Part 32 (2/2)
”As a clergys, Father O'Driscoll,” she answered, ”and I'm sure it's quite nice to hear you But we poor every-day people--”
”See here, Mrs Shaston,” broke in the old enial tone
”I re a riddle on so on at the ti political most likely This was it: Why is Shandon steeple like every question? D'ye think they could answer it?
They couldn't at all The ansas 'Because there are two sides to it; a dark one and a light one'”
The application of this was pretty obvious, and gave rise to a constrained sort of silence Pausing just long enough to lend effect to this, the old man went on, in his frank, merry way ”And the best of the joke is, that soh they'd been born and raised in old Cork, didn't know that Shandon steeple had two sides at all I give ye ht all round”
And then, turning to a fellow-compatriot of his, Father O'Driscoll asked whether that particular curiosity of their native city had escaped her notice too, and having launched forth, manoeuvred fro the conversation farther and farther frorave; whither indeed it did not return upon that occasion
By accident or design, Grace Suffield and her cousin took their leave at the same time as the old priest
”Why do you never coained the street Her eyes were eloquent with thanks, with unbounded appreciation of the tactful, yet unequivocal manner in which he had championed the absent ”We have not the claiht ride out and see us now and then”
”Ah, don't be putting it that way, Miss Ridsdale Sure, we're always very good friends in spite of our differences, are we not, Mrs Suffield?”
”I can't answer that, Father O'Driscoll, until you positively promise to come out and dine with us at the very earliest opportunity,” replied Grace ”My husband will drive in and fetch you and take you back again, if you will only fix the day If you don't, why, then I sha'n't believe you mean what you say”
”Our _friends_ do co; and her eyes again were eloquent, for they said, ”_You_ at least were his friend _You_ at least lifted up one voice on his behalf, and that with no uncertain sound, when all tongues claainst him I want to say more about it, and--perhaps about _hiht, for the required proood-bye, Father O'Driscoll took his way down the street, he shook his head sadly to hiht over what had happened; for the heart of this sweet-natured old man was very full of the pain and trouble and separation which had co out of it, Lambert had not taken much by his vindictive sche; for if he expected to find the road now clear, or at any rate rapidly becoreater mistake in his life She would hardly speak to him, and then only to snub hihty politeness which left hie must be its oard Well, at all events, he had that
So had Sonnenberg, but he, at any rate, fell into evil case For he was a good bit of a Lothario of a kind, was this vindictive and plotting child of Israel, and soht of his exultation over the utter discohty fall awaited hiure was a native damsel, ”black but comely,” he was surprised by a party of Kaffirs, andthe thrashers was the thrashee's former store-boy, Tom; wherefore the rurave had bequeathed a debt of vengeance and a largess to that so had walked blindly into as nothing less than a cunningly devised and successfully baited trap Whether this was so or not, we are uncertain But the evil Jew, though his bruised bones s day from the whack of the Kaffir kerries, dared make no public stir, by reason of the very circu the punishment of his assailants; wherefore these went unpunished, and laughed openly
So tie affair of Roden Musgrave becaan to pall, except upon ”old Buzfuz,” as never tired of publicly thanking Heaven for having chosen hi froerous iood-hearted sort of youth of the very ordinary type, fell desperately in love with Mona, but at a distance; and Grace Suffield thought regretfully over that terrible night in the post-cart, and wondered uncoreat act of injustice; and her husband ceased to think anyin Doppersdorp pretty , of ht, turned loose the whole of E which spread themselves over the townshi+p, and took a week to collect, save such as incontinently retreated to their native wilds, and two snakes which got into the bank-house and bit E much treat terribly
Thus several months went by
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE PORTAL OF THE SHADOW
The RMS _Scythian_, hoh the s waters of Table Bay
She had hauled out but two or three hours since, and now, as the flashi+ng light of Robben Island indling astern, the second dinner bell rang forth its welco, at any rate, for, as we have said, the water was smooth, and it would take a very determined sea-sick person indeed to reers, of which there was a full complement, trooped in, to aof seats, and a little of discontent with the result of such arrangement
”This is your seat, sir And the captain sends his compliments, and hopes to be down before dinner is over”
Roden Musgrave took the seat indicated by the steward It was the end chair of one of the three long tables, which ran the length of the saloon That at the head of the table was the captain's chair, at present eht