Miss Norah

“ Norah broke in with a passionate gesture.
"Hush, for shame on ye!" spoke her mother. "Have ye no pride? The man's yours, and he knows he's yours, and what's to fear, I want to know?"
Norah gave a bitter laugh. "D'ye think all men are like your own husband?" she asked harshly. "Nolan's turned from me to her." ”

“ Norah, speak! What are you thinking about?” He had to bend forward to hear the answer, for Norah’s lips were dry, and her throat parched as with thirst.
“Poor father!” she gasped; and Rex started at the sound with a stab of pain.
“Don’t! I can’t bear it. Norah, for pity’s sake don’t give in—don’t give up hope. Something will happen—it will—it must! We shall get out all right.”
“But if we can’t go forward, and if we can’t go back, and if no one can hear us call,” said Norah, still in the same slow, gasping accents, “I don’t see—how—we can. ... Rex! ”

“ Norah, indeed, was the only person who did not look at the two quiet gentlemen before the blackboard, curiously, and wonder the same, since the voting-booth had become a firebrand menacing the peace of the parish. Norah was too busy with her own thoughts even to see them; she only wanted to get past her wellwishers and be alone with her perplexities. If she did not see her spiritual guides, they saw her, and Father Kelly’s tired face brightened. “You really can’t blame the boys,” he said, smiling; “and she’s as good a daughter and sister, and as good a girl, too, as ever stepped.” ”

“ Whenever I’m in I’m there to win. That’s me, Miss Norah, straight. I’m no mole—always do what I do do out in the open—no burrowing for me. When I go for a mark, I aim for all I’m worth. Same with a girl. Mayn’t seem like a marrying man—have been told I’m like a cock, hard to bag. As girls go, small wonder they only bag crocks. But when I’m in for marriage, I mean getting there—there’s no stopping me—foul riding couldn’t do it—and there’s no fear of foul riding from you, because you’re different from any girl I ever met. Miss Norah, I love you! ”

“ As a rule the Marchesa admired and applauded Norah’s candour, praising it for a certain patrician flavour—Norah spoke her mind, let the crowd think what it would! On this occasion she was somehow less pleased; she was even a little startled. She was conscious that any man with whom Norah was gracious enough to fall in love would be subjected to no ordinary assault; the Irish colouring is bad to beat, and Norah had it to perfection; moreover, the aforesaid candour makes matters move ahead.
“After all, it’s my path he’s trespassing on, Norah,” the Marchesa remonstrated. ”

“ Norah rose to go, without a word. Her thoughts were these:
'If they tear me to pieces, they shall never know through me. He may come—and then, just Lord have mercy upon us all! for some of us are dead folk to a certainty. But he shall do it; not me.'
You may fancy, now, her look of determination, as she faced her master alone in the dining-room; Mr and Mrs Chadwick having left the affair in their nephew's hands, seeing that he took it up with such vehemence. ”

“ Norah, has Mr Hammond really done as he says? What have you been doing?”
She favoured me with an accusatory glance, as if I had been guilty of the blackest crimes. Audrey came to my rescue.
“To do her justice, so far as I have seen, Norah has been doing nothing. Norah has been sitting mumchance; scarcely saying boo! to a goose, as if she were on prickles. The men appear to have done all the doing—unless they have been indulging in an elaborate practical joke, at her expense, and ours, which they have already carried too far to be in the best of taste. ”

“ Suddenly he leaned over Norah. "What made ye come here, Norah? What were ye after?"
"Where should a woman be but with her husband?" she answered evasively.
"Thrue for you," he said with a strange look. He knew that he had torn her heart. "Thrue for ye. Where should she be except with her husband—and the child."
She stared at him. Her face grew white. "The child!" she murmured. "Shure, I have no head, Nolan. I don't see at all. at all. I am sorry I spoke so wild and bad to the girl, but there was something in me that drove me crazy. And I don't understand, Nolan dear." ”

“ All the years the home had helped him to fight his loneliness and his longing. Now——. He stared at it with eyes suddenly grown old.
Then across the grass came a little odd figure—Norah, still grimy with smoke, and very shaky, with Brownie’s arm near her to help, and Jean not far off. Norah, her coat open over her blue pyjamas, and her hair, in her own phrase, “all anyhow,” about her, and her grey eyes swimming as she looked from the house to her father’s face. David Linton put down the hose and held out his hand to her silently, and Norah clung to him. ”

“ Thank you, Norah.” Rex turned his head aside quickly, but Norah saw that he was trembling with emotion, and waited in awed suspense for his next words.
“Norah—it is a long time—three years—five years—I can’t tell which it may be. I shall think of you all the time. There never will be anyone else for me; but it will be different with you. You will meet new friends up in London. There will be other fellows—better than I am—who will care for you too. ”

“ Now, Norah! Don't go off. I'm as sure as my name's Thomas Openshaw that you knew nothing of this robbery. But I do think you've been imposed on, and that's the truth. Some good-for-nothing chap has been making up to you, and you've been just like all other women, and have turned a soft place in your heart to him; and he came last night a-lovyering, and you had him up in the nursery, and he made use of his opportunities, and made off with a few things on his way down! Come, now, Norah; it's no blame to you, only you must not be such a fool again! ”

“ Norah held her left hand high in the air, and began checking off the fingers with ostentatious emphasis. “I resolve always to get up in the morning as soon as I am called, and without a single grumble; always to be amiable when annoyed; always to do what other people like, and what I dislike myself; always to be good-tempered with the boys, and smile upon them when they pull my hair and play tricks with my things; always be cheerful, contented, ladylike in deportment, and agreeable in manner. ”

“ It’s no use your endeavouring to palliate Norah’s conduct, Audrey—I won’t have it!—I have had too much of it already!—I don’t like the attitude you have taken up in the matter!—it doesn’t become you! Norah’s behaviour is beyond my comprehension—look at the scene last night! And now here are these men—strange men!—at this unseemly hour of the morning, demanding to see her as if they were presenting a pistol at my head. I will not keep silent and allow scandal to be brought upon my house. ”

“ Ye’ve grown into a young lady, so ye have.”
“Indeed I haven’t,” said Norah indignantly. “I’m just the same. Isn’t it true, Jim?”
“She’s worse, Murty,” said her brother, laughing. “No signs of improvement. She’s lost all respect for me. It’s very trying.”
“Ah, g’wan wid y’!” said the Irishman. “I’ll tell y’ about him to-morrow, Miss Norah—wanderin’ about for the last week like a lost foal, makin’ believe he was puttin’ on extry polish for ye! There’s the dog-cart, sir”—to Mr. Linton—“an’ another trap for the luggage.”
“We’ll need it!” said Mr. Linton dryly. ”

“ Norah bore the epithet meekly—she held the view that it was better to be dead than fat. There was something boyish in the straight, slim figure in the blue linen frock—perhaps the quality was also to be found in a frank manner that was the product of years of the Bush and open-air life. The grey eyes were steady, and met those of others with a straight level glance; the mouth was a little firm-set for her years, but the child was revealed when it broke into smiles—and Norah was rarely grave. No human power had yet been discovered to keep in order the brown curls. ”

“ He lay on his back under a little tree, his battered old felt hat pulled over his eyes, and his skinny limbs flung carelessly in the abandonment of sleep. His mouth was wide-open, and snores proceeded from him steadily.
“Sweet child,” said Wally admiringly. “Nothing lovelier than a sleeping cherub, is there? What did I tell you, young Norah Linton? Grovel.”
“I grovel,” whispered Norah, laughing. “Poor old Billy, he must have been horribly dull.”
“Not he, lazy young nigger. Plenty to eat and nothing to do is a blackfellow’s heaven,” responded Wally, in an energetic whisper. ”

“ Her own nickering complaints of Norah’s “glumness” sank into dumb anxiety. She stole timid glances at the bowed black head and the frowning black brows; after a glance she would sigh, a prolonged, patient sigh. There are times when a sigh is to strained nerves like a blast of hot air on a burn. Norah jumped up and ran away from her own irritation before it exploded. She made a pretext of looking at her skirt (which was new) in the parlor cheval-glass; but in the parlor, behind the door, she did not give a glance to the picture in the mirror. ”

“ And how is it that Norah has all at once become the centre of so much attention? Norah, what have you been doing? How are you, gentlemen? Good-afternoon, Major.”
Major Tibbet advanced to mamma, holding out his brown paper parcel—of which I rather suspected he had become wearied.
“Here you are, Mrs O’Brady! How are you? Hope you’re well. Here’s a truffled turkey for you. Miss Norah doesn’t seem to care for it, but I’m sure you will. Much pleasure in giving it you, I’m sure.” ”

“ There never was a sister like Norah. But then, who ever heard of a brother-in-law like Max? No woman—not even a frazzled-out newspaper woman—could receive the love and care that they gave me, and fail to flourish under it. They had been Dad and Mother to me since the day when Norah had tucked me under her arm and carried me away from New York. Sis was an angel; a comforting, twentieth-century angel, with white apron strings for wings, and a tempting tray in her hands in place of the hymn books and palm leaves that the picture-book angels carry. ”

“ Norah got paler and much thinner, and her lips lost their colour, and her eyes sunk; but she was just as tidy as before, and held up her head bouldly, in spite of the sneers of her neighbours; so that the few half-friends she had left was obliged to confess she was a bit too barefaced. ”

“ Norah murmured, suddenly beginning to be Pat's champion in this wild adventure, though she had advised against it. “As for you—he thinks he can protect you, if you'll trust him. And, oh, Ourïeda, dear little rose, though I am very anxious, I believe you can trust him. He would rather die than live without you.”
“And I, rather than live without him. Oh, if we can but die together, for me it will be sweet! Norah, you give me courage and strength. I will try to do what he wishes.”
“I will help. Is there some door which leads into your father's part of the house—another as well as this grille?” ”

“ Didst thou not wish, when it first happened, to scream and run away and hide thyself, or at least to cover thy face with thy two hands?”
“Why, it began to happen when I was so young that it was all quite natural,” smiled Norah. “I've been more with men than with women, I think, ever since I was a baby, because I have a dear twin brother, and I was always with him and his friends, as we had no sister. And my mother died when I was a little girl.”
“So did ours,” said Ourïeda eagerly. “And we have only each other, because our father never married again. Our Aunt Aïssa lives with us. ”

“ Instinctively I knew that her sin—not sin, but mistake—was due to her innocence. And some day Norah might become like Gourock Ellen. The thought terrified me, and almost drove me frantic. Only now did I know what Norah Ryan really meant to me. For her I lived, and for her alone. I loved her, then it was my duty to help her. Love is unworthy of the name unless it proves its worth when put to the test. I went to Glasgow and made enquiries for my sweetheart. ”

“ But who are believers, Norah? Though heaven lie straight afore us all, I take it that few will be so bold as to say that all who are called Christians will get to heaven."
Norah did not answer for two or three minutes, and then said, "Are not believers those who love the Lord Jesus Christ?"
"Right again!" cried Ned Franks. "And now tell me, Norah, is it not true that when we love any one much, we are ready and glad to do something for his sake?" ”

“ Turn round, old girl—I can’t see. There you are.”
“Thanks,” said Norah, shaking out her skirt. “Is my hair decent?”
“Yes, it’s all right. Curly-haired people like you always look right.”
“Wish I thought so,” said the owner of the curls. “Dreadful mop, I think. Will I do, Jean?”
“Do?” said Jean, in some bewilderment. “Why, of course—you look all right. Why are you worrying?”
Norah reddened slightly.
“Well—I never had dinner in a big hotel like this before,” she said. “Melbourne hotels are a bit different to the Cunjee one, I guess. And I don’t want Dad and Jim to be ashamed of me.” ”

“ Why should a man be less pitiful than a girl?" replied Norah.
Richard smiled in reply, and led the way to the roses, for his guest to make choice amongst them. At first he had felt sorry that Norah should be with only her aunt and Molly, beside himself, for the other girls were engaged at a tennis party, to which they had been invited before they knew when Miss Pease would return. But he never forgot that evening which seemed to bring the girl guest and himself so near together, and that night he dreamed of the slender white-robed figure framed by the angle window. ”