The English Tutor (21 page)

“
I
think
you
’
re beastly!
”
Clancy cried.
“
We
’
re happy enough till you come here, upsetting Conn with your foolish talk and trying to set us against one another. Yes, you do, and Mark eggs you on,
”
she finished quite unjustly. Conn jumped to his feet.

“
Och! I
’
ve had enough of this!
”
he exclaimed.
“
We
’
ll have Clancy in one of her crying rages any minute, and like as not she
’
ll tell her tutor he
’
s the cause of all the trouble, which I
’
m thinking he is. I
’
ll not be staying to supper after all. Good night.
”

“
A good thing too,
”
said Clodagh, but Clancy sprang up and ran after him.

“
Ah, Conn, don
’
t go,
”
she begged.
“
We don
’
t see you much now, and—and Kilmallin will be disappointed. Clodagh didn
’
t mean it. I—I want you to stay, Conn.
”

He looked down at her and his hard young eyes softened.
“
Poor Clancy,
”
he said, patting her hair.
“
You
’
re always the one to be upset by our childish squabbles, aren
’
t you? I
’
ll tell you what. I won
’
t stay now, but you sneak over tomorrow morning early, and make a day of it. When we
’
ve seen to the horses we
’
ll take the car and cock snooks at the lot of them and come to breakfast.
”

Her eyes were despairing.

“
Oh, Conn, I
can
’
t.
Morning lessons—he
’
d never let me off.
”

“
Who
’
s going to ask him? It
’
s the first time I
’
ve known Clancy O
’
Shane think twice before playing truant. Has the Englishman got you, too, with his beautiful manners?
”

She flushed, but she was happy. Conn wanted her again. The old allegiance was back. That other new friendliness she had felt for Mark was too slender, too cautious a thing to stand in the way, now.

“
I
’
ll be there,
”
she said, and he kissed her on the nose and was gone.

“
You
’
re awfully silly,
”
said Clodagh
’
s voice from the chair.

“
I am not, then, and it
’
s my own affair.
”

“
Conn only wants to score off Mark. He doesn
’
t like him.
”

“
He wants me.
”

“
Well, have it your own way. But I don
’
t think Mark will be very pleased.
”

“
Are you going to tell him?
”

“
Why should I? As you said, it
’
s your own affair.
”
Clancy came and sat on the arm of the chair opposite.

“
Clodagh, why are you so hateful to Conn?
”
she asked.

Clodagh smiled, and stretched, uncurling herself.
“
Don
’
t you think Conn
’
s hateful to me?
”

“
Yes, in a way. But you always start it.
”

“
You wouldn
’
t understand,
”
Clodagh replied.
“
You should try and grow up, Clancy.
”

“
What
’
s my growing up got to do with you and Conn?
”

“
I don
’
t know.
”
Clodagh sighed.
“
Sometimes you make me feel mean.
”

“
Do I? But I
’
m very fond of you, Clodagh. We all are.
”

“
Yes, I know, perhaps that
’
s why,
”
said Clodagh obscurely.
“
Oh, well, enjoy your stolen spree tomorrow. I shan
’
t tell.
”

But they had forgotten Brian, who had been a silent but interested spectator of the whole scene. Clancy
’
s arm was healed long ago, but he had some old scores to pay off from that time when, for a short while, she had been the centre of interest in the house. Besides, he liked Mark, and wanted to curry favour.

Before he went to bed he described the quarrel and Clancy
’
s intentions at some length to Mark, and wag severely shaken to be hauled over the coals for telling tales.

Mark took no direct action, but when he said good night to Clancy he remarked pleasantly:

“
I shouldn
’
t go if I were you.
”

“
Go where?
”
she asked, suddenly defensive.

‘
You know perfectly well. I
’
m just warning you.
”

Her old dislike of him returned.

“
You can
’
t stop me,
”
she said.

He looked a little amused.

“
I could, but I don
’
t intend to try,
”
he said, and went out of the room.

The day was not a success, although the early morning promised so much as Clancy ran down to the jetty, for the rain had stopped and the sharp October sunshine struck the calm waters of the loch with brittle clarity. There had been frost in the night, and rime still clung to the grass and the last of the bracken, dying in its golden glory.

To Clancy, pulling out on to the water with a glad, free swing, the day promised so much. Kilmallin with its guardian tower receded gently with the shore, and the bickerings of the day before were left behind. Mark, from his window, watched her go, and sighed. It was some time since he had been obliged to play schoolmaster in earnest.

But at Slievaun things were not well. Conn seemed morose, and indifferent to her coming, and even Bridie, who always had a welcome and something special to be tasted in the kitchen, was bustling and uncommunicative. After breakfast they saw to the horses, and Clancy was surprised and a little dismayed to see what little stock Conn had kept back from the sales. The stables had an air of neglect, and Conn himself seemed to have lost heart, or interest, or both.

“
Is there something wrong?
”
Clancy asked a little timidly, for she had not forgotten how he had rounded on her the day before.

He shrugged.

“
What should be wrong?
”

“
I don
’
t know. Things are different, somehow. You
’
ve kept such little stock, and—and you don
’
t seem to care any more, somehow.
”

He took a long-handled fork and idly turned over a pile of straw, shaking out the foul from the good.

“
Perhaps I
’
m tired of the struggle,
”
he said.

“
But you have what you want,
”
she said a little piteously.
“
No one
minds
fighting for what they want.
”

He leant on his fork.

“
How do you know what I want?
”
he asked.

She regarded him with grave, puzzled eyes.

“
Sometimes I think I don
’
t know you at all,
”
she said.
“
You
’
ve been different all the summer. Is anything wrong?
”

“
Ah, stop your questions,
”
he said impatiently.
“
You should know that a man has problems of his own at times.
”

“
Of course. But you used to tell me your problems, Conn dear. You used to say you always could talk to me.
”

He smiled.

“
And so I could. But you
’
re a child, Clancy, and there are some things you wouldn
’
t understand.
”

“
I
’
m not a child,
”
she said gravely.
“
I shall be eighteen next month, though no one remembers it. Mark says I
’
m older than either you or Clodagh.
”

He frowned.

“
Och, that long-nosed Englishman! How should he know anything about any of us—a stranger among us and a foreigner at that. You pay too much heed to English ideas these days, you and Clodagh.
”

“
I have to pay heed,
”
she said calmly.
“
He
’
s my tutor, and I must say he
’
s quite a reasonable man when you know him. Besides, you told me yourself, before he came, that a lot of nonsense was talked about the English, and I must forget my prejudices.
”

He ran a hand through his untidy red hair.

“
You have the most exasperating habit of reminding
a
fellow of things he
’
s even forgotten he
’
s said,
”
he exclaimed.
“
Don
’
t let it grow on you, or you
’
ll never get a husband.
”

“
Perhaps I don
’
t want a husband,
”
she replied primly.
“
Mark says I ought to have some training to fit me for a life of independence. He says most girls these days do jobs if they don
’
t marry.
”

He flung down his fork and took her by the shoulders and shook her.

“
Mark says! Mark says! Will you stop quoting your lanky schoolmaster at me? Most girls do jobs! Since when has an O
’
Shane woman soiled her hands with work?
”

“
Well, I
’
m going to soil mine now,
”
said Clancy happily.
“
Come on, Conn, let
’
s muck out, then we
’
ll have the day free for our jaunt. It
’
s such a heavenly morning. It
’
s so long since we had a day like that—just you and me together, and no one knowing where we were.
”

“
Darling
—”
he began, but broke off, lifting his hands
in a small gesture of helplessness.
“
Come on, then.
”

She worked with a will, whistling a clear, untroubled little air that Mark would have recognized, though neither she nor Conn knew its name. He worked beside her silently, and sometimes he would just stand and watch her, his eyes dark and brooding. But they did not take the car. Conn found other jobs to do about the yard, and when these were finished he said he had letters to write.

Clancy sat in the kitchen talking to Bridie until lunch was ready, and afterwards when they sat over the fire, drinking cups of strong black tea, she tried again.

“
Would we take the car and just drive over the moor to Grania
’
s Cave?
”
she said,
“
or to Kinross Sands and have a lobster tea at old Mother Brady
’
s?
”