“A friend instead of an enemy, as we feared,” added Mrs. Heath.
They had full confidence in Nora’s honesty and good will; scarcely less in those of Barney.
“But she may come to warn us of danger,” said Ronald, in a low tone of great anxiety.
The others had not thought of that. But Sandy was ushering Nora into the room.
“Good avenin’ till yees, leddies an’ Misther Ronald, sor,” she said, dropping a courtesy; “an’ I ax yer pardons fer throublin’ yees this toime o’ noight; but it’s all along o’ Barney an’ me a thinkin’ yees moight be a thrifle onaisy in yer moinds, considerin’ there’s so manny thaves about, an’ Misther McAllisther jist home from the city, an’ maybe suspected o’ bringin’ money wid him, an’ the bank closed so he couldn’t put it there for safe kapin’. An’ Barney”—she drew nearer, glanced cautiously around, and lowered her voice to a loud whisper—“he says, says he, ‘Nora, I’m onaisy about Miss Miriam an’ the rest, for I see that raskil Phalim O’Rourke a prowlin’ round while I was cuttin’ wood in the back yarrud this afthernoon. He’d brought Bangs’s sisther in the buggy, an’ while she was intil the house talkin’ wid the ould lady, he was makin’ hisself acquainted wid the premisis. An’ I’ll be bound it wasn’t fer no good, nayther.’”
“Is he one of the burglars?” asked Miriam, paling visibly.
“Barney an’ me cudn’t jist say that same, Miss Mirry; but it’s a thafe he was in the war; an’ he’s makin’ his ould fayther an’ mither moighty comfortable in a nice little house in the town, that he’s bought an’ paid fer, an’ nobody knows where the money come from; fer how cud the spalpeen mak’ the loike o’ that same workin’ round fer the farmers an’ takin’ care o’ Bangs’s horse?”
“It certainly looks suspicious,” said Ronald; “but what is it you have to propose, Nora?”
“Jist this, sor; that if it’s agrayable till the leddies an’ yersilf, and wull make yees anny aisier in yer moinds, Barney’ll come an’ help guard the house till to-morrow mornin’, an’ not lave at all at all till the sun’s up an’ shinin’.”
“That is very kind,” said Miriam; “but what would become of you and the children if the burglars should take a fancy to pay you a visit?”