four o’clock
May be your honour is not sinsible yet who I am -- I am Paddy M'Doole , of the Curragh , and I 've been a flax-dresser and dealer since I parted your honour 's land , and was last night at the fair of Clonaghkilty , where I went just in a quiet way thinking of nothing at all , as any man might , and had my little yarn along with me , my wife 's and the girl 's year 's spinning , and all just hoping to bring them back a few honest shillings as they desarved -- none better ! -- Well , plase your honour , my beast lost a shoe , which brought me late to the fair , but not so late but what it was as throng as ever ; you could have walked over the heads of the men , women , and childer , a foot and a horseback , all buying and selling ; so I to be sure thought no harm of doing the like ; so I makes the best bargain I could of the little hanks for my wife and the girl , and the man I sold them to was just weighing them at the crane , and I standing forenent him -- ` Success to myself ! ' said I , looking at the shillings I was putting into my waistcoat pocket for my poor family , when up comes the inspector , whom I did not know , I 'll take my oath , from Adam , nor could n't know , becááse he was the deputy inspector , and had been but just made , of which I was ignorant , by this book and all the books that ever were shut and opened -- but no matter for that ; he seizes my hanks out of the scales that I had just sold , saying they were unlawful and forfeit , becááse by his watch it was past four o'clock , which I denied to be possible , plase your honour , becááse not one , nor two , nor three , but all the town and country were selling the same as myself in broad day , only when the deputy came up they stopped , which I could not , by rason I did not know him . -- ` Sir , ' says I -LRB- very civil -RRB- , ` if I had known you , it would have been another case , but any how I hope no jantleman will be making it a crime to a poor man to sell his little matter of yarn for his wife and childer after four o'clock , when he did not know it was contrary to law at-all-at-all . ' ``` I gave you notice that it was contrary to law at the fair of Edgerstown , ' said he . -- ` I axe your pardon , sir , ' said I , ` it was my brother , for I was by . ' With that he calls me liar , and what not , and takes a grip -LSB- 40 -RSB- of me , and I a grip of my flax , and he had a shilala -LSB- 41 -RSB- and I had none ; so he gave it me over the head , I crying ` murder !