A Daughter of the Fields Author:Katharine Tynan Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. A TEA-PARTY. Meg's home-coming had not passed unnoticed by the good people of Kilcolman. She was the subject of quite a disproportionate amoun... more »t of the conversation at a little gathering of the neighbours which took place under the hospitable roof of Miss Maria Hevey, who, like Mrs. O'Donoghue, managed her own land and made it pay. Miss Hevey was a big-boned, spare woman with a handsome, worn face and an honest masculine expression. She was the prince of good fellows, and could drive a horse or a bargain with any man in the country. She could have been married long ago if she had not chosen to rear her dead sister's big family. Now they were all dead, or married, or in America, and the spinster was once more alone in the world. Miss Hevey did not find her unmarried lot without its compensations. Relieved of her vicarious motherhood, she fell back for relaxation on the sports of the country. She drove her dog-cart to a convenient meet of the hounds, and she was to be seen at all the races. Peter Hevey had been an ambitious man, and had somewhat scandalized the neighbours in old days by mounting his handsome daughter on a chestnut mare as handsome as herself. Later on, when she had had her house overflowing with children, she had given up riding; and now, as she said, she was too old to go back. But she knew the points of a horse as well as any man in the country, and it was delightful to watch the brightening of her face as she discussed horseflesh. She was a thorough sportswoman—a great card- player, with a preference for high stakes and a rigorous game. But this preference she was quite ready to subordinate if she was in the company of poor players, in any sense of the word. Beside Miss Hevey, in the place of honour, sat Miss Lennon, the curate's sis...« less