“You must get rid of them, Mrs. Slaney,” said Mrs. Fitzgerald, taking up the chorus. “Our people haven’t authorised you to keep them. It’s disgraceful.”
Mrs. Slaney sought to pour oil upon troubled waters. “I’ll make you tea,” she suggested. “We’ll all feel better then.” She hurried out of the room to make tea.
“She’s an astonishing woman,” I said bitterly.
Mrs. Fitzgerald looked thoughtful. “She said something about gelignite. You’d better see that she gets rid of that.”
“Gelignite!” I exclaimed.
“If they raid again and find gelignite it will be serious.”
“I don’t feel I can battle with her to-night,” I said. “I’ll see her about it to-morrow.”
“There’s a uniform and a rifle in this very room, too, under the books in that cupboard!” said Mrs. O’Grady. “She’s got stuff stowed away everywhere, and nobody knows it better than myself.”
“But why has she got it?” I demanded, “unless the I.R.A. leave it here.”
Mrs. Slaney came in briskly with the tea.