And here again, there was a wide difference between them and the Heffernans. Poor Mickey, for all his industering, never took much satisfaction out of what he worked so hard for; and as for Julia, she was so crabbed always, that she used never to enjoy her own life, nor let any one else enjoy theirs either; at least, as long as she remained in Ardenoo; of course, she might have changed, going to America.
Yes, the Flanagans were peaceful and easy-going; all but Christina, that favoured her dead mother, and as she got a bit older, used to feel anxious betimes about many things. Of course this made her all the more ready to look to Jim Cassidy for help. Like as if he was a brother, she often said to herself. But there’s many a brother that wouldn’t be as good-natured to a couple of sisters as Jim was in regard to the Flanagans.
Christina having so much dependence out of Jim, then, small blame to her, when, one evening as she was driving in the cows, and he came up, she nearly fell out of her standing, when he said:
“I’m going off next week!”
“Going off! A—where, Jim?” she said, though she knew well, all the time. There was only the one place for a boy like Jim to make for, those times.
“To America! Where else?” said Jim. “The uncle that’s there beyant has wrote me word, that he has me passage paid, and, moreover, has a good job waiting on me. So why wouldn’t I go, and not to be stopping on here; pulling the divil by the tail for the rest of me days!”
He stopped at that; and if he’d been looking at Christina, instead of staring out over the lake, the way he was, he would have seen that she had turned as white as a patch of bog-cotton. But he never looked at her, only went on to say: “There’s only the one thing that I’m sorry for leaving behind me! Sure, what need I care for going! a boy like me, without one belonging to me left now in Ardenoo; or indeed the whole of Ireland! Only the one thing for me to regret! that’s Greenan-more....”
And if he had chanced now to look at Christina, he would scarcely have known was it her or Nelly that was standing beside him; for Christina’s eyes were dancing, and her cheeks flushed and warm....
But Jim was still gaping out across the lake, as if he had never seen till then the way it shimmered and flashed under the setting sun. He saw nothing of the change in Christina, only went on: “Greenan-more! ay, Greenan-more! that’s where me thoughts will be; that’s what I’m fretting to leave behind; where I’d always love to be...! But you’ll write to me, Christina....”
At the word, Christina felt happiness rising, rising like a warm wave about her....