Part 6 (1/2)
”Not exactly a lady, monsieur. An elderly person.”
”What's her name?”
”Mrs. Mary O'Connor.”
Kenneth smiled broadly.
”Mary O'Connor, my old nurse. Well, well, show her right in.” Turning to his wife he added quickly: ”Dear old soul--no doubt she's heard I'm off to Africa and wishes to say good-bye.”
An instant later an old woman bent with age and with a kindly face framed with silvery white hair came in, hands outstretched. Without any air of condescension on his part, Kenneth went forward to greet her. Through all the long stretch of years, from his boy days to his manhood he had never forgotten how kind Mary had been to him when a child, taking the place of the mother he had lost in infancy. A Christmas was never allowed to pa.s.s without a fat turkey for the old nurse and many a little present of money had accompanied the bird. The old woman's lips quivered as she said tremulously:
”It's a long way you're going, Mr. Kenneth.”
”Oh, I'll soon be back, Mary,” he rejoined jovially.
She shook her head.
”It's a long way and I'm getting old.”
The promoter laughed boisterously. Leading her gently to a chair he exclaimed:
”Old! Nonsense; You're just as young to me now as when I first remember you.”
The old lady smiled. Nodding her head feebly, she replied:
”When you used to play hide-and-seek with me. When I wanted to put you to bed you were nowhere to be found.”
Helen laughed while Kenneth protested:
”Oh, come now, Mary, I wasn't so bad as that.”
”No. You weren't bad--just lively and natural as all healthy children.
You were always a better boy than your brother.”
Helen looked up quickly.
”Your brother, Kenneth? I never heard you speak of a brother.”
He looked at the old lady in amazement.
”My brother? What brother?”
The old lady smiled.
”That's so--you never knew. You were too young to remember. Yes, you had a brother--a twin brother. People hardly knew you apart. There was only one way in which your mother and I could tell.”
”What was that?” demanded the promoter eagerly.
”He had a scar. He caught his hand in some machinery when a baby and it left a scar in the index finger of the left hand.”
Transfixed, Kenneth listened open-mouthed. At last breaking the spell, he exclaimed:
”I never heard of him. You never spoke of him before.”