The Blue Lagoon: A Romance

street fights and hung their antagonists when caught on steel hooks-like legs of mutton

es Lever, but the riotous gaiety of the old days when Barrington was a judge of the Admiralty Court, the H

Mathurin. Gloomy ghosts addicted to melancholy, noting with satisfaction that the streets are as dirty as ever, the old Public Houses still standing, that, despite th

without having their corns trodden on or their susceptibilities injured

you except behind your back," He

nd a year; had she been penniless

will not meet many friends. Hennessey belonged to the society of Friends, his wife was a member of the same community, and he would have

large, cheerless drawing-room where decalcomanied flower pots lingered like relics of the Pal?olithic

erent from the wind and trees and freedom of Kilgobbin, and Mrs. Hennessey, whom she had only seen once befor

ut tea from a Britannia metal ware teapot and talking all the time about Willy Yeates, the Irish Players and Lady Gre

metimes, indeed, during a lull in her mind disturbance, she would remain quiet whilst you answered some

wn to the colour of her new life, at least, on the outside of her mind. It seemed to her that she had lived years in Merrion Square. Kilgobbin-Hennessey had managed to let the place-seemed a dream of her childhood. She saw no future, and rebellio

merchants' businesses in the city; but the feminine instinct told Phyl that these were not the sort of people from whose class she had sprung, that their circle was not her circle and that she had stepped

y Mrs. Hennessey had made love to Phyl and had

this night and for the first time since she left Kilgobbin that the recollection of Pinckney came before her otherwise than as a

s? What stupidity had caused her to insult Pinckney by telling him she hated

; the man had been dismissed, the whole business was done with and over, and now, looking back in cool blood, she was utterly unable to reco

nckney was an interloper come to break up Kilgobbi

it was entirely owing to herself that she was in her present position. She had no right to criticise the friends

him traits in his character hitherto unknown to him, Phyl wa

gst the Hennessey set, her position for life was fix

hey were poor, rabid Catholics and had fallen to little account, owing to unwise marriages and that irresponsible fatuous apa

s daughter's rescue now. But Berknowles had lived his own life since the death of his wife, an easy-going country gentleman in a

awake with the noise of that raucous party ringing in her ears; and when she fell asleep, it was only to awake w

on her plate. A letter with American stamps on it and the address, Miss Phyli

y had departed for the office, so Phyl had t

s from, even before she rea

six or seven days, the man who had left Ireland righteously d

apers up, his departure. What was he going to say to her now? She flushed at the thought that this thing in her

ar

ouldn't have said, and for which I apologise. Aunt Maria says it was the Pinckney temper. However that may be, we shall be delighted to see you. Mrs. Van Dusen leaves on the 6th of next month. I am sending all part

onate guardia

Pinc

, one of those handwritings we associate with cros

see you, and I only hope you will lik

a Pin

filled with tears. It was the woman's voice that touched her

efore her, looking at the new

he written not of his own free will but at the desire of Maria Pinckney? S

Maria Pinckney was gen

o," sai

n and there to start off for America, left the room

ound her throat-she was suffering from a slight attack

st had a letter from my cousins in Amer

ca!" said Mrs. Hennessey

o stay

like hearing people talking and talking of all the fine views abroad, and you'd think they'd never seen the Dargle or the Glen of the Downs; they don't know the beauty of their own country or haven't eyes to see it, and they must go raving of the Bay of Naples with

ennessey, the Pinckne

vision before her. "Those that can't see their own land aren't Irish. Mong

was

rnal combustion, she seemed a thousand miles away from

that she (Phyl) was leaving Merrion Square, than over the fact that she was leaving Dublin. She escaped,

and Dublin looked almost

ivate room; then, when she had told him her business, he f

me post as yours, only it was directed to the office

whole business," said Phyl,

appy in Dubli

only they are my people and I feel I ought to go to them. It's very lonely to have no people of o

're a cut above us; we're quite simple people, but the Berknowles were always in the Castle set and a long chalk above the Hennesseys. I was saying that to Norah only last night when I was reading the account of the big party at the Viceregal Lodge and the names of all the people that were there, and I said to her, 'Phyl ought to be going to parties like

e not snobs, whatever else they might be, and if her desire for America had been prompted solely by the desire to escape from the social conditions that environed her friends, she would now have smothered it and stamped on it. But the call from Char

es now, but you will when you are a bit older. However,

of the change, for Dublin is a bit dreary after Kilgobbin and-and well, I will say it-I don't care for some of the people I have met in Dublin. But since then a new feeling has come over me. I think it came as I was walking down here to the offic

is," said