A WEEK LATER
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 it, and his voyce
trimbled a bit.
“Yere a foine woman” ses he, “and its a lucky chap who gets you. Your
bit of munney” ses he, “will be ten times its size whin it reeches you
again.”
“Now Claire darlint” ses he, and he looks at her wid shining eyes, hers
smiling back at him, “Will you go wid me—_to-nite_?”
“Give me five minits” ses she, smiling saftly, “to get me hat and coat.”
“Make it 2” ses he, and let her go.
He put his watch on the table. Arfter a sicond:
“One minit!” ses he, and woches the stares. “One and a harf” ses he, and
joost thin the bastemint dure bell rung, and I let in both museer and
Larry Mulvaney, pushing and ilboing by aich uther.
“Two minits” ses Mr. Harry, and then we herd the dure on top of the
bastemint steps open, and Miss Claire cum steeling down, her coat and
hat in her hand.
“They are all in there rooms” ses she wispering. Then she seen Museer
and Larry, both of them wid there mouths and eyes gaping at Mr. Harry.
He was smiling quarely and he toorned to museer:
“Alfonse!” ses he, “ye’ve arrived in the nich of time. I want you” ses
he “to go back to our place and get riddy the big Pinkard. We’ll be over
in a sicond.”
Museer bowed, but he histated a minit.
“Well?” ses Mr. Harry, “What are you waiting for?”
“Whare is it Museer wishes to go” ses the Frinchman rubbing his hands
narvissly thegither, and giving a look at Miss Claire.
“To New Rosette” ses Mr. Harry smiling, “I know a parson there” ses he,
“will do it in a jiffy. His name’s Hammond” ses he, and then suddintly
he turned tord me. “And by the way Alfonse” ses he, “Puir Delia here
will be ixpicting you back airly. Shes lost her little forchune.”
“Mon Joor! Sacrey! Dam!” ses Museer and looked at me wid his eyes
boolging, then he stamped oot, swaring tarribly in Frinch.
Larry guv me wan look, then he begun to wissel, excusing himsilf a
moment after to Miss Claire.
Mr. Harry hilped Miss Claire on wid her coat, and buttoned it up snug to
her chin. “For” ses he “its cold and raining, and we have quite a trip
to make” ses he.
Thin we all started out frum the house Mr. Dudley almost carrying Miss
Claire over the wet lon and Larry Mulvaney grasping me titely by the
arm.
We got into the Dudley driveway and cum up befure the grate barn. Then
we seen museer at the tillyfone. Hes spaking franticully harf in Frinch
and harf in English. Mr. Harry putrifyes him wid a look and he drapt the
tillyfone and turned sowerly to the big ortermobile, pretinding to start
it. Mr. Harry helped Miss Claire into the tonno, thin the Frinchman
climed in frunt. Mr. Harry foosed a bit wid the masheenery, then he
joomped in beside the Frinchman, and all of a suddint he seesed the weel
frum the Frinchman’s hands, guv a toot to his horn, and wint flying out
of the barn dure, joost as auld Mr. Dudley cum rooning frum the house
waving his hands and showting: “Alfonse! Alfonse!”
He cum into the barn farely choking wid rage. The nixt moment he seen
Larry and me.
“Larry” ses he, and he climed into the uther masheen, standing there.
“Overtake those loonyticks” ses he, “and I’ll make you a ritch man.”
“I will” ses Larry “I kin beet anny Frinchman living.”
I fownd me way home aloan, Larry the crool harted miscreent wid his
avoreeshus hart having obeyed the order of Mr. Dudley. As I cum into me
kitchin I fownd the hole Wolley family, wid the ixcipshun of Mrs. Wolley
and the babby, waiting for me.
“Whare have you been?” shouted Mr. James, and Mr. Wolley guv me a look
fit to kill me.
“Theres no yuse attimting to desave us Delia” ses Mr. John quietly, the
only cam wan of the boonch, “The Dudley charfer tillyfoned us the facks
a minit sense. Now, whares Claire. I presoom” ses he, “they were stopped
in time?”
“Not by a dummed site sir” ses I, gitting turribly inraged wid the site
of the thray strapping men pursooing the puir yung luving harted
crachures. “They’ve got a good start of that desateful Larry Mulvaney,
and Mr. Harry himsilf has got the wheel.”
Mr. Wolley let out a larf of scorn.
“Boys” ses he, “me new carbureater arrived yistiday. We’ll ovetake that
Frinch car in harf an our.”
Wid that they all wint for the barn, got out the car and in there
exsitemint let me climb in wid them also.
Well, we wint spinning at a turrible speed along the auld Boston Post
Road but never a site did we get of the Dudley Frinch car.
The roads was turrible for the stiddy rains of the larst week do be
cutting it up into ditches, and manny a time me hart was in me mouth
feering we’d be going into the gutter. The nite was pitch dark and the
ilictrick lites over harf the road being out wid the lightning.
As we cam whissing along over a wild and loansum cuntry we herd a
straynge sownd, like samewan hollering for hilp, and then we seen a lite
ahed. We roon up beside it and there in the road was anuther masheen. It
was so dark we cud not see the gintleman but whin I herd his voyce I guv
a start.
“Can you tak me as far as New Rosette” ses he. “I’m soaking wet and
cold” ses he, “and me dammed man don’t understand the meckaneesm of this
masheen.”
“Climb in” ses Mr. Wolley gruffly, and he got in at the back.
We started aff again, and by and by we cam at last to New Rosette. We
wint feeling our way arownd the strates, wid the rain beeting doon upon
our lether top and the thoonder and lightning litting out a crack avery
wanse in a wile.
Thin suddintly we cam to a stop. Theres a gas lite burning in the
strate, and setting back a bit from the road on a lumpy bit of lon I
seen what looked like a church and at its very dure indade there stud
the grate Frinch ortermobile of Mr. Dudley. But neyther Miss Claire or
Mr. Harry was inside it. The gintleman guv a gront, and thin ses he:
“Excuse me sir, allow me to get out here.”
Mr. Wolley has turned aboot, and now he leened over the back of the seet
and stuck his face close up to his gest’s. Then at wanse they recknised
aich other. The boys too soospicted the truth at wanse. Mr. Dudley
himself was for joomping clane out of the masheen, but Mr. John opened
the dure wid dignuty, and perlitely hilped him to alite.
We wint all walking up the path to the choorch, and we cud see theres a
bit of lite burning inside. We wint into the holy place, which is all
very still and quiet wid only a bit of dim lite up near the altar, but
under the lite we sor the luvvers, neeling side be side.
Neyther Mr. Dudley or Mr. Wolley spoke a wurd. They joost stud back and
let the praste finish the wurds. Thin I seen two gintleman stip forward
an reckynised thim wid horrow—museer and Larry Mulvaney. The latter seen
us at the same time, and he cum smiling frum eer to eer up to Mr.
Dudley, while the yung cupple stud still wid hands in aich uthers,
looking wid smiling faces at their fathers, joost as if indade they were
arfter ixpicting us.
“Mr. Dudley” ses Larry, “ye’ll not be haulding it aginst me for me
thrick. I boasted” ses he, “that I cud beet the Frinchman, and I did”
ses he, “me frate being lite. It was no brake down ye were arfter being
in on the road” ses he “I simply doomped ye there” ses he “to guv the
yung fokes time. Besides” ses he “Delia there made a hyer bid for me
sarvisses. All the welth in the warld” ses he, “cuddent bye me frum me
pinnyliss darlint.”
Mr. Dudley’s silint, but he kipt his eyes stiddily on the yung fokes,
then suddintly he hild out his hand to Mr. Wolley.
“I’m afrade sir” ses he, “that _love_ has won the race.”
Mr. James was acting strayngely. He wint down the isle in harf a dussen
strydes. He brort his hand down wid a thoomp on Mr. Harry’s back; then
he toorned on his sister and guv her a smacking kiss.
“Claire!” ses he “ye’ve made me insanely happy.”
She smiled, and Mr. Harry guv a larf.
“I oonderstand auld chap” ses he, “and heres a bit of prudint advice. Do
as I did, tak the first steemer which will carry you her-wurds.”
“By jove I will!” ses Mr. James, “I’ll accipt the London corryspondint
job to-morrow.”
By this time the hole family is crowding about the yung fokes, and Mr.
Dudley is after kissing the bride and bridegroom too, and both he and
Mr. Wolley look as ef they’d blow there noses hard, but seeing there in
choorch it might not be perlite.
The teers run down me nose, and wan of thim sploshed on Larry’s hand,
for I seen him look at it a moment. Then he wispered in me eer.
“Come, auld girl” ses he, “hop into the little masheen, which is joost
around the corner. Maybe” ses he, “we can injuice sum sinsible praste to
do us a like favour to-nite.”
And so we wint sneeking out thegither, wid only the Frinchman to obsarve
us, and he wid his mouth gaping open and smiling a bit beside, for Mr.
Harry do be arfter giving him the hole of me forchune to act as witniss.
“But don’t you be arfter wurrying swatehart” ses Larry Mulvaney, “for
tho ye’re puir yersilf now darlint, its a ritch man I’ll be air long,
wid the grand promisses of Mr. Harry.”
“Ah, go wan Larry Moolvaney,” ses I, giving him a squaze of his arm,
“it’s oanly a bit of a trick I’ve been playing you, me wanting to tist
yere love fur me, or me wilth—Shure it was oanly a loan I’m arfter
making Mr. Harry, and it’s hivvy intrust the lad will be arfter paying
on me savings,” ses I.
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● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only
when a predominant form was found in this book.
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).