Part 104 (1/2)

Philip's answer was broken and confused. His eyes had begun to fill, and to hide them he turned his head aside. Thinking he was looking at the empty places about the walls, Pete began to enlarge on his prosperity, and to talk as if he were driving all the trade of the island before him.

”Wonderful fis.h.i.+ng now, Phil. I'm exporting a power of cod. Gretting postal orders and stamps, and I don't know what. Seven-and-sixpence in a single post from Liverpool--that's nothing, sir, nothing at all.”

Nancy brought back the child, whose silvery curls were now damp.

”What! a young lady coming in her night-dress!” cried Pete.

”Work enough! had to get it over her head, too,” said Nancy. ”She wouldn't, no, she wouldn't. Here, take and dry her hair by the fire while I warm up her supper.”

Pete rolled the sleeves of his jersey above his elbows, took the child on his knee, and rubbed her hair between his hands, singing--

”Come, Bridget, Saint Bridget, come in at my door.”

Nancy clattered about in her clogs, filled a saucepan with bread and milk, and brought it to the fire.

”Give it to me, Nancy,” said Philip, and he leaned over and held the saucepan above the bar. The child watched him intently.

”Well, did you ever?” said Pete. ”The strange she's making of you, Philip? Don't you know the gentleman, darling? Aw, but he's knowing you, though.”

The saucepan boiled, and Philip handed it back to Nancy.

”Go to him then--away with you,” said Pete. ”Gro to your G.o.dfather. He'd have been your name-father too if it had been a boy you'd been. Off you go!” and he stretched out his hairy arms until the child touched the floor.

Philip stooped to take the little one, who first pranced and beat the rushes with its feet as with two drumsticks, then trod on its own legs, swirled about to Pete's arms, dropped its lower lip, and set up a terrified outcry.

”Ah! she knows her own father, bless her,” cried Pete, plucking the child back to his breast.

Philip dropped his head and laughed. A sort of creeping fear had taken possession of him, as if he felt remotely that the child was to be the channel of his retribution.

”Will you feed her yourself, Pete?” said Nancy. She was coming up with a saucer, of which she was tasting the contents. ”He's that handy with a child, sir, you wouldn't think 'Deed you wouldn't.” Then, stooping to the baby as it ate its supper, ”But I'm saying, young woman, is there no sleep in your eyes to-night?”

”No, but nodding away here like a wood-thrush in a tree,” said Pete. He was ladling the pobs into the child's mouth, and scooping the overflow from her chin. ”Sleep's a terrible enemy of this one, sir. She's having a battle with it every night of life, anyway. G.o.d help her, she'll have luck better than some of us, or she'll be fighting it the other way about one of these days.”

”She's us'ally going off with the spoon in her mouth, sir, for all the world like a lil cherub,” said Nancy.

”Too busy looking at her G.o.dfather to-night, though,” said Pete. ”Well, look at him. You owe him your life, you lil sandpiper. And, my sakes, the straight like him you are, too!”

”Isn't she?” said Nancy. ”If I wasn't thinking the same myself! Couldn't look straighter like him if she'd been his born child; now, could she?

And the curls, too, and the eyes! Well, well!”

”If she'd been a boy, now----” began Pete.

But Philip had risen to return to the Court-house, and Pete said in another tone, ”Hould hard a minute, sir--I've something to show you.

Here, take the lil one, Nancy.”

Pete lit a candle and led the way into the parlour. The room was empty of furniture; but at one end there was a stool, a stone mason's mallet, a few chisels, and a large stone.

The stone was a gravestone.