I was put into a train, and from that train we emerged at last. Himself went to get a garry, and once more I did sentinel duty over the luggage.
A youth with a dirty grey cap pulled over his eyes and a trench coat on eyed me from behind a pillar-box. I stared back and he seemed to retire. Presently I saw his head round the other side of the pillar-box. He chewed a small green leaf.
We piled our things up on the garry. The soft clean air curled round my face and I breathed contentedly.
The jarvey was a cheerful soul, and was prepared to be talkative as we balanced ourselves on the side of his swaying car. The youth who was chewing a leaf propped himself against a lamp-post and watched our departure. I wondered why we fascinated him.
“Sure,” said the jarvey, “I don’t know how I stand at all, at all, not from one minute to another. It’s this way, mum. First a Shinner comes along and sez he, ‘Jarvey, did ye drive a military man home last night?’ ‘Faith,’ sez I, ‘and how should I be after knowing if he was military or not?’ ‘It’s up to you, jarvey,’ sez he, ‘and mighty quick, too,’ and out he pulls a bit iv a gun and sticks it in my stomach. And, mum, what is a poor jarvey to do? Then up comes another man. ‘Jarvey,’ sez he, ‘that was a Shinner you was talking to. What were you after telling him?’ ‘He was no Shinner,’ sez I. ‘Glory be, how am I to know his persuasion?’ ‘It’s lies,’ he sez quick like, ‘all lies, jarvey, and you find the damn truth or it’ll be worse for ye,’ and out comes another gun and into the stomach of me. Och, it’s bad days, and it’s not I who be caring how soon peace comes.”
“You don’t like either side, then?”
“Like thim? Now what I’m telling you is true. It was half-twelve the other night, and I was coming home——”
“After curfew?”
“It was. They let jarveys through. It was half-twelve and I was coming home, when up runs a man with a gun and on to my car. ‘Drive, jarvey,’ he sez, ‘back along the road you’ve come.’ So I whips me horse and away we go. We had gone a goodish bit when we sees the light of an armoured car. Out skips the man. ‘Your life if ye split,’ he sez, and disappears in the dark.
“The car spotted me at once. ‘What are ye doing at this time iv night?’ sez the officer. ‘I’m going back to me stables,’ sez I. ‘Where are your stables?’ sez he. ‘Leeson Lane,’ sez I. ‘Then it do be away from your stables you are going,’ sez he. ‘Get out iv that car, jarvey,’ and all the guns in the armoured car poked round at me.