212 The Real Charlotte. 



on along the sunny road; she put up her hand and tried to 

 wipe away the tears that were running down her face. Per- 

 haps it was the excitement with which every nerve was 

 trembling that made the three miles to Rosemount seem as 

 nothing to this woman, who, for the last six months, had 

 been too ill to go beyond her own gate ; and probably it was 

 the same unnatural strength that prevented her from break- 

 ing down, when, with her mind full of ready-framed sentences 

 that were to touch Mr. Lambert's heart and appeal to his 

 sense of justice, she heard from Mary Holloran at the gate 

 that he was away for a couple of days to Limerick. With- 

 out replying to Mary Holloran's exclamations of pious horror 

 at the distance she had walked, and declining all offers of 

 rest or food, she turned and walked on towards Lismoyle. 



She had suddenly determined to herself that she would 

 walk to Bruff and see her landlord, and this new idea took 

 such possession of her that she did not reaUse at first the 

 magnitude of the attempt. But by the time she had reached 

 the gate of Tally Ho the physical power that her impulse 

 gave her began to be conscious of its own limits. The 

 flashes were darting like lightning before her eyes, and the 

 nausea that was her constant companion robbed her of her 

 energy. After a moment of hesitation she decided that she 

 would go in and see her kinswoman, Norry the Boat, and 

 get a glass of water from her before going further. It 

 wounded her pride somewhat to go round to the kitchen — 

 she, whose grandfather had been on nearly the same social 

 level as Miss Mullen's \ but Charlotte was the last person 

 she wished to meet just then. Norry opened the kitchen 

 door, beginning, as she did so, her usual snarling maledic- 

 tions on the supposed beggar, which, however, were lost in 

 a loud invocation of her patron saint as she recognised her 

 first cousin. Miss Duffy. 



" And is it to leg it in from Gurthnamuckla ye done ? " 

 said Norry, when the first greetings had been exchanged, 

 and Julia was seated in the kitchen, " and you looking as 

 white as the dhrivelling snow this minnit." 



" I did," said Julia feebly, " and I'd be thankful to you 

 for a drink of water. The day's very close." 



'* Faith ye'U get no wather in this house," returned Norry 

 in grim hospitality ; '' I'll give you a sup of milk, or would 



