Part 11 (1/2)
”Get down, then,” whispered Kate.
Her wrath was gone in a moment, and Pete, being nearer to her now, could see tears of laughter dancing in her eyes.
”Get down, Pete, or I'll shut the window, I will--yes, I will.” And, to show how much she was in earnest in getting out of his reach, she shut up the higher sash and opened the lower one.
”Darling!” cried Pete.
”Hus.h.!.+ What's that?” Kate whispered, and drew back on her knees.
”Is the door of the pig-sty open again?” said Pete.
Kate drew a breath of relief. ”It's only somebody snoring,” she said.
”The ould man,” said Pete. ”That's all serene! A good ould sheepdog, that snaps more than, he bites, but he's best when he's sleeping--more safer, anyway.”
”What's the good of going away, Pete?” said Kate. ”You'd have to make a fortune to satisfy father.”
”Others have done it, Kitty--why shouldn't I? Manx ones too--silver kings and diamond kings, and the Lord knows what. No fear of me! When I come back it's a queen you'll be, woman--my queen, anyway, with pigs and cattle and a girl to wash and do for you.”
”So that's how you'd bribe a poor girl is it? But you'd have to turn religious, or father would never consent.”
”When I come home again, Kitty, I'll be that religious you never seen.
I'll be just rolling in it. You'll hear me spaking like the Book of Genesis and Abraham, and his sons, and his cousins; I'll be coming up at night making love to you at the cowhouse door like the Acts of the Apostles.”
”Well, that will be some sort of courting, anyway. But who says I'll be wanting it? Who says I'm willing for you to go away at all with the notion that I must be bound to marry you when you come back?”
”I do,” said Pete stoutly.
”Oh, indeed, sir.”
”Listen. I'll be working like a n.i.g.g.e.r out yonder, and making my pile, and banking it up, and never seeing nothing but the goold and the girls----”
”My goodness! What do you say?”
”Aw, never fear! I'm a one-woman man, Kate; but loving one is giving me eyes for all. And you'll be waiting for me constant, and never giving a skute of your little eye to them drapers and druggists from Ramsey----”
”Not one of them? Not Jamesie Corrin, even--he's a nice boy, is Jamesie.”
”That dandy-divil with the collar? Hould your capers, woman!”
”Nor young Ballawhaine--Ross Christian, you know?”
”Ross Christian be--well, no; but, honour bright, you'll be saying, 'Peter's coming; I must be thrue!'”
”So I've got my orders, sir, eh? It's all settled then, is it? Hadn't you better fix the wedding-day and take out the banns, now that your hand is in? I have got nothing to do with it, seemingly. n.o.body asks me.”
”Whist, woman!” cried Pete. ”Don't you hear it?”
A cuckoo was pa.s.sing over the house and calling.