half hour. I'll leave the cases here, but you come along of me, and my missis will see to you until it's time to go.`
She paused a moment before nodding to him and following him down the narrow path to the row of four cottages.
Alex Towney opened the door of the second cottage and stood aside to allow Pattie to enter the small room: then he shouted, `You there, Alice?Ànd when a woman appeared in the doorway wiping her hands on an apron and exclaimed, Òh! Miss Pattie, Miss Pattie, what is it? What is it?` he said. `Never mind what it is, Miss Pattie would like to sit here until the cart comes back from the village, when it will take her into Fellburn. 'Tis Fellburn you want to go, miss, isn't it?`
`Yes. Yes, thank you, Alex.Àlice Towney was a motherly woman, and as such she began to fuss around, saying, Èeh! I've never got cleaned up this mornin', miss; 81 I've been at the poss-tub since early on. You've got to get the fine weather, and there's a bit of wind blowin' and it dries. Look, miss. Oh, do sit down, miss ... that's right. Now, can I get you anything? There's a nice drop of soup in the pan there.` She pointed to the open fire, and at this Pattie said, `No, thank you, Mrs Towney; I'm all right. But I wouldn't mind a glass of water.`
À glass of water it is, miss. A glass of water.Às she bustled out of the room her husband said, Ìt looks as if you're goin' for good, miss.Ànd she replied, `Yes, Alex, I'm going for good.`
`You'll be missed up there 'cos you were the only steady one among them. Irish folk are never steady.
But speak as you find, I've always found the missis pleasant, and kindly at that. But the way things are goin', miss, between you and me, there'll be very little left to be kindly with, shortly. I've never seen a place run down so quickly. Now, if you yourself had been a man and a son ... no offence meant, miss;
'cos what I'm
meanin' is, you've got a head on your shoulders and you would have done something about things long afore now ... Oh, here she is with the water. Now you're sure that's all you want, miss?`
`Yes. Yes, thank you, Alex.`
`Well, I'll go along and see if the cart's back.` ...
He wasn't away five minutes before he returned, saying, `For once in his life he's back on time. Will you come along now, miss?`
Pattie thanked Mrs Towney, and when they reached the farmyard she thanked Alex too; and lastly, she said to him, `Would you make it your business, Alex, to see Daniel`--she did not say Master Daniel--ànd tell him I'm in Fellburn? He knows the address; he has been before.`
Ì'll do that, miss. He's due home the morrow, isn't he?`
`Yes, tomorrow.`
His last words to her as he helped her up into the back of the cart, in which Bob Shearman, the shepherd, had laid clean sacks to cover the tramped-in sheep droppings, were, Ìt's a scandal you havin'
to go out like this. You should have ordered
the trap, miss. That's what you should have 83 done.`
What she said to him, and with a sad smile, was, Ì always used to like riding in the cart. You remember, Alex?Ànd the man gulped in his throat before he said, Àye, I remember, miss. Goodbye, now, and the best of luck and I hopes you'll be happy in whatever you do.`
Ì'll be happy, Alex. I'm getting married next week.`
Òh! you are, miss? Well, well; that's news, and it's glad I am to hear it. Is it the teacher man, miss?`
Ìt is the teacher man, Alex.`
`Good, good. He's one of your own sort. May you live long together, miss. That's what I wish you.`
`Goodbye, Alex, and thank you.`
`Goodbye, miss.Às the cart trundled through the back gate and along the rutted road towards the coach road the tears started again and she screwed up her eyes and bowed her head in an effort to fight them.
2
It was late evening on the following day. The house was quiet, the children's chatter had faded away into sleep; and Maggie Ann was upstairs with Moira, where she had been for the past two hours. Most of this time Hector had spent
She paused a moment before nodding to him and following him down the narrow path to the row of four cottages.
Alex Towney opened the door of the second cottage and stood aside to allow Pattie to enter the small room: then he shouted, `You there, Alice?Ànd when a woman appeared in the doorway wiping her hands on an apron and exclaimed, Òh! Miss Pattie, Miss Pattie, what is it? What is it?` he said. `Never mind what it is, Miss Pattie would like to sit here until the cart comes back from the village, when it will take her into Fellburn. 'Tis Fellburn you want to go, miss, isn't it?`
`Yes. Yes, thank you, Alex.Àlice Towney was a motherly woman, and as such she began to fuss around, saying, Èeh! I've never got cleaned up this mornin', miss; 81 I've been at the poss-tub since early on. You've got to get the fine weather, and there's a bit of wind blowin' and it dries. Look, miss. Oh, do sit down, miss ... that's right. Now, can I get you anything? There's a nice drop of soup in the pan there.` She pointed to the open fire, and at this Pattie said, `No, thank you, Mrs Towney; I'm all right. But I wouldn't mind a glass of water.`
À glass of water it is, miss. A glass of water.Às she bustled out of the room her husband said, Ìt looks as if you're goin' for good, miss.Ànd she replied, `Yes, Alex, I'm going for good.`
`You'll be missed up there 'cos you were the only steady one among them. Irish folk are never steady.
But speak as you find, I've always found the missis pleasant, and kindly at that. But the way things are goin', miss, between you and me, there'll be very little left to be kindly with, shortly. I've never seen a place run down so quickly. Now, if you yourself had been a man and a son ... no offence meant, miss;
'cos what I'm
meanin' is, you've got a head on your shoulders and you would have done something about things long afore now ... Oh, here she is with the water. Now you're sure that's all you want, miss?`
`Yes. Yes, thank you, Alex.`
`Well, I'll go along and see if the cart's back.` ...
He wasn't away five minutes before he returned, saying, `For once in his life he's back on time. Will you come along now, miss?`
Pattie thanked Mrs Towney, and when they reached the farmyard she thanked Alex too; and lastly, she said to him, `Would you make it your business, Alex, to see Daniel`--she did not say Master Daniel--ànd tell him I'm in Fellburn? He knows the address; he has been before.`
Ì'll do that, miss. He's due home the morrow, isn't he?`
`Yes, tomorrow.`
His last words to her as he helped her up into the back of the cart, in which Bob Shearman, the shepherd, had laid clean sacks to cover the tramped-in sheep droppings, were, Ìt's a scandal you havin'
to go out like this. You should have ordered
the trap, miss. That's what you should have 83 done.`
What she said to him, and with a sad smile, was, Ì always used to like riding in the cart. You remember, Alex?Ànd the man gulped in his throat before he said, Àye, I remember, miss. Goodbye, now, and the best of luck and I hopes you'll be happy in whatever you do.`
Ì'll be happy, Alex. I'm getting married next week.`
Òh! you are, miss? Well, well; that's news, and it's glad I am to hear it. Is it the teacher man, miss?`
Ìt is the teacher man, Alex.`
`Good, good. He's one of your own sort. May you live long together, miss. That's what I wish you.`
`Goodbye, Alex, and thank you.`
`Goodbye, miss.Às the cart trundled through the back gate and along the rutted road towards the coach road the tears started again and she screwed up her eyes and bowed her head in an effort to fight them.
2
It was late evening on the following day. The house was quiet, the children's chatter had faded away into sleep; and Maggie Ann was upstairs with Moira, where she had been for the past two hours. Most of this time Hector had spent
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