water. I could wash a naggin bottle in the morning, and I'm
thinking Patch Ruadh would go for it, if we gave him a good

drink, and the bit of money we have hid in the thatch.
TIMMY. It'd be no good to be sending a sinful man the like of

ourselves, for I'm told the holiness of the water does be getting
soiled with the villainy of your heart, the time you'd be

carrying it, and you looking round on the girls, maybe, or
drinking a small sup at a still.

MARTIN DOUL -- [with disappointment.] -- It'd be a long terrible
way to be walking ourselves, and I'm thinking that's a wonder

will bring small joy to us at all.
TIMMY -- [turning on him impatiently.] -- What is it you want

with your walking? It's as deaf as blind you're growing if
you're not after hearing me say it's in this place the wonder

would be done.
MARTIN DOUL -- [with a flash of anger.] -- If it is can't you

open the big slobbering mouth you have and say what way it'll be
done, and not be making blather till the fall of night.

TIMMY -- [jumping up.] -- I'll be going on now (Mary Doul rises),
and not wasting time talking civil talk with the like of you.

MARY DOUL -- [standing up, disguising her impatience.] -- Let you
come here to me, Timmy, and not be minding him at all. (Timmy

stops, and she gropes up to him and takes him by the coat).]
You're not huffy with myself, and let you tell me the whole story

and don't be fooling me more. . . . Is it yourself has brought
us the water?

TIMMY. It is not, surely.
MARY DOUL. Then tell us your wonder, Timmy. . . . What

person'll bring it at all?
TIMMY -- [relenting.] -- It's a fine holy man will bring it, a

saint of the Almighty God.
MARY DOUL -- [overawed.] -- A saint is it?

TIMMY. Ay, a fine saint, who's going round through the churches
of Ireland, with a long cloak on him, and naked feet, for he's

brought a sup of the water slung at his side, and, with the like
of him, any little drop is enough to cure the dying, or to make

the blind see as clear as the gray hawks do be high up, on a
still day, sailing the sky.

MARTIN DOUL -- [feeling for his stick.] -- What place is he,
Timmy? I'll be walking to him now.

TIMMY. Let you stay quiet, Martin. He's straying around saying
prayers at the churches and high crosses, between this place and

the hills, and he with a great crowd go- ing behind -- for it's
fine prayers he does be saying, and fasting with it, till he's as

thin as one of the empty rushes you have there on your knee; then
he'll be coming after to this place to cure the two of you --

we're after telling him the way you are -- and to say his prayers
in the church.

MARTIN DOUL -- [turning suddenly to Mary Doul.] -- And we'll be
seeing ourselves this day. Oh, glory be to God, is it true

surely?
MARY DOUL -- [very pleased, to Timmy.] -- Maybe I'd have time to

walk down and get the big shawl I have below, for I do look my
best, I've heard them say, when I'm dressed up with that thing on

my head.
TIMMY. You'd have time surely.

MARTIN DOUL -- [listening.] Whisht now. . . . I hear people
again coming by the stream.

TIMMY -- [looking out left, puzzled.] -- It's the young girls I
left walking after the Saint. . . . They're coming now (goes up

to entrance) carrying things in their hands, and they walking as
easy as you'd see a child walk who'd have a dozen eggs hid in her

bib.
MARTIN DOUL -- [listening.] -- That's Molly Byrne, I'm thinking.

[Molly Byrne and Bride come on left and cross to Martin Doul,
carrying water-can, Saint's bell, and cloak.]

MOLLY -- [volubly.] -- God bless you, Martin. I've holy water
here, from the grave of the four saints of the west, will have

you cured in a short while and seeing like ourselves.
TIMMY -- [crosses to Molly, interrupting her.] -- He's heard

that. God help you. But where at all is the Saint, and what way
is he after trusting the holy water with the likes of you?

MOLLY BYRNE. He was afeard to go a far way with the clouds is
coming beyond, so he's gone up now through the thick woods to say

a prayer at the crosses of Grianan, and he's coming on this road
to the church.

TIMMY -- [still astonished.] -- And he's after leaving the holy
water with the two of you? It's a wonder, surely. [Comes down

left a little.]
MOLLY BYRNE. The lads told him no person could carry them things

through the briars, and steep, slippy-feeling rocks he'll be
climbing above, so he looked round then, and gave the water, and

his big cloak, and his bell to the two of us, for young girls,
says he, are the cleanest holy people you'd see walking the

world. [Mary Doul goes near seat.]
MARY DOUL -- [sits down, laughing to herself.] -- Well, the

Saint's a simple fellow, and it's no lie.
MARTIN DOUL -- [leaning forward, holding out his hands.] -- Let

you give me the water in my hand, Molly Byrne, the way I'll know
you have it surely.

MOLLY BYRNE -- [giving it to him.] -- Wonders is queer things,
and maybe it'd cure you, and you holding it alone.

MARTIN DOUL -- [looking round.] -- It does not, Molly. I'm not
seeing at all. (He shakes the can.) There's a small sup only.

Well, isn't it a great wonder the little trifling thing would
bring seeing to the blind, and be showing us the big women and

the young girls, and all the fine things is walking the world.
[He feels for Mary Doul and gives her the can.]

MARY DOUL -- [shaking it.] -- Well, glory be to God.
MARTIN DOUL -- [pointing to Bride.] -- And what is it herself

has, making sounds in her hand?
BRIDE -- [crossing to Martin Doul.] -- It's the Saint's bell;

you'll hear him ringing out the time he'll be going up some
place, to be saying his prayers.

[Martin Doul holds out his hand; she gives it to him.]
MARTIN DOUL -- [ringing it.] -- It's a sweet, beautiful sound.

MARY DOUL. You'd know, I'm thinking, by the little silvery voice
of it, a fasting holy man was after carrying it a great way at

his side.
[Bride crosses a little right behind Martin Doul.]

MOLLY BYRNE -- [unfolding Saint's cloak.] -- Let you stand up
now, Martin Doul, till I put his big cloak on you. (Martin Doul

rises, comes forward, centre a little.) The way we'd see how
you'd look, and you a saint of the Almighty God.

MARTIN DOUL -- [standing up, a little diffidently.] -- I've heard
the priests a power of times making great talk and praises of the

beauty of the saints. [Molly Byrne slips cloak round him.]
TIMMY -- [uneasily.] -- You'd have a right to be leaving him

alone, Molly. What would the Saint say if he seen you making
game with his cloak?

MOLLY BYRNE -- [recklessly.] -- How would he see us, and he
saying prayers in the wood? (She turns Martin Doul round.) Isn't

that a fine holy-looking saint, Timmy the smith? (Laughing
foolishly.) There's a grand, handsome fellow, Mary Doul; and if

you seen him now you'd be as proud, I'm thinking, as the
archangels below, fell out with the Almighty God.

MARY DOUL -- [with quiet confidence going to Martin Doul and
feeling his cloak.] -- It's proud we'll be this day, surely.

[Martin Doul is still ringing.]
MOLLY BYRNE -- [to Martin Doul.] -- Would you think well to be

all your life walking round the like of that, Martin Doul, and
you bell-ringing with the saints of God?

MARY DOUL -- [turning on her, fiercely.] -- How would he be
bell-ringing with the saints of God and he wedded with myself?

MARTIN DOUL. It's the truth she's saying, and if bell-ringing is
a fine life, yet I'm thinking, maybe, it's better I am wedded

with the beautiful dark woman of Ballinatone.
MOLLY BYRNE -- [scornfully.] -- You're thinking that, God help

you; but it's little you know of her at all.
MARTIN DOUL. It's little surely, and I'm destroyed this day

waiting to look upon her face.
TIMMY -- [awkwardly.] -- It's well you know the way she is; for

the like of you do have great knowledge in the feeling of your
hands.

MARTIN DOUL -- [still feeling the cloak.] -- We do, maybe. Yet
it's little I know of faces, or of fine beautiful cloaks, for

it's few cloaks I've had my hand to, and few faces (plaintively);
for the young girls is mighty shy, Timmy the smith and it isn't

much they heed me, though they do be saying I'm a handsome man.
MARY DOUL -- [mockingly, with good humour.] -- Isn't it a queer

thing the voice he puts on him, when you hear him talking of the
skinny-looking girls, and he married with a woman he's heard

called the wonder of the western world?
TIMMY -- [pityingly.] -- The two of you will see a great wonder

this day, and it's no lie.
MARTIN DOUL. I've heard tell her yellow hair, and her white

skin, and her big eyes are a wonder, surely.
BRIDE -- [who has looked out left.] -- Here's the saint coming

from the selvage of the wood. . . . Strip the cloak from him,
Molly, or he'll be seeing it now.

MOLLY BYRNE -- [hastily to Bride.] -- Take the bell and put
yourself by the stones. (To Martin Doul.) Will you hold your

head up till I loosen the cloak? (She pulls off the cloak and
throws it over her arm. Then she pushes Martin Doul over and

stands him beside Mary Doul.) Stand there now, quiet, and let
you not be saying a word.

[She and Bride stand a little on their left, demurely, with bell,
etc., in their hands.]

MARTIN DOUL -- [nervously arranging his clothes.] -- Will he mind
the way we are, and not tidied or washed cleanly at all?

MOLLY BYRNE. He'll not see what way you are. . . . He'd walk by
the finest woman in Ireland, I'm thinking, and not trouble to

raise his two eyes to look upon her face. . . . Whisht!
[The Saint comes left, with crowd.]

SAINT. Are these the two poor people?
TIMMY -- [officiously.] -- They are, holy father; they do be

always sitting here at the crossing of the roads, asking a bit of
copper from them that do pass, or stripping rushes for lights,

and they not mournful at all, but talking out straight with a
full voice, and making game with them that likes it.

SAINT -- [to Martin Doul and Mary Doul.] -- It's a hard life
you've had not seeing sun or moon, or the holy priests itself

praying to the Lord, but it's the like of you who are brave in a
bad time will make a fine use of the gift of sight the Almighty

God will bring to you today. (He takes his cloak and puts it
about him.) It's on a bare starving rock that there's the grave

of the four beauties of God, the way it's little wonder, I'm
thinking, if it's with bare starving people the water should be

used. (He takes the water and bell and slings them round his
shoulders.) So it's to the like of yourselves I do be going, who

are wrinkled and poor, a thing rich men would hardly look at at
all, but would throw a coin to or a crust of bread.

MARTIN DOUL -- [moving uneasily.] -- When they look on herself,
who is a fine woman.

TIMMY -- [shaking him.] -- Whisht now, and be listening to the
Saint.

SAINT -- [looks at them a moment, continues.] -- If it's raggy
and dirty you are itself, I'm saying, the Almighty God isn't at

all like the rich men of Ireland; and, with the power of the
water I'm after bringing in a little curagh into Cashla Bay,

He'll have pity on you, and put sight into your eyes.

• trifling [´traifliŋ] a.微小的；轻浮的 (初中英语单词)
• western [´westən] a.西的；西方的 (初中英语单词)
• hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)
• ireland [´aiələnd] n.爱尔兰 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• loosen [´lu:sən] v.放松；松弛 (高中英语单词)
• wasting [´weistiŋ] a.&n.浪费(的) (英语四级单词)
• almighty [ɔ:l´maiti] a.万能的；全能的 (英语四级单词)
• silvery [´silvəri] a.银一般的 (英语四级单词)
• wedded [´wedid] a.(已)结婚的；献身的 (英语四级单词)
• cleanly [´kli:nli] ad.清洁地；干净地 (英语四级单词)
• mournful [´mɔ:nful] a.令人沮丧的 (英语四级单词)
• holiness [´həulinis] n.神圣 (英语六级单词)
• trusting [´trʌstiŋ] a.信任的；相信的 (英语六级单词)
• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)