“Nay, now, no offence. I don’t suppose, Mrs. Cross, as Susan ’ull so much as let Father see it. There now, talkin’ of the baby, would you like to look at en? I’ll fetch en in a minute; he be comin’ on finely.”
“Well, I haven’t seen en for two or three days—I couldn’t take much notice on en jist now when Susan seemed so bad,” returned Mrs. Cross, lingering in the hope of picking up a further crumb or two of information. “Ye don’t seem to take much notice on en yourself, my dear—I do scarcely ever see you nursin’ en.”
“I’ve a-been so taken up with Susan, d’ye see,” said Mrs. Frizzell, with a sudden pang of remorse.
She went upstairs for the child, and after he had been duly admired, and the visitor had withdrawn, she still sat looking down at the little placid face.
“Poor fellow!” she said to herself. “Poor fellow! Ah! I fancy he’d have been proud if he’d ha’ lived to come back an’ own ye, Baby. Dear, dear! they mid all ha’ been so happy—and all forgive an’ forgot. Ah! he were sorry enough, poor chap, and he did repent—the Lard ’ull ha’ mercy on him for that. . . . ’Ees, I can fancy he’d ha’ been proud if he could ha’ seen ye, Baby; but there, all of en as ’ull ever come back is them few lovin’ words and that dreadful spot o’ blood.”
And then Mrs. Frizzell fell to weeping again for pure pity, and kissed the little soft face of the dead soldier’s child and the tiny rings of ruddy gold which no father’s hand would ever stroke.
When John came in she conveyed the tidings to him in half-inarticulate shouts, between bursts of sobbing. The big dull man stood gazing at her for a moment in perturbed amazement, and then went, slowly and heavily, upstairs.
Susan still lay with her face hidden, and her slight frame heaving with convulsive sobs.
Her father paused in the doorway, and then came lumbering forward towards the bed, stooping when he reached it and patting the girl’s shoulder with his great horny, toil-worn hand.
“Don’t ’ee take on, Susie, my dear,” he murmured, blubbering too, poor fellow. “There, don’t ’ee cry, Maidie.”