Loving

'I choked,' he excused himself when he had recovered. 'I don't feel very grand. But you'll agree it's not good enough. It's not right this cross questionin'. Men entering the house without leave and then every sort and kind of question asked. I know she lost a valuable,' he went on, 'but it was not worth that much, couldn't have been, or she would never have gone over to England. ' Then he corrected himself. 'Well I don't know,' he said. 'It's a fact Jack had his week's leave right enough but that's not to say she should permit this individual to come nosing round. Conditions are bad enough as it is with all the buzzes and rumours over the invasion,' and all this time the others listened to Raunce with deference, 'not to mention talk of the I. R. A. Because we're at the mercy of any 'ooligan, German or Irish, situated as we are. With Mrs Tennant away we've no influence none whatever.' He paused to couch, not so violently. 'For two pins I'd throw the place up. And one reason is I got a feelin' I'm not appreciated. My work I mean.'

'I don't suppose she was in a position to help herself,' Edith pointed out reasonably. 'Once she claimed on her insurance it would be a thing the company in Dublin would do in the ordinary run, to send down and investigate.'

'I'm not disputing that,' Raunce countered, 'but what I say is Mrs T. should've been here to receive 'im. We're plain honest folk we are. This is not the first position of trust we've held down. We've come out of our places with a good reference each time or she would never have engaged us. No,' he insisted with authority, 'there's a right and a wrong way to go about matters of this sort. There you are, it's 'ighly dithtrething,' he ended as though, having noticed Edith's expression, he now intended to turn all this off into a joke. If that was his intention it was immediately successful. Like a class at school when given the signal to break up they all with one accord burst out lisping, with the exception of Raunce's Albert. In no time their hilarity had grown until each effort was received with shrieks, Edith's this time amongst the loudest.

Charley began to laugh unrestrained as he held his side which seemed to pain him. Yet he let himself go.

'There'th a tanner in thith for you altho,' he shouted to Edith above the din, quoting her description of Mike Mathewson's proceedings.

'Thankth thon,' she called back. He doubled up again.

'Well thith evening'th a big differenth I mutht thay,' Jane shrieked to Mary. 'Not what we uthually have to look forward to duckth, ith it?' she yelled. At this Kate who had slipped back again began to laugh so much she dribbled. 'Mith Burthen,' she squealed, 'Mitheth Welcheth,' Mary screamed, 'oh Burcheth Welhech,' Raunce echoed and pandemonium reigned. But in his convulsions of laughter Charley was noticeably paler even. For the past fortnight he had been looking very ill. 'Landth thakes Mith Thwift,' howled Edith. By now everyone bar Albert was crying. All wore a look of agony, or as though they were in a close finish to a race over a hundred yards. 'Jethuth,' Raunce moaned.

'Hush dear,' Edith said at once. 'That's not comical dear,' and they began to sober down.

'Moses,' he corrected himself.

'There,' Jane announced between gasps, 'I feel like I'd been emptied.'

'What of duckth?' Kate asked and there blew up another gust of giggling. 'Oh me,' someone remarked weak. 'It's my side,' another said. Then they quietened.

'Well nobody can say we don't have our fun on occasions,' Edith made comment as she dabbed at her great eyes.

'It'd be all right if we was like this every night,' Jane murmured.

'Oh it's not so bad after all.'

'I don't know Edith,' Mary answered. 'You've not got Mrs Welch although I shouldn't mention names.'

'We ain't got her Albert,' Raunce put in.

'It's not him so much,' Jane explained. 'He's well enough conducted indoors in the kitchen,' she said. 'It's Mrs Welch is the matter. Oh I know I shouldn't but she drinks. All the time she drinks. She's only gone in to Dublin to get another crate. She's like the wells, she's runnin' dry. There you are. That's right isn't it Mary or isn't it?'

'It's the honest truth,' Mary said.

'Go on,' Raunce objected, 'but then 'ow does she get the stuff delivered will you oblige me with that? Because I don't need to tell you she's not drawin' a drop out of my cellar. I don't hold with this fiddling like you'll come across in some households.'

'Why,' Jane disclosed in a hushed voice, 'it's the tradesmen. You know she won't 'ave one of us pass the time of day with ' em even. Well you'd never guess what's behind it. I tell you they drop a case of the stuff with the meat and another with the groceries. And the price all included in the monthly books, isn't that so Mary?'

'That's right,' this girl replied.

'The artful old cow,' Raunce exclaimed.

'Charley,' Edith said firm.

'Pardon I'm sure,' he answered gravely, 'but did you ever hear anything to touch this? Fiddlin'

'er monthly books. No. You know that's serious this is.' He was solemn.

'You're tellin' me,' Kate muttered.

'What?' he asked at once and sharp. 'Bless me my gel but you seem to grow more and more sarky every day which passes. What's come over you?'

'Nothin' Mr Raunce.'

'You let her be, Charley,' Edith reproved him. 'She was only agreein'.'

'No offence intended I'm sure,' he assured her. 'But is that what Mrs Welch is up to? Would you believe it?' he enquired of all and sundry in an astounded tone of voice.

'The wickedness there is in this world,' Mary said.

'The wickedness?' he asked gentle but with a sharp look.

'Because that's thievin' that is,' Jane concluded like a little girl put through her catechism.

'You've said it,' Raunce agreed and relaxed. It had plainly been the right answer. 'That's the very word.' Then he quoted Miss Burch with solemnity. 'And the wicked shall flourish even as a green bay tree,' he intoned. Everyone bar Albert seemed to approve.

A few days afterwards Edith entered Charley's room as she was coming on her way from tea in the servants' hall.

'Come on out and feed the peacockth,' she proposed, for Paddy had at last consented to free these birds again. She waved a bag she had filled with scraps.

'Steady,' he replied. 'That's no light matter.'

'Why what's up Charley?'

'Nothing,' he answered.

'I know there is,' she said.

'I'm not right,' he went on. 'I vomited this morning another time.'

'Oh dear that's bad,' she said lightly.

'I shouldn't wonder if you made fun of this as you've done before but I love you so much my stomach's all upset an' there you are.'

'So it should be,' she countered as though determined not to worry.

'Yes but what's to be the end?' he asked low. 'I can't go on the way I am. I'm in bad shape. Honest, dear.'

'You wait till we're married love. I'll take care you're never sick then.'

'Oh the worry of it all,' he broke out.

'Now just you come along with me,' she said. 'Getting out in the air for a while will do you more good than any other thing.'

'I've no time.'

'No time Charley? How's that?'

'I must lay the dinner dear. Now my Albert's left, everything falls back on me you know.'

'But surely you've never forgotten how they're over to Clancarty for dinner with the Captain. Why you've a free evenin'.'

'There I go again,' he said bewildered. 'It had clean slipped my memory. Well perhaps I will at that.'

'That's right Charley,' she coaxed as she took his arm. She laid her body up against his shoulder. 'We'll sit us down by the old dovecote so you can rest. It will do you ever such a lot of good you'll see.'