The Miraculous Revenge | Page 8

moved the one grave instead of the many. Even from a supernatural
point of view, it seemed strange that the sinner should have banished
the elect, when, by their superior numbers, they might so much more
easily have banished him.
It was almost dark when I left the spot. After a walk of half a mile I
recrossed the water by a bridge and returned to the farm house in which
I lodged. Here, finding that I had enough of solitude, I only stayed to
take a cup of tea. Then I went to Father Hickey's cottage.
Kate was alone when I entered. She looked up quickly as I opened the
door, and turned away disappointed when she recognized me.
"Be generous for once," I said. "I have walked about aimlessly for
hours in order to avoid spoiling the beautiful afternoon for you by my
presence. When the sun was up I withdrew my shadow from your path.
Now that darkness has fallen, shed some light on mine. May I stay half
an hour?"
"You may stay as long as you like, of course. My uncle will soon be
home. He is clever enough to talk to you."
"What! More sarcasm! Come, Miss Hickey, help me to spend a
pleasant evening. It will only cost you a smile. I am somewhat cast
down. Four Mile Water is a paradise; but without you it would be

lonely."
"It must be very lonely for you. I wonder why you came here."
"Because I heard that the women here were all Zerlinas, like you, and
the men Masettos, like Mr. Phil--where are you going to?"
"Let me pass, Mr. Legge, I had intended never speaking to you again
after the way you went on about Mr. Langan today; and I wouldn't
either, only my uncle made me promise not to take any notice of you,
because you were--no matter; but I won't listen to you any more on the
subject."
"Don't go. I swear never to mention his name again. I beg your pardon
for what I said: you shall have no further cause for complaint. Will you
forgive me?"
She sat down evidently disappointed by my submission. I took a chair,
and placed myself near her. She tapped the floor impatiently with her
foot. I saw that there was not a movement that I could make, not a look,
not a tone of voice, which did not irritate her.
"You were remarking," I said, "that your uncle desired you take no
notice of me because----"
She closed her lips and did not answer.
"I fear that I have offended you again by my curiosity. But indeed, I
had no idea that he had forbidden you to tell me the reason."
"He did not forbid me. Since you are so determined to find out----"
"No; excuse me. I do not wish to know, I am sorry I asked."
"Indeed! Perhaps you would be sorrier if you were told I only made a
secret of it out of consideration for you."
"Then your uncle has spoken ill of me behind my back. If that be so
there is no such thing as a true man in Ireland, I would not have

believed it on the word of any woman alive save yourself."
"I never said my uncle was a backbiter. Just to shew you what he thinks
of you, I will tell you, whether you want to know or not, that he bid me
not mind you because you were only a poor mad creature, sent down
here by your family to be out of harm's way."
"Oh, Miss Hickey!"
"There now! you have got it out of me; and I wish I had bit my tongue
out first. I sometimes think--that I mayn't sin!--that you have a bad
angel in you."
"I am glad you told me this," I said gently. "Do not reproach yourself
for having done so, I beg. Your uncle has been misled by what he has
heard of my family, who are all more or less insane. Far from being
mad, I am actually the only rational man named Legge in the three
kingdoms. I will prove this to you, and at the same time keep your
indiscretion in countenance, by telling you something I ought not to tell
you. It is this. I am not here as an invalid or a chance tourist. I am here
to investigate the miracle. The Cardinal, a shrewd and somewhat erratic
man, selected mine from all the long heads at his disposal to come
down here, and find out the truth of Father Hickey's story. Would he
have entrusted such a task to a madman, think you?"
"The truth of--who dared to doubt my uncle's word? And so you are a
spy, a dirty