"Oh! Myles, how can you say such words now! you know I love you--how much I love you--else I wouldn"t be leaving my home for you this way!
And though Ballycloran is--"
Here the poor girl could say no more; for she was using all her energies to prevent herself from sobbing in the ball-room.
"Good G----d! you"re not going to cry here; come out of the room, Feemy;" and he led her into the pa.s.sage, where, under the pretence of looking at the moon, they could turn their faces to the window. "What are you crying for now?"
"Don"t you know I love you? why else would I be going with you?"
"Well, don"t cry then; but mind, I shan"t see you again before the time, for I"m going out of this at once now. I shall be at the avenue at a quarter before eight; don"t keep me waiting. If you are there first, as you will be, walk a few steps along the Mohill road, so as to meet me; no one will know you, if you should meet any one, for it will be nearly if not quite dark; the moon won"t rise till past ten; do you understand, Feemy?"
"Oh, yes, I understand!"
"Well, good night then, my own love, for I must be off."
"But, Myles, I want to say one thing."
"Hurry then, dear, what is it?"
"What "ll I do about my things?"
"What things?"
"Why, Myles, I must bring some things with me; clothes, you know, and things of that sort."
This puzzled Ussher rather; he had considered that he should have enough trouble with Feemy herself; he had quite forgotten the concomitant evils of the bandboxes, bundles, and draperies which it would be necessary for Feemy to take with her.
"Ah! you can get clothes in Dublin; you can"t want to take much with you; you can bring a bundle in your hand just that distance. Can"t you, eh, Feemy?"
Feemy could not but think that a week since he would not have asked her to carry all her travelling wardrobe in a bundle, in her hand.
However, she only said,
"Why, not well, Myles; I shall have so many things to think of; but I shan"t have much, and if you"ll let me, I"ll send Biddy to meet you with what I must take. She"ll meet you on the road, and put it into the gig."
"Good heavens! what do you mean! would you tell the girl what you"re going to do? Why she"ll tell your father, and Thady, and raise the whole country on me."
"No, she wouldn"t, Myles; she wouldn"t tell anybody a word, when I told her not. You don"t know those sort of people; she"d not say a word; so if you"ll let me, I"ll send her on to meet you with my things."
With a good deal of reluctance Ussher agreed to this; and then, again enjoining Feemy not to keep him and the gig waiting in the road, he took his leave, and departed, with his friend Fred, for Brown Hall; first of all taking Feemy into the refreshment-room, and making her drink a gla.s.s of sherry. This did her much good, and when she got back into the ball-room, she was able to dance with tolerable spirit; and Mrs. McKeon, who had been watching her, and had seen her dance with Ussher, was glad to think that her _protegee_ had made up her mind to part with her lover in good spirits, and before the evening was over she a.s.sured Louey, with great glee, that, in spite of all that had been said, she foresaw that as soon as that horrid man had been gone three or four days, Feemy would be as well and as cheerful as ever.
Feemy was, nevertheless, very glad when she was told to get her cloak on, and found herself on the car going to Drumsna. She then told her friend that she wanted to be home with her father on the morrow,--that she had promised to be home the day after the ball.
She even pretended that she had received a message that evening from her father, begging her return. Mrs. McKeon did not think much about it, supposing that Feemy"s presence might be necessary for household purposes at Ballycloran, and she readily promised her the loan of the car, at four in the afternoon, on condition that she would return to Drumsna at least in a day or two. This Feemy promised, rejoicing that her expected difficulties as to getting to Ballycloran were so easily overcome, and going to bed, she slept more soundly than she had yet done since she had given her fatal consent to Ussher"s proposal.
CHAPTER XX.
HOW CAPTAIN USSHER SUCCEEDED.
Late the next morning, Feemy and the other girls got up; they had slept together to make room in the house for the victorious Bob, but as Father John had prophesied, they were all too tired to be much inconvenienced by this. Immediately after breakfast the car came round, and Feemy, afraid to wish her friends good bye too affectionately lest suspicion should be raised, and promising to come back again in a day or two, returned to Ballycloran.
Thady was out when she got there, but he was expected in to dinner.
Her father was glad to see her, and began a.s.suring her that he would do all in his power to protect her from the evil machinations of her brother, and then again took his grog and his pipe. She went into the kitchen, and summoning Biddy, desired her to follow her up to her bedroom. When there, she carefully closed the door, and sitting down on the bed, looked in her attendant"s face and said,
"Biddy, if I told you a secret, you"d never betray me, would you?"
"Is it I, Miss Feemy, that"s known you so long? in course I wouldn"t," and the girl p.r.i.c.ked up her ears, and looked all anxiety.
"What is it, Miss?--Shure you know av you tould me to hould my tongue, never a word I"d spake to any mortial about anything."
"I know you wouldn"t, Biddy; that"s why I"m going to tell you; but you mustn"t whisper it to Katty, for I think she"d be telling Thady."
"Niver fear, Miss; sorrow a word I"ll whisper it to any one, at all at all."
"Well, Biddy, did you hear Captain Ussher"s going away from this intirely?"
"What! away from Ballycloran?"
"No, but from Mohill, and from County Leitrim altogether. He"s going a long way off, to a place called Cashel."
"And what for is he going there, and you living here, Miss Feemy?"
"That"s the secret, Biddy; I"m going with him."
"My! and is you married in sacret, Miss?" said the girl, coming nearer to her mistress, and opening her eyes as wide as she could.
Feemy blushed up to the roots of her hair, and said, "No, we"re not married yet; we"re to be married in Dublin; we couldn"t be married here you know, because Captain Ussher is a Protestant."
"Holy Mary! Miss, you"re not a going to lave the ould religion; you"re not a going to turn Prothesthant, is you, Miss Feemy?"
"No, Biddy; why should I turn Protestant? but you see there"s rasons why we couldn"t be married here; we"re to be married in Dublin, to-morrow."
"To-morrow!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Biddy; "what, is you going to-night?"
"This very evening; and now I want you to help me, and when we"re settled, Biddy, if you like to lave this ould place, I mane you to come and live with us."
"To be shure, Miss; and wouldn"t I go the world round wid you? and why not? for it"s you was always the kind misthress to me. But what"ll I be doing to help you?"
And then Feemy explained to her her plans, and began to pack up the few treasures she could take with her, in a box small enough for Biddy to carry; and the two kneeled down together to the work.
Feemy"s tears dropped quickly on the little things she was packing, and the poor girl soon followed the example her mistress gave her.
"Ochone! ochone! Miss Feemy, alanna, what"ll we be doing widout you?"
and she came round and began kissing her mistress"s dress, and hands, and face, "What shall we do widout you at all then? what will the ould man be doing, when you"re not to the fore to mix his punch?"
"Don"t talk that way," said Feemy. "Shure, won"t I be coming back to see him when I"m married?"
"In course you will; but it"ll be a great miss, when he and Mr. Thady finds you"re gone. What"ll I say at all, when I come back from seeing you off--and they finds that you are gone?"