No one knew that Jimmy had been accidentally eaves-dropping, so when they began to climb into the cars the next morning, to go to Dublin, everyone was surprised to find how carefully Jimmy assisted Eleanor to the front seat—the place he considered a seat of honor.
CHAPTER VI—POLLY TAKES A HAND TO CURE JIMMY
Quite unabashed, and giggling at the incident, Ruth took a back seat with Polly and Dodo. But Polly felt jealous of Jimmy’s demands on Eleanor’s time. She felt that her chum and dear friend should divide her thoughts and attentions with others, and not sit in front listening to a boy’s foolishness, all day long!
The road from Dublin, northwards, was rutty, and with wild vines over-growing the steep banks on both sides. But the blossoms seemed paler than those in England, and their perfume much less sweet. Even in size, they appeared poorly-nourished, when compared to their large robust English brethren.
The cottages they passed on this ride bore all the marks of neglect, poverty and dirt. Pigs were as much at home inside the house, as were the tenants, while troops of dirty children rolled around in front of the houses, mingling with the chickens, dogs, pigs and other domestic live-stock, in cases where the owner could afford them.
“Oh, let’s get away from this part of Ireland,” cried Angela, with disgust.
“It seems a waste of valuable time to have come here at all,” declared Polly, holding a handkerchief to her nose as they passed a dreadful hovel where unkempt children played and fought.
The roads were so bad, however, that the cars could not speed very fast, so they had to stop at Belfast, that night, and resume the journey in the morning. The second day in Ireland they managed to travel as far as Port Rush, merely going aside before reaching that place, in order to see the “Giant’s Causeway” and its rugged cliffs along the coast-line.
Another night was spent in Port Rush, as the boat for Scotland had left before the tourists reached the port. Jimmy had gone headlong into the new affair with Eleanor, and apparently had continued his love-making where he had suddenly terminated it with Ruth. There were no romantic beginnings for Eleanor, in his approaches to a declaration. So that when they were crossing from Ireland to Androssan, in Scotland, the infatuated lover managed to get Eleanor away from the others and hide her in a steamer-chair, found in a nook, where he could give full expression to his gift of romance.
The others in the party saw the Giant’s Causeway and the famous cliffs, from the sea, as they passed by in the steamer, but Eleanor never saw the least bit of them, because of Jimmy’s screening form and his refusal to permit her to leave him.