“Ah, then, I am. That’s because of Mrs. Fleming; she’s the most beautiful lady entirely; never did ye clap eyes on her like, true and sweet and good she be, and for her sake I’m dropping the colour and all the quare—queer—ways that I have brought over along with me. But even for her I can’t be staying here for ever. When I’m growed up I’m going back again; yes, back again to Pat and Biddy O’Flynn. Ah, then, if ye could but see their cabin—cabin, indeed, they call it here!—but it is downright beautiful. Of a cold night we’d have the little hins in to sleep along with us—it kept them warm, poor things; and in the morning the first thing when I got up——But there, I’m chattering, to be sure, and you want the work. What is it you want me to do for you, miss, dear? I’ll do my best; you may be certain of that.”
Miss Ladislaw gave the girl some very important work to do, and Peggy’s deft little fingers were soon busily and happily employed. Mr. Ladislaw’s nephew, a handsome boy of about fifteen years of age, presently came up and offered to help Peggy.
Peggy said, “Is it yerself has got thumbs instead of fingers?”
“Thumbs instead of fingers?”
“Yes; some people are all thumbs. Do ye see that little mite of a thing in the red frock yonder? She’s mighty pretty, but she’s all thumbs when it comes to work.”
“Well, I don’t think I am. Shall I sit down on this bench and help you with this long wreath?”
“To be sure, and it’s kind ye be. Do ye know Old Ireland?”
“No; I have never been there.”
“Ah, then, what a cruel loss for ye! Ye don’t know what beauty is. If ye was to shtretch and shtretch your eyes ye couldn’t see the beauty anywhere else, and that’s the truth I’m telling ye!”
While Peggy thus absorbed the one boy of the party, to the secret indignation of Kitty, who had wished to adopt him as her own squire of dames, the said Kitty managed to reach the Dodds at last. They had been given some work to do in the lower part of the church, and were standing knee-deep in holly and ivy, which they were cutting into lengths and preparing to make a great broad wreath to go round and round two pillars that supported the lower part of the church. It was a lovely old church, built long, long ago; one of the oldest churches in England. It had lately been restored, but required more to be done to it, and it was rumoured in the parish that Mr. Dodd intended to make the restoration of the old parish church one of his special gifts to Almighty God for His goodness to him. But this was not known to the public at present.