Who plans to wreck a singing voice, and break a merry heart,
He calls a curse that shall be his, until his breath depart—
she did not know! She wasn’t even thinking of all they meant; only, there they were. But she did say to herself that supposing such a thing did come about, it might not be altogether too bad. Isn’t it often said, “Better be an old man’s darling than a young man’s slave”? And Heffernan was well known to be a good sort: kind and sober and honest, queer and odd though he was in his ways. Ay, and he was what is known as a “warm” man; one that had full and plenty, to bring a wife home to. And Christina felt the comfort it would be to have him for a friend to herself; and she knew the need there was for some one to stand between her and the world. She was like most women: very timorous about money that was owing, and above all, about rent being behind.
Then she thought, Nelly had never passed any remarks about Jim; no more than any ordinary friend might. She was full as careless and gay as when he went away. When Jim would write ... and it was seldom he did, the letter was always to Christina. He would ask for Nelly, right enough; but sure the weighty end of American letters is always asking for this body and that body. Jim Cassidy’s were the same. Every one of the neighbours would be mentioned by name. It would have only seemed more particular if there had been nothing at all about Nelly.
So Christina had said to herself, that there was no occasion to be making any talk with Nelly about Jim at all. Mightn’t he change his mind? or never come back...? And now, when Heffernan had his say about Nelly, Christina was sure it was just all for the best she had never said a word to Nelly about what Jim had said to her. It would only have been disturbing her mind.
Christina was all in a flutter, sitting there, with the knitting idle in her lap for once, and Heffernan just waiting, and not a word more out of his head. And still ... what ought she to say? what ought to be done?
At last she said, “Nelly’s not in at this moment. Away at a bit of a dance she is, down at the cross-roads....”
She stopped there, thinking maybe Heffernan would be put off his plan, by hearing that about Nelly, and the father only so lately dead. And Christina left to do the whole business that evening by herself. Not that she minded that. She never grudged Nelly her fun. But she wondered if Heffernan would blame Nelly.
“Not inclined for going she was,” she went on, “but I made her go, and I’ll slip off by and by, to bring her home; sure, she’s young, the crature!”
“She’ll mend of that!” said Heffernan.