"Who was the man who kim to see ye, ye young huzzy?"
"Man! When did a man come? I don't remember," assuming surprise.
"I'll help yer mem'ry thin wid that;" and Dil's ears rang with the sound
of the blow.
"There wasn't any man since the wan that sang a long whiles ago. Mrs.
Murphy knew. She said he was a Moody an' Sankey man, an' that they do be
goin' round singin' and prayin'. An' they all stood in the hall, the
women about. Mrs. Murphy kin tell you."
Mrs. Quinn was rather nonplussed.
"What did he gev ye?"
"Nothin'," sobbed Dil. "It was poor old Mrs. Bolan that had the money."
"Not a cint?" She took Dil by the shoulder. "Dil Quinn, I don' no
whether to belave yer; but if he'd gev ye any money, an' ye'd bin such a
deceivin' little thafe, I'd break ivery bone in yer mean little body.
Howld yer tongue! I ain't done nothin' but ast a civil question."
Dil tried to stop sobbing. Her mother was in a hurry to get out, or
matters might have been worse.
"Stop yer snivelin'," commanded her mother. "But if I hear of any more
men singin' round, I'll make ye wish yer never been born."
The baby cried at this juncture, and Dil took it up. Mrs. Quinn went
out, and there would be peace until midnight.
Bess sat in the carriage, wild-eyed and ghostly, trembling in every
limb.
"It was a norful lie!" sobbed Dil. "But if I'd told her, she'd killed
me! _He_ wouldn't a done such a thing; but nobody'd darst to tackle him,
an' rich people don't beat an' bang."
"You didn't tell no lie," said Bess in a sudden strong voice. "_He_
never gev you no money. 'Twarn't your money 't all. Doncher know he put
it in the bag the first time when you was feared to take it, an' he jes'
dropped it down here in the side of the kerrige. He never gev you a
penny. An' it was _my_ money."
"O Bess! Ye'r such a bright, smart little thing! If you'd been well we'd
just kept ahead of mother all the time;" and now the sunshine slanted
over the brown quartz eyes that were swimming in tears. "I d'n' know,
but I should have hated norful to tell a lie 'bout him. He seems--well, I
can't somehow git the right words; but's if you wanted to be all on the
square when he liked you. I don't b'leve he'd so much mind yer snivyin'
out a nickel when there was a good many babies, an' puttin' it back when
there wasn't, to save gettin' yer head busted. But he wouldn't tell no
lie. He kem when he said he would an' brought Christiana, an' he'll come
in the spring, sure."
"Yes, sure," said Bess, with a faint smile. "But you better ast Mrs.
Murphy to keep the book a few days, for mammy might go snoopin' about--"
"I just will; but I don't b'leve she'd dast to hustle you round and find
the money. An' now a week's gone, an' there's only three left, en then
it'll be anuther month, an' O Bess, spring! spring!"
There was an exultant gladness in Dil's voice.