walking about the corridor--and opening it I
slipped in, and there what do you think I saw? Why, his Holiness the
Pope, and his reverence the rector, and the sub-rector, and the almoner
seated at cards; and the ould thaif of a rector was dealing out the cards
which ye had given me, Shorsha, to his Holiness the Pope, the sub-rector,
the almoner, and himself."
In this part of his history I interrupted Murtagh, saying that I was
afraid he was telling untruths, and that it was highly improbable that
the Pope would leave the Vatican to play cards with Irish at their
religious house, and that I was sure, if on his, Murtagh's authority, I
were to tell the world so, the world would never believe it.
"Then the world, Shorsha, would be a fool, even as you were just now
saying you had frequently believed it to be; the grand thing, Shorsha, is
to be able to believe oneself; if ye can do that, it matters very little
whether the world believe ye or no. But a purty thing for you and the
world to stickle at the Pope's playing at cards at a religious house of
Irish; och! if I were to tell you and the world, what the Pope has been
sometimes at, at the religious house of English thaives, I would excuse
you and the world for turning up your eyes. However, I wish to say
nothing against the Pope. I am a son of the church, and if the Pope
don't interfere with my cards, divil a bit will I have to say against
him; but I saw the Pope playing, or about to play, with the pack which
had been taken from me, and when I told the Pope, the Pope did not--Ye
had better let me go on with my history, Shorsha; whether you or the
world believe it or not, I am sure it is quite as true as your tale of
the snake, or saying that Finn got his burnt finger from the thaives of
Loughlin; and whatever you may say, I am sure the world will think so
too."
I apologized to Murtagh for interrupting him, and telling him that his
history, whether true or not, was infinitely diverting, begged him to
continue it.
CHAPTER XLVI
Murtagh's Story continued--The Priest, Exorcist, and Thimble-engro--How
to Check a Rebellion.
I was telling ye, Shorsha, when ye interrupted me, that I found the Pope,
the rector, the sub-rector, and the almoner seated at the table, the
rector with my pack of cards in his hands, about to deal out to the Pope
and the rest, not forgetting himself, for whom he intended all the trump-
cards, no doubt. No sooner did they perceive me
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