Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-01
VII.

Whatever Clodagh may have felt upon
the subject she made no further allusion
to the loss Of her dog.
An hour after the race Milbanke, standing
at his bed room window, caught glimpse
of Larry riding slowly across the fields to-
ward the avenue with the evidently I'M
willing Mick held securely under his arm,
and a few minutes afterward noisy bell
changing through the house informed him
that luncheon had been served.
The two girls were already in the dining
room when he entered. Clodagh had
changed her riding habit for neat hol-
land dress, her hair was smoothly plated
and only lingering trace of the morning
excitement burned in her cheeks.
AS the guest entered she came forward at
once and pointed to his chair with pretty
touch of gracious hospitality;
"Where is your cousin?' he said, as he
responded to her gesture.
She flushed momentarily.
Gone" she answered laconically. Then,
conscious that the reply was curt, she made
lunch,' she said. Aunt Fan wanted him
back. She's a great invalid and always
worrying about him. !! suppose invalids
help yourself?" She smiled and indicated
a steaming stew-sufficient to feed ten hun
cry people-that Hannah, acting In Burkes
absence, had planted heavily upon the table.
I'VE always begin lunch with meat"
Clodagh explained, "but we always finish up
with tea and whatever Hannah will make
for us to eat. If you stay long enough
by what we get at lunch. When she's ter
ribly cross we have bread and jam; when
she's mddling we get soda bread, but when
she's really and truly nice We have currant
loaf griddle cake!
She glanced round mschievously at the
red face of the factotum.
Hannah, who had been wavering between
offense and amusement, suddenly sue
cumbed to the look.
Sure tits a quare notion you'll be givin'
him of the place." she said, amicably join
ing in the conversation without shade Of
wouldn't be tellin gintleman that 1 laves
the whole work of the house to wan poor
ould woman, an goes gallivant1n over the
learnin meself to be good housekeeper.
So signs, it's Miss Nance that'n find the
husband first With knowing glance at
Milbanke and shake of the head she left
the room, banging the door behind her.
Clodagh laughed The fnsinuation in Han
nah's words and look passed unnoticed by
her. She swept them aside unconcernedly
and proceeded with an Unborn tact-an in
born sense of the responsibilities of her
position, to fill her role of hostess and en-
terrain her guest.
So successful was she in this new aspect
that Milbanke found himself thawing-even
growing communicative under her influence
the meal progressed. Long before the
appetizing griddle-cake and the heavy silver
teapot had been laid upon the table he had
begun to feel at home: to meet Nance'S shy,
friendly smiles without embarrassment; to
talk with freedom and naturalness of his
small. personal ambitions his own unim-
pOrtant individual researches In his pet
study of antiquity.
A retcent man-when once his reticence
has been broken down-makes as egotistical
a confdant as any other. Before they rose
from table he had been beguiled into for
getting that the Celtic zeal for the enter
tainment of a guest may sometimes be mis-
taken for something more; that Irish chill
dren-with their natural kinship to sun and
rain, dogs and horses, men and women
may assume, but cannot possibly feel, an
interest in monuments of wood or stone, no
matter how historic or how unique.
This erroneous impression remained with
him until the time arrived for Clodagh to
pilot him to Carrigmore; and, filled with
the knowledge of having a sympathetic
listener he harked back to his earliest ex-
periences while he covered the two miles of
firm, yellow sand, with his young hostess
walking sedately beside him, and half a
dozen dogs-setters, retrievers and sharp
nosed understanding about him in
joyous band. He entered upon minute land
technical details of every archaeological
discovery of the past decade; he recounted
his personal opinion of each; he even I'M
bent to the extent of relating dry anec-
dote two during that delightful walk in
the mellow warmth of the afternoon. 1t
was only when the long curve of the strand
had at last been traversed and the rocks of
OrriStOWn left far behind that discoveries,
opinions and stories alike faded from his
mind in the nearer interest of the Carrig-
more ruins.
Even to the pleasure-seeker there is some
thing symbolic and imposing in the tall
gray, symmetrical tower that tops the hill
above Carrigmore and faces the great sweep
of the Atlantic ocean; something infinitely
ancient and impressive in the crumbling
ruins of the church from whose walls the
rudely carved figures look down today as
they looked down in primitive Christian
times. when Carrigmore was center of
learning and its tower beacon to the
world of faith To Milbanke-a student of
such things-they were a revelation.
He scarcely spoke as he climbed the steep
hill and entered the grass grown church
yard; and once within the precincts of the
ruin all considerations save the considera
ton of the moment faded from his thoughts
With the mild enthusiasm that his hobby
always awoke in him he set about a minute
examination of the ruins hurredy un-
strapping the satchel in which he carried
his antiquarians paraphernalia.
During the first half-hour Clodagh sat
dutifuly on one of the graves. alternately
plating grasses and admonishing or pet
ting her dogs; then her long-tried patience
gave out With a sudden imperative need
of action she rose, shook the grasses from
her skirt, and, picking her way between the
half-buried headstones, reached Milbanke's
side
"Mr. Milbanke," she said, frankly, would
you mind very much If l went away and
came BACK IOr you III all uOuT. lou see,
the ruins aren't quite SO new to me as they
are to you-people say they've been here
since the fourth century,"
She laughed and called to the dogs.
But Milbanke scarcely heard the laugh
There was a flush of delight on his thin
cheeks as he peered through his magnify
ing glass into one of the carved stones. He
waited a moment before replying; then he
answered with bent head
Certainly, Miss Clodagh," he said, alb
stractedly. Certainly. By all means. But
make it two hours, beg of you, instead of
one"
And with another amused laugh Clodagh
took advantage of her dismissal.
Milbanke's absorption was so unfeigned
that when Clodagh came running back
nearly three hours later, full Of remorse
for her long desertion, he greeted her with
something amounting to regret
Twice she had to remind him that the
afternoon was all but spent and the long
walk to Orristown was still to be reckoned
with before he could desist from the fasci-
mating task of completing the notes he had
made At last, with little sigh of amiable
regret, he shut UP his book, returned the
magnifying glass to his satchel and slowly
followed her out Of the churchyard.
They had covered half a mile of the
smooth strand, across which the first long
shadows of evening had begun to fall, be-
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