The Empire Trilogy - J. G. Farrell [75]
“They were sent home,” replied Edward sombrely. “A spot of bother at school.” He sighed but did not elaborate.
They waited in silence for Padraig to return. Presently they heard the thrashing and rustling of his advent. A few moments later he appeared out of the darkness. The Major stared at him. His face was flushed and indignant and he seemed close to tears. His hair had been ruffled and his shirt was hanging out at the back. In one hand he clutched a bunch of peacock feathers.
Edward looked at him with concern, seemed about to say something but changed his mind. At length he sighed again and said that he thought it was about time to wake the doctor and send him home.
Before leaving, the doctor, who had been restored by his brief nap and now remembered why he had come, said: “For the last time, Edward, will you come to some arrangement with the farmers about the land, for your own good as much as for theirs?”
“So far I have received two threatening letters. Both of them I have given to the District Inspector. There happens to be a law in the land which protects a man’s private property and I have no intention of giving in to threats.”
“Is that your last word?”
“Yes,” Edward replied curtly.
* * *
LENIN AND POLAND
“To be delivered from her Oppressors”
The Paris Matin says: “A wireless message has been transmitted from Moscow announcing in glowing terms that the whole of Russia is rising to fight Poland. On May 6th the majority of the Moscow garrison of 120,000 men left the Soviet capital for the Dnieper front. Lenin and Trotsky addressed the troops. Lenin said: ‘We do not want to fight Poland but we are going to deliver her from her oppressors. Death to the Polish landlords! Long live the Polish Workers’ and Peasants’ Republic!’”
* * *
LAWLESSNESS NEAR KILKENNY
Ladies Terrorized by Armed Men
Late on Monday night considerable excitement was caused in Kilkenny by the news of the “hold up” at Troyswood a mile outside the city, by masked men armed with revolvers, of a number of motor cars and horsed carriages which were taking ladies and gentlemen, in whose number were included Major J.B. Loftus, D.L., J.P., Mount Loftus, and Sir Hercules Langrishe, Bart, Knocktopher Abbey, to a ball at the house of Captain J.E. St. George, R.M., Kilrush House, Freshford, about ten miles from Kilkenny City. A barricade of large stones was placed across the road.
Some of the cars did not pull up immediately when called upon to stop and several shots were discharged, but no one was injured, although some of the passengers say that the bullets whizzed very near them.
All the parties, who were in evening dress, were huddled together under a ditch while the destruction of the engines was carried out, and some of the ladies were very much frightened. Other horsed carriages came on the scene shortly afterwards and the raiders decamped, leaving their victims to get home as best they could.
Yesterday morning six motor cars were lined up on the side of the road, and the engines appeared to have been smashed with some heavy, blunt instrument. In the corner of the field where the drivers and passengers were placed there were remnants of chocolate boxes and cigarette packets.
* * *
Little had changed in Edward’s study since the Major had first seen it on his first day in Kilnalough when they had come to arm themselves against “the Shinner on the lawn.” There was the same solidly tangled mass of sporting equipment on the sofa. The drawer containing ammunition still lay on the floor, though the Persian cat (wisely disdaining the community in the Imperial Bar) had forsaken it for the superior comfort of an enormous greyish-white sweater that lay in one corner like a dead sheep. From under the window there came a steady creaking sound: the Major leaned out to investigate. In the yard below was a circle of brick surmounted by a huge horizontal cartwheel with worn wooden handles; against these handles two men were toiling, heads bowed with the exertion,