CONCHUBOR. — _a little uneasily._ — Is she keeping wise and busy since I passed before, and growing ready for her life in Emain?
LAVARCHAM. — _dryly._ — That is a question will give small pleasure to yourself or me. (_Making up her mind to speak out._) If it’s the truth I’ll tell you, she’s growing too wise to marry a big king and she a score only. Let you not be taking it bad, Conchubor, but you’ll get little good seeing her this night, for with all my talking it’s wilfuller she’s growing these two months or three.
CONCHUBOR. — _severely, but relieved things are no worse._ — Isn’t it a poor thing you’re doing so little to school her to meet what is to come?
LAVARCHAM. I’m after serving you two score of years, and I’ll tell you this night, Conchubor, she’s little call to mind an old woman when she has the birds to school her, and the pools in the rivers where she goes bathing in the sun. I’ll tell you if you seen her that time, with her white skin, and her red lips, and the blue water and the ferns about her, you’d know, maybe, and you greedy itself, it wasn’t for your like she was born at all.
CONCHUBOR. It’s little I heed for what she was born; she’ll be my comrade, surely.
LAVARCHAM. — _sinking into sadness again._ — I’m in dread so they were right saying she’d bring destruction on the world, for it’s a poor thing when you see a settled man putting the love he has for a young child, and the love he has for a full woman, on a girl the like of her; and it’s a poor thing, Conchubor, to see a High King, the way you are this day, prying after her needles and numbering her lines of thread.
CONCHUBOR. — _getting up._ — Let you not be talking too far and you old itself. (_Walks across room and back._) Does she know the troubles are foretold?
LAVARCHAM. — _in the tone of the earlier talk._ — I’m after telling her one time and another, but I’d do as well speaking to a lamb of ten weeks and it racing the hills. . . . It’s not the dread of death or troubles that would tame her like.
CONCHUBOR. — _he looks out._ — She’s coming now, and let you walk in and keep Fergus till I speak with her a while.
LAVARCHAM. — _going left._ — If I’m after vexing you itself, it’d be best you weren’t taking her hasty or scolding her at all.