All-Hallow Eve; or, The Test of Futurity, Chapters XXX-XXXVI [pp. 241-263]

All-Hallow Eve; or, The Test of Futurity.
Emon had been hurt; and that they
were bringing him home quietly for
fear of exciting him.
All precautions were of no use.
Mrs. Lennon had waited but for the
word "hurt," which she understood at
once as importing something serious.
She rushed from the house like a mad
woman, and stood upon the road gazing up and down. Fortunately Winny
had the forethought to stop the cart
out of sight of the house to give Cotter
time to execute his mission, and calm
Mrs. Lennon as much as possible. It
was a lucky thought, and Cotter, who
was a very intelligent man, was equal
to the emergency.
As Mrs. Lennon looked round her
in doubt, Cotter cried out, "Oh, don't
go that road, Mrs. Lennon, for God's
sake!" and he pointed in the direction
in which the cart was not. It was
enough; the ruse had succeeded; and
Mvlrs. Lennon started off at full speed,
clapping her hands and crying out:
"Oh! Emon, Emon, have they killed
you at last? hav-e they killed you?
Oh! Emon, Emon, my boy, my boy!"
And she clapped her hands, and ran
the faster. She was soon out of sight
and hearing
" Now is your time," said Cotter,
running back to the cart;" she is gone
off in another direction, and we'll have
him on his bed before she comes back."
They then brought the cart to the
door, and in the most gentle and scientific manner lifted poor Emon into the
house and laid him on his bed.
"God bless you, Winny!" he said,
stretching out his hand. "Don't, like
a good girl, stop here now. Return
to your poor father, who must be distracted about you. I'm better and
stronger, thank God, and will be able
to see you again before I-"
" Whist, whist, Emon mavourneen,
don't talk that way; you are better,
blessed be God! I must, indeed, go
home, Emon, as you say, for my heart
is torn about my poor father. God
bless you, Emon, my own Emon!"
And she stooped down and kissed his
pale lips.
Cotter and she then left the house
and made all the speed they could toward Rathcash. They had not gone
very far when Cotter heard Mrs. Lennon coming back along the road, and
they saw her turn in toward her own
house.
Bully-dhu having satisfied himself
that nothing further was to be apprehended from the senseless form of a
man upon the kitchen floor, and finding
it impossible to burst open the door
where his master was confined, thought
the next best thing that he could do
was to bemoan the state of affairs outside the house, in hope of drawing
some help to the spot. Accordingly he took his post immediately at
the house-door, still determined to be
on the safe side, for fear the man was
scheming. IHere he set up a long
dismal and melancholy howl.
"My father is dead," said Winny;
"there is the Banshee."
"Not at all, Miss Winny; that is a
dog."
"It'is all the same; Bully-dhu
would not cry that way for nothing;
there is somebody dead, I'm sure."
"It is because he knew you were
gone, Miss Winny, and he did not
know where to look for you; that's
all, you may depend."
"Thank you, Cotter; the dog might
indeed do that same. God grant it is
nothing worse" I"
By this time they were at the door,
and Cotter followed Bully-dhu into
the house. Winny, without looking
right or left, rushed to her father's
room. She found it locked, but,
quickly turning the key, she burst in.
It was now broad daylight, and she
saw at a glance her father stretched
upon the bed, still bound hand and
foot. She flew to the table, and taking his razor cut the cords. The
poor old man was quite exhausted
from suspense, excitement, and the
fruitless physical efforts he had been
making to free himself.
"Thank God, father!" she exclaimed; "I hope you are not
hurt."
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