i f6c06dd9cf3fe221 by Unknown (100 books to read in a lifetime .txt) 📗

Mullens' door. It was opened by one of the younger children.

He peered at them through the gloom, then darted away without a word, and they heard him yell, "It's Kate and Annie Hannigan!"

Before they could cross the threshold Mrs. Mullen was there.

"Kate lass! Kate! In the name of God, where've you sprung from? Come in, lass; don't stand there, come in.... Oh, lass... where've you been?"

They were borne. into the kitchen on her welcome and into a surge of the Mullens, all talking at once and clamouring about them.

"Sit down.

Sit down, Kate," cried Mrs. Mullen. But before Kate could do so, she had gathered her and Annie into her embrace, and they all clung together for a moment, half laughing, half crying.

Annie turned to Rosie and they stood staring at each other, awkward and embarrassed, not even touching hands.

"Oh, Rosie!" was all Annie could murmur.

"Ee, Annie, ye've come back!" said Rosie.

"All the way across the country in one day 1' Mrs. Mullen was saying.

"Why, lass, you must be famished! I'll have you something to eat in a coupla shakes of a lamb's 218 tail."

Kate drew Mrs. Mullen to one side: "Where is he, Mrs. Mullen? Do you know?"

"He's at Doctor Davidson's, lass; he's been there all the time."

Kate stood silent a moment.

"Do you think I could have a wash and do my hair, Mrs. Mullen? I won't have anything to eat, just a cup of tea."

"Well, just as you like, hinny," said Mrs. Mullen.

"Aw, lass'--she squeezed Kate's arm" --I'm glad to see your face again.

And just wait till the father sees you," she said, referring to her husband, 'he won't half get a gliff."

Annie was saying to Rosie, "We lived in a place called St. Leonards, with an awful woman.... She reads tracts." Annie caught Kate's eye and they both began to laugh. Kate laughed as she had not done for a year, and in a moment the whole of the Mullen family had joined in. And Rosie thought. It's like that night in Kate's kitchen when we all cried and me da was funny and old Tim died.

Kate walked from the fifteen streets to the house on the Don. She had the urge in her to pick up her skirts and run. She felt her heart would burst through her flesh; her mind was crying, "In a few more minutes I'll see him. In just a few minutes I'll be able to touch him." She crossed the Don bridge, and thought. It all seems beautiful.

But when she pressed the bell of the Davidson's door she felt faint and weak.

The door was opened by Peggy, who said, "Yes?" then stood staring in wonder at Kate. She had seen Kate only a few times before, but had never spoken to her.

"I'm Kate Hannigan," Kate said.

"Could I ... Could I see Doctor Prince?"

Peggy drew her inside and into a room off the hall before speaking.

Then she exclaimed, "Oh, I'm so glad you've cornel Oh, you don't know how pleased I am to see you at this moment."

"I never knew what had happened until this morning," Kate said;

"Annie, my daughter, saw the report in an old newspaper."

They appraised each other in silence for a moment; then smiled, as if each liked what she saw.

"Really, I can't believe it's true that you are here 1' exclaimed Peggy.

"Excuse me a moment. I must tell my husband." She darted into the hall and called, "Peter!"

Peter's voice came from the sitting-room, saying, "There 1 I bet I'm off again. Now do as I say, won't you? Go to bed, and I'll look in on you when I return."

With a finger on her lips, Peggy motioned him to silence. She closed the sitting-room door which he had left open, and whispered, "It's Kate! She's come."

"What! No! Where?" Peter's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hair in surprise.

"Ah 1' warned Peggy.

"In there." She pointed to the door.

Well! "

When Peter went into the room and saw Kate standing wide-eyed on the hearth-rug, whatever he had intended saying was never said. This was not the Kate he remembered; she had always appeared to him a very young girl, even when well into her twenties. But here was a woman, beautiful still, yet in a widely different way from the other Kate; more finely drawn, more poised, but strung up, at this moment, to breaking point, if he knew any thing about it. His treatment of her was studiously casual: "Where on earth do you think you've been?" He spoke as though she had left the house at seven o'clock promising to return at eight, and now it was nine.

She smiled faintly.

"Nice dance you've led everybody ... haven't you?"

"Take no notice of him, Kate," Peggy said. She turned to Peter: "She found out about it only this morning from an old newspaper.... Isn't it strange?"

"Strange!" said Peter.

"Of course not; you couldn't expect her to act like a sensible person and read the daily paper. Anyway, Kate, where have you come from now?"

"From St. Leonards in Sussex," Kate said. She under stood what his off-hand manner was aiming to achieve, and his efforts were succeeding, for her tense nerves were easing, even as he spoke.

When? Today? "

"Yes; we left early this morning."

Peter's voice became softly sympathetic as he said, "He's in the next room, Kate; but you'll find him somewhat changed. He's never given up hope that you would're turn."

Kate said nothing. Now that the moment had come she wished she had more time, time to control the trembling of her body and the racing, whirling expectancy of her mind.

Peggy took her arm.

"Come, Kate," she said, giving an intonation to the name, which brought a flash of gratitude from Kate.

"Let