Her young-old Aunt Norah was walking by, leaning confidentially on the
arm of Mr. Flannigan. They were evidently too much absorbed with each
other to take the least notice of the child. Margot earnestly hoped
they would not stop--she had no desire to act as an eavesdropper, and
yet she could not get away without being seen.
"I'm a bit tired, me honey," said old-young Aunt Norah. "Let me lean
on your shoulder, avick. There, that's better. Shall we sit a while?
I'm not one for minding the damp, being brought up in it, so to speak."
"Eh, but listen, mavourneen," said the almost husky voice of Flannigan,
"ye might catch the bitter cowld, me pretty pet, and then where in the
wide world would your Samuel be?"
"Why, you'd be where you always were," replied young-old Aunt Norah.
"Ah, but no! I'd be in the cowld grave," said Samuel Flannigan. "Do ye
think I could live another minute without ye, Norah, me bit thing?"
This was too much for little Margot. She would _not_ be an
eavesdropper. She must explain. She came out from under the shelter of
the fir tree, and flinging the cowslips and the primroses into the lap
of old-young Aunt Norah, she exclaimed:
"I'm here and I know. It's lovely to listen, but I mustn't listen. I'll
leave you to yourselves. I didn't think you two would take up silly at
your age, but I forgot you were young-old, and that sort does anything."
The two stared at her with their mouths open, and manifest
consternation in their faces.
"Is it tellin', ye are going to be?" said young-old Aunt Norah.
"To be sure not--I've nothing to tell. If I'd stayed a bit longer I
might have heard more. Phinias did say to me once that you and himself
there, were familiar-like; but I didn't know what it meant, and I
don't know what it means now, only that he calls you 'me honey,' and
you stick to him in the dripping, pouring rain. Well, if you like it I
don't care; I'm going home."
"No; you are not," said old-young Aunt Norah. "You've heard too much,
and you shall hear the rest. We are going to be married, me and this
gentleman."
"Married?" cried little Margot. "Whatever is that?"
"My child, it is the gift of heaven," said Samuel Flannigan.
Margot raised her black eyes to the dripping skies.
"It seems to come down in a good pour," she said. "Still, I don't
understand."
"You know about Madam and your granddad," cried young-old Aunt Norah.
"To be sure; am I wanting in sense entirely?"
"Well, they're married, the same as we'll be very soon, very soon."
"Oh, deary me!" cried little Margot. "That does sound lovely. Only you
know, Mr. Samuel Flannigan, you haven't got the beautiful face of my
granddad, so perhaps your little children won't be _quite_ as lovely.
I wonder how many you'll have. My old nurse at Uncle Jacko's said that
when I cracked my fingers, every crack meant a wee babe. Shall I crack
them now for you two?"
"Oh, child, you are too awful," cried Aunt Norah, who found herself
blushing in the most uncomfortable way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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