Synopsis
Martin Hynes is a strong, domineering farmer who strikes a hard bargain. Playing the marriage market, he haggles over Jane Fallon's dowry to the point where she is revolted by him, and unsuccessfully tries to escape him, even on her wedding day. Their subsequent marriage proves loveless and empty, but when schoolmistress Mary Trant comes to visit, and reveals that Hynes has proposed to elope with her, Jane fiercely defends her husband. Hynes is transformed by this demonstration of conjugal faith, and the play ends with the couple locked in a close embrace.