I got ap this marning at siven. While wiping me face after giving it a good sousing wid warter, I chanst to look from me winder. I seen the rane poaring down frum a gray and milincully sky.
“Its a sad day its going to be to-day” ses I to mesilf, little noing the throoth of the matter. The day itsilf to be shure passed away as yushil. I warked and cooked. The family et. The house looked dark and gloomy, and I belave it cheered us all up a bit whin I’m toorning on the lites.
After dinner I planned to rite to Minny, and so was hurrying throo the washing of me pots and pans in the sink whin I herd me bastemint dure open and close wid a bang, and ses I to mesilf: “Its that bauld Larry Mulvaney walking into me kitchin widout the dacinsy aven of nocking.” So I kipt me contemshus back toorned aven whin the stips cam along throo the bastemint hall and paused at me kitchin dure. Thin I herd a voyce spaking me name.
“Delia!”
I toorned aboot, and thin I lit out a turrible yell which I shoot up quickly be throosting me dishcloth into me open mouth. For there sthtanding in me kitchin, his long coat dripping wid water, the collar toorned up about his eers, and his soft filt hat pooled doon over his eyes was Mr. Harry Dudley himsilf. His eyes looked straynge, and his face was all oonshavin aboot the chin. He cum tords me quickly and clapped his hand on me showlder. If I hadent recknissed the lad, shure I’d be taking him for a thramp.
“Go upstares” ses he, “and bring Claire—Miss Wolley doon. I want” ses he, “to see her at wanse.”
“Yes sir” ses I trimbling wid excitemint, for he do have the wild look of a mainyack in his eye.
I rooshed up the stares to Miss Claire’s room, and forgitting to nock wint in.
“Miss Claire” ses I, me breth cuming in gasps, “w-wud ye be so kind to step into me kitchin a moment.”
She stud up, looking at me surprysed and bewildyed.
“Whats the matter Delia?” ses she.
“Plase hilp me, Miss Claire” ses I “For God’s sake” ses I gitting excited, “cum down at wanse.”
“Are you and Larry fighting again” ses she. “What can I do this time?” ses she, but she let me lead her along doon the stares, and thegither we cum to the bastemint. Me kitchin dure was open and I belave she seen Mr. Harry setting there befure shes cum into the room, fur all of a suddint she guv a turrible start and pulled away frum me arm, trying to go back oop the stares. At that I called:
“Mr. Harry!” and then he stud up, and she wint slowly tord him. They stud for a moment looking at aich uther widout spaking a wurd. Then he tuk his hat aff and put it on the table, and she thried to spake and cuddent say a ward. I seen her looking wid horror at his dripping clothes and wite haggud face, and I belave she guv a little sob for so it sownded. Thin he spake in a saft voyce, looking at her full in the eyes.
“Claire” ses he “I took a boat back fur home harf an hour after yure letter and that—that—cursed paper came” ses he. Thin he stapped a bit. “I’ve cum up strate from the steemer now. I havent been home. Tell me the trooth” ses he. “Why did you treat me in that way?” ses he.
She did not ansser, but the colur cum back to her pale face and she raysed up her hed prowdly.
“Am I to belave” ses he “that you wud throw me over for a chap wid more munney. Claire!” He wint a step tord her, his hands hild out. “For God’s sake” ses he “tell me that it is all sum horribul mistake.”
She wint back frum him.
“Mr. Dudley” ses she. “I quistshun yure rite to inquire into me affares, but if you wish me simply to verryfy the annowncemint of me ingagemint to Mr. Vandybilt, I do so.”
He guv a grone, and set down in the chare, leening forward wid his hands prissed thegither. Miss Claire stud there cauldly, but she did not look at Mr. Harry anny more.
Suddintly he throo back his hed and guv a little larf. Thin he got up and picked up his hat and moved tord the dure.
“Stop!” ses Miss Claire, toorning rownd suddintly, “wait wan minit” ses she. “Ansser me this Mr. Dudley,” ses she. “What rite have you, an ingaged man, to spake to me in such a way?”
“What rite have I” ses he, looking biterly amoosed “Yes” ses he, “throo, I was ingaged wance, Miss Wolley. I belave” ses he, “I guv you me muther’s ring.”
“No!” ses she, and her voyce rung out pashunutly “Not that! I don’t meen that ingagemint——ef you considered it ever such” ses she, and her voyce catched oop in her throte which she hild wid her hand, “I mean” ses she, “yure ingagemint to Una Robbins. You——”
He looked so flabbygasted that she stopped.
“What do you mean?” ses he.
“Oh you know, you know” ses she. “Befure you were gone a fortnite” ses she “yure ingagemint was annownced.” “My ingage——Claire!” ses he horsely, and he saized hold of her hand vilintly. “Theres sum misurable mistake. You’ve been misled, desaved.”
“No, no, no” ses she struggling to free her hands, which he let go suddintly. “It was annownsed” ses she. “You know it. You know it.”
“Annownced whare?” ses he cauldly.
“In the London Queen.”
“When!”
“I don’t——”
It was thin I spoke up, for I’d taken the paper frum the recipshun hall the day Miss Claire faynted, intinding to burn the dummed thing. I now guv it to Mr. Harry. He toorned it over contemshusly. Thin he guv the paper a long scrootiny. Finally he looked up and fixed his eyes on Miss Claire. His voyce is very cam and quiet.
“This notiss” ses he, “was published exactly three and a half yeers ago. If you had aven taken the thrubble to examine the paper you wud have seen that, aven tho the date is torn aff. Thank you for your faith in me” ses he. “Who sent this I do not no. Probably my father. And now” ses he “theres nothing more to say. I hope you will be happy Claire. I don’t know Vandybilt” ses he, “but—still I hope you will be happy. Good-nite” ses he, and he wint oot of the dure, widout looking at her again. I seen her wake oop like wan coming out of a transe. She guv a little moan, and thin she wint following after him to the hall.
“Harry! Harry!” she called in the dark. I herd him stop short, and thin her voyce agin. “Oh forgive me” ses she. “I—I—faynted at the time. I never saw the paper again. My—my hart was broken, for I loved you so—I love you yet” ses she.
And thin I herd him joomp tord her.
“But yure ingagemint to Vandybilt” ses he horsely.
“Theres no Mr. Vandybilt” ses she, “I—I made it up” ses she, and then she stopped spaking and crying too for he’s got his arms aboot her and her lips closed oop wid his.
I toorned away and sobbed. How long they stud I do not know, but it was a long time whin finully he starts to spake again:
“Claire—my darlint!” ses he, and thin again they are silint.
Then after awile.
“What will we do?” ses she, “we—we cant give aich uther up now.”
He larfed like a boy.
“Give aich uther up” ses he, “Why we belong to aich uther. Now lissen darlint. I havent a cent to me name. Dad has kept me practicully pinnyliss lately, but I maniged to borrer enuff to git back here. I’ve niver dun a stroke of work in me life, but I’ve a good ijjicashun—I’m yung, strong and willing. I’ve been offered a job out West wid a stepbruther of me muther’s, and we’ll go there as soon as I can rayse the munney to take us. Oh my little love” ses he, “I only wish I cud take you away to-nite and kape you wid me always.”
“Take me—take me Harry” ses she, clinging about his neck, “Let us go to-nite.”
“I wish we cud” ses he, “but look,” and he drew her into the lite of me kitchin and toorned out all his pockits and showed her how imty they was. It was then a brillyunt thort cum into the hed of Delia O’Malley.
“Mr. Harry” ses I interrupting, “will you be excoosing me for putting a quischun?”
“What is it Delia” ses he kindly.
“How mooch is it ye’re nading?” ses I.
He smiled.
“A few hundred only” ses he. “Jest enuff for our imejit ixpinses. Its absurd but I havent a red cent” ses he. “I’ll borrer or steel it if I have to” ses he, trying to larf, the puir lad.
“Mr. Dudley” ses I, “Will ye be doing a puir loan hardwarking girl a favour?”
“Why certinly” ses he. “What can I do for you?”
“Its siven hundred dollars I’m after having in me stocking. I droo it oot of the bank oanly a day or two ago, fur the dummed welth do be the bane of me existunse. Shure I’ll nivver know anny pace of mind so long as I’m ritch. Mr. Mulvaney do protist that he wishes me munney soonk in hell, and museer is after saying he loves me better than me bagatell. Its tisting the lads I’d be doing, and ef ye’ll do me the favour of accipting me bit of munney——”
“Oh Delia!” ses Miss Claire.
“No, no” ses Mr. Harry at wanse, but she pulled down his face, and wispered in his eer, and suddintly he toorned and beemed at me.
“Very good! Delia” ses he, “guv me the munney.”
I wint into the china closet and tuk it frum me stocking—thin I brort it over to Mr. Harry. He hild on to me hand arfter taking i............