was blowing a tress of her red hair across her hollow cheek. She had become even paler during the past fortnight.

“Where is your father, Lettice?” said Elizabeth, panting as she came on to the terrace after her climb. “I must see him at once.”

“He’s gone to the village,” Lettice said. “He has been gone for hours.”

“I have most important things to discuss with him,” Elizabeth said as she sat down on a wicker chair.

“What about, Lizzie?” Raoul said, coming on to the terrace at that moment from the living-room. “What do you want to discuss?”

“Oh! There you are, Raoul,” said Elizabeth. “It’s about the Committee.”

Raoul put his hands to his ears as he crossed the terrace.

“I beg of you not to talk to me about the Committee,” he said in a tone of disgust.

He threw himself wearily on to another chair and stretched out his legs.

“I’m exhausted after arguing with those duffers for the past two hours,” he said.

“Poor father!” Lettice said as she hurried across the terrace towards the living-room. “I’ll go at once and order you some tea.”

“Adorable child!” Raoul said. “It’s the very thing I want.” He turned towards Elizabeth after Lettice had gone and added:

“It’s humiliating to learn that one has no capacity for leadership. I am too decadent. These people have been slaves for so long that they only respond to the most primitive forms of persuasion. Father Costigan uses a blackthorn stick. Alas! I’m quite incapable of using such a weapon, and logical argument, I find, is completely worthless. Lizzie, they despise me.”

He put his fingers to the tip of his beard and laughed heartily for a moment. Then he became serious again.

“For thirty years,” he said, “I held that thought and observation were the only absolute forms of rational existence. I regarded all action as reprehensible, since it interfered with reverie. Then I suddenly decided to become a man of action. I have found it impossible.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Elizabeth said, “because you must resign from the Committee at once.”

“That’s impossible,” Raoul said.

“Why?” said Elizabeth.

“In the first place,” said Raoul, “it’s beneath my dignity. Secondly, this is my last chance to justify myself. Man is a social animal. He has a duty to society. Unless he fulfils it he feels ashamed of himself. I have always been a vain man, Lizzie. That you probably know. I mistook my intelligence for genius. I gave up my career at the Bar and went to Paris, to become a writer. Alas! I was able to write nothing of greater importance than articles for American newspapers. Then I turned my mind to other things. After years of study, I am convinced that I have produced a weapon that can make tyranny impossible in the future. All that is necessary, I feel, is to let humanity realise its power. That can only be done by actual experiment. Ah! If only O’Dwyer …”

“A weapon?” Elizabeth said in horror. “Do you really mean that you are now manufacturing weapons?”

“Poor Lizzie!” Raoul said with feeling. “It’s not really a weapon that one could see or touch. It is a method of resisting tyranny.”

“Whatever it is,” cried Elizabeth, “you must drop it at once. Father Costigan has launched a most dangerous intrigue against you. He is covering the parish with reports that you are the Antichrist.”

“Really?” said Raoul, sitting up in his chair. “How amusing!”

“For your daughter’s sake, if not for mine or your own,” cried Elizabeth urgently, “don’t joke about such a serious matter.”

“Joke?” cried Raoul. “How can you use such a word?”

“Resign at once,” Elizabeth insisted with her whole energy.

Lettice came on to the terrace at that moment, after having ordered tea. She halted abruptly and looked at her aunt haughtily.

“You have no right to speak to my father like that,” she cried.

Elizabeth started, looked at Lettice in astonishment, turned pale and lowered her gaze.

“How could you allow yourself to be guilty of such rudeness?” Raoul cried angrily. “Apologise to your aunt at once.”

“Please, forgive me, Father,” Lettice said gently, blushing to the roots of her hair.