Part 5 (1/2)

The carriage came to the brow of the mountain, and down below was their destination, Castletownrock, a mere village, consisting princ.i.p.ally of one long, steep street. Some distance below the village again, the great green waves of a tempestuous sea broke on a dangerous coast.

”The two races don't fuse,” papa was saying to mamma, ”in this part of the country, at all events. There's an Irish and an English side to the street. The English side has a flagged footpath, and the houses are neat and clean, and well-to-do; on the Irish side all is poverty and dirt and confusion.”

Just outside the village, a little group of people waited to welcome them--Mr. Macbean the rector, Captain Keene, the three Misses Keene, and Jim.

The carriage was stopped, and they all got out and walked the rest of the distance to the inn, where they were to stay till the furniture arrived. On the way down the street they saw their new home. It made no impression on Beth. But she recognised the Roman Catholic Chapel on the other side of the road from papa's drawing, only it looked different because there was no snow.

The ”gentleman and lady” who kept the inn, Mr. and Mrs. Mayne, with their two daughters, met them at the door, and shook hands with mamma, and kissed the children.

Then they went into the inn parlour, and there was wine and plum-cake, and Dr. and Mrs. Macdougall came with their little girl Lucy, who was eleven years old, Mildred's age.

Mr. Macbean, the rector, who was tall and thin, and had a brown beard that waggled when he talked, drew Beth to his side, and began to ask her questions, just when she wanted so much to hear what everybody else was saying, too.

”Well, and what have you been taught?” he began.

Beth gazed at him blankly.

”Do you love G.o.d?” he proceeded, putting his hand on her head.

Beth looked round the room, perplexed, then fixed her eyes on his beard, and watched it waggle with interest.

”Ask her if she knows anything about the other gentleman,” Captain Keene put in jocosely--”here's to his health!” and he emptied his gla.s.s.

Beth's great eyes settled upon him with sudden fixity.

”I suppose you never heard of the devil?” he proceeded.

”Oh yes, I have,” was Beth's instant and unexpected rejoinder. ”The devil is a bad road.”

There was an explosion of laughter at this.

”But you said so, papa,” Beth remonstrated indignantly.

”My dear child, I said just the reverse.”

”What's the reverse?” said Beth, picturing another personality.

”There now, that will do,” Mrs. Caldwell interposed. ”Little bodies must be seen and not heard.”

Mr. Macbean stroked Beth's head--”There is something in here, I expect,” he observed.

”Not much, I'm afraid,” Mrs. Caldwell answered. ”We've hardly been able to teach her anything.”

”Ah!” Mr. Macbean e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, reflecting on the specimen he had heard of the method pursued. ”You must let me see what _I_ can do.”

CHAPTER V

In a few days all the bustle of getting into the new house began. The furniture arrived in irregular batches. Some of it came and some of it did not come. When a box was opened there was nothing that was wanted in it, only things that did not go together, and mamma was worried, and papa was cross.

The workpeople were wild and ignorant, and only trustworthy as long as they were watched. They were unaccustomed to the most ordinary comforts of civilised life, particularly in the way of furniture. When the family arrived at the house one morning, they found Mrs. Caldwell's wardrobe, mahogany drawers, and other articles of bedroom furniture, set up in conspicuous positions in the sitting-room, and the carpenter was much ruffled when he was ordered to take them upstairs.