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Murad the Unlucky and Other Tales by Maria Edgeworth
page 52 of 159 (32%)

Now Miss Hill, unfortunately, was not sufficiently acquainted with the
Irish idiom to know that to expect, in Ireland, is the same thing as to
hope in England; and, when her Irish admirer said "I expect," he meant
only, in plain English, "I hope." But thus it is that a poor Irishman,
often, for want of understanding the niceties of the English language,
says the rudest when he means to say the civillest things imaginable.

Miss Hill's feelings were so much hurt by this unlucky "I expect" that
the whole of his speech, which had before made some favourable impression
upon her, now lost its effect: and she replied with proper spirit, as she
thought, "You expect a great deal too much, Mr. O'Neill; and more than
ever I gave you reason to do. It would be neither pleasure nor pride to
me to be won and worn, as you were pleased to say, in spite of them all;
and to be thrown, without a farthing in my pocket, upon the protection of
one who expects so much at first setting out.--So I assure you, sir,
whatever you may expect, I shall not put on the Limerick gloves."

Mr. O'Neill was not without his share of pride and proper spirit; nay, he
had, it must be confessed, in common with some others of his countrymen,
an improper share of pride and spirit. Fired by the lady's coldness, he
poured forth a volley of reproaches; and ended by wishing, as he said, a
good morning, for ever and ever, to one who could change her opinion,
point blank, like the weathercock. "I am, miss, your most obedient; and
I expect you'll never think no more of poor Brian O'Neill and the
Limerick gloves."

If he had not been in too great a passion to observe anything, poor Brian
O'Neill would have found out that Phoebe was not a weathercock: but he
left her abruptly, and hurried away, imagining all the while that it was
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