'I haven't said yes have I?' she countered and looked straight at him, her heart opening about her lips. Seated as she was back to the light he could see only a blinding space for her head framed in dark hair and inhabited by those great eyes on her, fathoms deep.
'No that's right,' he murmured obviously lost.
'I'll need to think over it,' she gently said. Folding hands she returned her gaze into the peat fire.
'She's a good woman,' Raunce began again. 'She worked hard to raise us when dad died. There were six in our family. She had a struggle.'
Edith sat on quiet.
'Now we're scattered all over,' he went on. There's only my sister Bell with the old lady these days. There's her to consider,' he said.
'The one working in the gun factory?' she asked.
'That's right,' he replied. Then he waited.
'Well I don't know as she'd need to come to Ireland,' Edith said at last. 'She's got her job all right? I'd hardly reckon to make the change myself if I was in her position.'
'You have it any way you want,' Raunce explained. 'I thought to just mention her that's all. Mrs Charley Raunce,' he announced in educated accents. There you are eh?' He seemed to be gathering confidence.
She suddenly got up half turned from him.
'I'm not sayin' one way or the other, Charley. Not yet awhile.'
'But it's not no for a start,' he said, also rising.
'No,' she replied. She began to blush. Seeing this he grinned with an absurd look of sweet pain. 'No,' she went on, 'I don't say I couldn't.' And all at once her mood appeared to change. She whirled about and made a dive at the cushion of the chair she had been using.
'What's more I'll wear this old ring for the engagement,' she crowed, 'oh let me it won't only be for a minute.' He approached doltish while she hooked with her finger in the tear. That's funny,' she said. 'Why it can't have,' she murmured. 'But it has," she announced drawing herself up to look him in the face. 'It's gone,' she said.
'What's gone?'
'Mrs Tennant's ring,' she said.
'It can't have,' he objected. 'Give here,' and he took that cushion, ripped the seam open. 'Must've slipped inside that's about the long and short of it,' he said as he worked.
'I don't know about can't have gone,' she said looking intently at him with something in her voice, 'but it's not there that's all.'
He felt round the edges.
'You're right,' he pronounced, 'there's nothing.'
'Yet a ring wouldn't have wings now would it?' she said meaningly.
'Edie,' he said, 'if you think I took that you must consider me worse than the lowest thing which crawls."
'No,' she murmured, 'I don't,' and leant over to give him a light kiss.
'Then you ain't never found nothing, see,' he said putting his arms round her. 'Oh honey…' he began when both heard a car turn towards the Castle over the ha-ha.
'Look sharp,' he brought out as if she had been kissing him. That must be Mrs Tancy,' he said and turned to go. 'Holy smoke,' he added, 'but I can't answer the door dressed as I am.' While Raunce hastened out she went on her knees it might be to make believe she was only in the room to do the fire.
His training probably induced Charley to close the door soft after him and it was not until he had reached his quarters, when he was out of earshot, that he began to yell for Bert. So nobody saw this car drive up but Edith. She noted in it not the lady above referred to but a stranger, a man, a grey homburg hat.
His boy came running in a green baize apron. At that moment the bell rang. The front door,' Raunce said as the indicator chocked, 'I'm wrongly dressed. Put 'er in the Red Library an' don't leave till I come or something might go missing. Not like that,' he almost shouted as Albert made off tied in green, 'let's 'ave that down,' he cried as he twitched at the bow it was knotted with, 'an' where's your jacket?' Raunce got the lad away at last discreetly clad, calling out to him, 'I won't be a minute while I dress.'
So it was Albert received Michael Mathewson at the entrance, who took this man's business card when he asked for Mrs Tennant. The lad held it upsidedown. In consequence he could not read the name or the line in Irish below, underneath which came a translation between brackets which went, 'Irish Regina Assurance.' There was finally a Dublin address in the right-hand corner.
'This way please,' Albert said the way he had been taught. He led the man over the chequered marble floor. Mike Mathewson followed fat and short and bald with blue spats.
'That's to say they're not here,' the boy piped over his shoulder.
'It'th O. K. thon,' Mike lisped.
So it was Albert showed him in where Edith was still on her knees after a proposal of marriage, as if tidying. As Mathewson passed Albert probably remembered twice for he sang out again. 'This way please.'
'Thankth thon,' the man replied. Edith turned away from them and began a fit of giggling.
'Nithe plathe you've got,' he remarked bright in her direction. Albert closed the door gently, stood so it seemed unobserved and ill at ease. He licked a palm of his hand then smarmed his yellow hair.
'The familieth away?' Mr Mathewson enquired picking up the paper-knife with the agate handle.
'Yes sir,' Edith made answer. She looked for a' second time full at him seriously with her raving beauty.
'That'th all right girlie,' he brought out and goggled a trifle. Then he put that paper-knife down. He came near.
'I'll do thomething for you,' he announced soft, 'I'll put you in the. way to make a fool out of Mike. That'th me. There'th my bithneth card he holdth. It'th thith way. We'll maybe have a little bet on thith. I'll wager thixpenth you can never gueth my bithneth.'
On this she rose to her feet, back to the fire. Her eyes were large as she smoothed her dress. He turned round as though to give her time.
'You're in on thith thon,' he called urgent, soft, but the lad made no move.
'It's Mr Raunce you want,' she interrupted.
'That'th all right,' he answered, 'I'm not thelling anything. I gave up thelling when trade got thlack. I'm an enquiry agent,' he brought out sharp, turning to her close.
'What?' she muttered and began to blush.
'Yeth that'th a thurprithe ain't it,' he went on seemingly delighted.
'Now you'd never have guethed ith'nt that right without you'd theen my bithneth card. Mike Mathewthonth the name. Jutht had a tooth out that'th why I thpeak like thith,' he excused then laid a hand genteel across his mouth. He took it away at once to finger the spotted tie. He was now very near indeed. He smelled of acid of violets.
'I come down when they claim a loss,' he brought out sharp, not lisping.
'Oh,' she said faint.
'I reprethent the Inthuranth Company,' he explained again.
At this precise moment out by the dovecote little Albert was with Mrs Jack's little girls. He knelt down while Miss Evelyn and Miss Moira stood dappled by leaf sunshine. The lad himself was shaded by that pierced tower of Pisa inside which a hundred ruby eyes were round.
'You're not ever goin' to bury it Bert?' Miss Evelyn enquired.
'Naw,' he replied picking up half an empty eggshell.
The sisters squatted. Opening his fist he displayed the ring, a small blaze of blue. He scooped it into that eggshell which he then placed with the unbroken end upwards, a pale bell over the jewel, under a tuft of sharp grass.
'You won't leave that out in the open?' Miss Moira asked.
'It's on account of them birds pinch rings,' he answered. 'If Mr Raunce come to find'm then we don't know a thing, the pigeons took'm see.'
'But doves don't steal rings Albert, you mean jackdaws.'
'Don't be so soft,' he said. 'Everyone knows doves will,' he ended.
'You'll lose it,' Miss Evelyn announced wondering.
'Rings don't walk,' he said, 'an' this shell's so them birds won't rout'm out,' he explained. They'd never think to turn an egg that's broken.'
'Well you are clever,' Miss Moira told him and meant it.
'I'm smart don't fear," he said, 'only I didn't ought to let you girls in on this. You'd never keep a secret. So you'll 'ave to take a oath see.'