Part 16 (2/2)
In the quiet of his office Denis Quirk sat for fully fivefor hi of a woman He checked himself abruptly with the half-h alone: I can't help her”
Then he began to write a letter to a friend in Melbourne:
”'The Mercury,' Grey Town
”January 17, 19--
”Dear Jackson,--There is a young fello in Melbourne, one Desood stuff You will find him at Mrs Tippett's, 102 The Grove, Upper Hawthorn Look him up, if you still love me, and take him under your care Find him a place in your office; he has the necessary qualifications He is a journalist, but I foresee ruin in that line for Desmond Supply his immediate needs, and draw upon me, but invent some pious fiction to account for the capital--a dead maiden aunt or any other apocryphal person you like If he thinks that the money comes from me, ten to one he will have none of it Make him keep himself as far as possible by his own brains, and never offer the boy whisky If you do this for ood old Jackson, whom I am proud to call a friend--Yours sincerely,
”DENIS QUIRK”
As he closed the note and handed it to Tim O'Neill, Molly Healy entered the office Like Kathleen O'Connor, she resented Denis Quirk's treatment of Desmond, and she had come to express her sentiments openly
”Are you busy?” she asked
”Not more so than usual; a pile of advertiselance at, and a council committee at ten I can spare you five ently to you,” said Molly ”I think you should be ashamed of yourself for your treatment of Desmond O'Connor”
”Now, Miss Molly, have you considered this question carefully? Just sit down for five minutes, and hear me explain it to you”
Molly Healy took a chair reluctantly, her face expressing a determination not to be convinced
”Des and closing envelopes, ”came under the influence of ahim
”John Gerard If he had remained here that influence must have ruined him”
”And could you not separate the two?” she asked
”Not I, nor you; not even Father Healy Des to drink; he would have degenerated into an habitual drunkard----”
”I as much as told him that myself,” said Molly Healy
”Outside there,” he pointed to the ards the east, ”in Melbourne, lies the boy's chance It was not forThat boy was useful to me, and I can never replace him; but better 'The Mercury' should suffer than he and Kathleen O'Connor”
”Well, you're not a bad sort of man,” she remarked ”Your heart's better than your face”