A Dinner Of Herbs (81 page)

saying, “Where’s

Annie? Mam wants her.”

“Annie’s not well. She’s resting in the sitting-room.”

“Well then, you had better come up, Kate. Maggie’s no good, and he’s yelling out, and ...

and I’m

sorry, but I can’t bear to look at his foot.”

Kate hurried from the room now and up the stairs and into her mother’s bedroom. Hal

was propped up

in bed, covered all over except for his right foot, which was turned to the side and looked twice its size.

But the swollen flesh hadn’t covered the ominous piece of bone sticking up through the skin. Her

mother was saying, “The doctor should be here any minute. The mine manager was

sending in a man to

Haydon Bridge. They’ve got the road cleared that far for the carts.”

She turned and glanced at Kate, saying, “Where’s Annie?”

“She’s ... she’s not well. She’s in the sitting-room.”

“Not well?” Mary Ellen made an impatient movement with her head for a moment; then

said, “Well, you

come and help me get your father changed.”

‘ Leave me be, woman! I. I can’t stand much more of this. Get me some whisky. “

Mary Ellen now looked across the bed to where Maggie was standing wringing her hands

and she said,

“Go and bring the bottle from the sideboard. Quick now.”

As Maggie scurried from the room Kate moved up the side of the bed and looked down

on to the

haggard face, but she said nothing; nor did Hal, but he put out his hand and took hers and held tightly on

to it.

And he retained his hold for the next twenty minutes or so. Mary Ellen had had to push a chair up near

the bed so that Kate could sit down and they had exchanged glances but said nothing.

Even when

Maggie had returned with the whisky and Mary Ellen had poured a stiff measure into a

glass, still he did

not release his hold on Kate’s hand, but took the glass from his wife with his left hand and swallowed the

spirit almost in one gulp. It was only when the doctor entered the room that Kate rose and, pulling her

hand from his grasp, stepped aside.

“Well now, what have you been up to?” Doctor Brunton had been a friend to Mary Ellen

from the day

when he took her to the prison to visit Roddy Greenbank, and he had attended each of her confinements

over the years. He knew all about this family, particularly about its head, who was

answering him now in

characteristic fashion, saying, “Well, if you open your eyes you’ll see what I’ve been up to.”

The doctor bent over the foot and muttered something;

then looking at Mary Ellen, he said, “When he does things, he always attempts to do

them thoroughly.

You know that, don’t you, Mary Ellen?”

“I ... I do indeed, Doctor.” She smiled wanly at him.

He had been divested of his greatcoat downstairs; now he unbuttoned his jacket and

slowly took it off,

saying the while, “Get John and Tom up here, will you? And then I’ll want some hot

water and two

pieces of wood, about two foot long and three inches wide, and a shorter piece, and some strips of linen

... and whisky, of course. “ He turned his head in Hal’s direction, adding, “That’s right, isn’t it? You’d

like to be washed inside and out with whisky?”

“Get on with it.”

He looked at Mary Ellen again and smiled. Then unloosening the cuffs of his white shirt and rolling them

back, he moved up the side of the bed and, bending over Hal, said, “Let’s have a look at your face.”

Turning it gently to the side, he added, “You’re lucky there, it’s just below skin-deep.

It’ll want a stitch

or two. Got a headache?”

“What d’you think?”

“I think you’re a very lucky man to have been brought down the hill when you were.

Another day and I

mightn’t have been able to do much with that.” He thumbed towards the foot.

“And I’m telling you’ His voice had lost its bantering tone, but he returned to it a minute later in greeting

Tom and John entering the room saying to them, “ Hello, there. Your father would like

you to hang on to

him time I straighten out this foot of his. By the way’—he turned and looked at Hal again

‘how did you

come to do it, and your head? “

When Hal did^ lot answer immediately, Mary Ellen, Kate, and the two men looked at

him

apprehensively, waiting for the answer which would be in the nature of, “I got it in a fight.” But when he

said, somewhat reluctantly, “I was bumped by a bloody goat,” their faces stretched, and they looked at

each other in disbelief. Then as Kate covered her eyes, for she had a vision of Biddy

carrying out her

greeting to an intruder, the boys spluttered, but Mary Ellen burst into a high laugh

touching on hysteria

which ended abruptly as the doctor said, “There now, there now.” And the tears spurted from her eyes

and ran down her face.

Purposely ignoring her crying and the fact that the boys and the doctor were comforting her, Hal bawled,

“Will you stop your patting session and get on with it?”

And they got on with it.

They gave him another stiff dose of whisky. Then John, kneeling on one side of the bed, held his father’s

arm, and Tom, standing at the other side, braced himself against the head post as he

aimed to keep his

father steady as he writhed and groaned and his teeth brought the blood from his lower lip. Then after

giving one high piercing yell, Hal was silent, and the doctor, glancing up towards him, said, “That’s good.

Now Kate, keep that foot still. And Mary Ellen, hand me that blue bottle from the table.”

As he poured the liquid from the bottle over the jagged flesh, he said, “Let’s hope that stops any further

infection.” Then taking a needle and thread from a case that had been laid on the bed to the side of the

board on which the foot rested, he began to sew the flesh he’d had to cut in order to set the splintered

bone. This done, he now bound the ankle tightly with the straps of linen. Then placing the smallest piece

of wood against the bandaged sole of the foot, he secured this in position in the same way. After which

he set the two thin slats of wood down each side of the leg and once again he began

winding the torn

sheeting round them till the foot and leg were held firmly in place.

Looking up to where the boys were still holding the inert arms, he said, “Tis done. He’ll be all right

now. What I want next is a kind of cage tcrkeep the bedclothes off the leg. Do you think you can knock

something up?”

“Oh, yes, yes. Doctor,” John spoke, but both nodded at him, and when John added, “You

don’t want

us any more?” the doctor said, “No. He’s all right now, except for his temper.” He pulled a slight face.

“And you can expect that to be touchy for a few days. Now let me see to that cut before he comes

round.” . When Hal eventually came round, there was no show of temper, but he lay limp and

exhausted, which filled Mary Ellen with concern, for she knew all about reactions to

shock and

exposure. Only last year a shepherd had died after lying on the hillsides all night after a fall.

They had found him the next day, still alive, but within two days he was gone. It was in the middle of the

afternoon when Kate, unable to stand the waiting any longer, said to Mary Ellen, “Mam, I’m... I’m going

to slip along to see how he is. He .. he was out there, too, you know.”

“Lass, please, you can’t go the day. You’d never get back in the light, and the roads are a bog now.

Wait till the morrow. Anyway, he needs you.” She jerked her head upwards.

“He’s more content when you’re there. Do this for me.” She put out her hand and gripped Kate’s arm.

“Don’t leave him the day.”

She knew she was going against every fibre of her being when she said, “All right. But I’ll go

tomorrow. Understand, Mam? I’ll go tomorrow.”

“All right, lass, all right.”

Hal had a restless night. At one point he became feverish, but by morning the fever had left him and he

lay limp and definitely in pain.

They had taken their turns at sitting up with him during the night and it was five o’clock in the morning

when Kate had taken off her clothes and got into bed; so weary was she that it was five hours later when

she awoke.

Getting into her dressing-gown, she went hurriedly across the landing and, as she neared the bedroom

door, Mary Ellen came out, saying, “Oh, there you are, lass. Had a good sleep?”

“I’m sorry. I ... I didn’t intend to sleep till this time. How is he?”

“He’s a bit washed out, very tired, but the fever’s gone. That worried me, but he’ll pick up now. He’s

asking for you.” She paused, then said, “Be kind to him, Kate, patient like.”

Kate said nothing but went into the room and towards the bed.

“Hello, Dad. How do you feel?”

“Not too bad, lass. Better than yesterday at this time, Oh aye-’ his chin nob bled as he repeated, ‘better

than yesterday at this time.

Won’t forget that in a hurry. Sit down, lass. “

She sat down, and he took hold of her hand and, turning his head on the pillow, he stared at her as he

said, “Has been an experience this.

Me own fault I suppose, going out like a bull at the gap. But I had to do what I thought best and, I’m

sorry to say this, lass, I haven’t changed me mind. But . aw, don’t pull your hand away.

Let me have

me say, and ‘tis this. He’s a good enough fellow in his own way, aye, I’ll give him that, and he told me a

thing or two about himself and I believe him. But underneath, lass, he’s still a Bannaman.

And you know

me thoughts in that quarter. “

“Yes, I do. Dad. But you also know mine, don’t you?”

“Aye, that’s the pity of it, that’s the pity of it. But being who I am I can’t change. I can say at this

moment. I wish I....” His words were cut off by the door being thrust open and Mary

Ellen stood there,

saying, “Kate, can ... can I have a word with you for a minute?”

As Kate withdrew her hand from his, his old manner asserting itself, he cried, “Can’t you come in and

have a word with her. What is it?

What’s up? “

“I’ll ... I’ll be with you in a minute.” Mary Ellen was nodding at him. Then as Kate

passed her she

closed the door and said, “Charles is downstairs. He ... he called in at the farm. Now lass, don’t get

agitated’ she put her hand on Kate’s arm ‘but he found Ben in a bad way, practically

delirious, he said.

He must have lain down in his wet clothes as soon as he got in yesterday. There was no fire in the place,

nothing. He says he’ll have to have the doctor, but that he can’t stay there. He proposes to take him up

to his place. But as you know he’s only got the cowman’s wife to see to his needs and her youngest, and

neither of them’s very bright. So... so he says, you’ she swallowed ‘you should come

along with them

and see to him, although I don’t know how you’re going to manage there as he’s only got three

bedrooms, and.... Wait a minute, lass! Wait a minute!”

But Kate was already running from her across the landing and into her room. And she

went to follow her

as Hal’s voice again came from the bedroom, crying, “D’you hear me? D’you hear me,

Mary Ellen?

Tell me what’s up?” And so, thrusting the door open, she went in and she couldn’t keep the impatience

from her tone as she said, “All right, I’ll tell you what’s up. Charles is downstairs. He’s found Ben in a

state, in a high fever. Lying in the cold house. He must have just dropped once he got in and has lain

there since. He’s taking him home to his place, but Kate will have to go with him to see to him.”

He remained silent, staring at her, then he muttered, “Can’t be, he must be as strong as a horse to be still

alive after what he did ... an’ going to Charles’s? No place there for him....”

“Stop agitating yourself. You’ve got to face up to it;

she’s going to look after him. You’ve got everybody in this house to look after you, he’s got nobody.

By what Charles says, it’s serious. I mean, he’s in a serious state. “

“Where’s Charles?”

“Downstairs.”

“Fetch him up.”

“What?”

“Woman!”—he closed his eyes ‘don’t aggravate me. Fetch him up.

Gritting her teeth, she went out and none too quietly.

Charles came up, and when he stood by the bedside, Hal said, “What’s this I hear? He’s bad?”

“Yes, very poorly I should say.”

“Very poorly?”

“Oh, yes, yes. I’m ... well I must admit, I’m worried. I passed one of the Robsons on the road, they

were making for Haydon Bridge. I gave them a message for the doctor.” Hal looked past

him now

towards Kate who was coming into the room dragging her coat. Following her came

John, and he,

seeming to ignore his father, addressed Charles, saying, “Tom’s got the cart ready, and Annie’s put some

blankets on. Is there anything else you think you’ll want?”

“No’—Charles had turned towards him ‘not that I can think of at the moment.”

“What’s this? What’s this?” Hal moved restlessly and went to pull himself further up on the pillows, but

stopped and screwed his face up against the pain. And when Mary Ellen went to his side, saying, “Now

don’t frash yourself,” he thrust his arm out at her, saying, “Let me get a word in,

woman.” Then looking

at Charles he said slowly, “It goes against the grain for me to admit this openly, but I owe that fellow me

life. If he hadn’t come across me after that damned goat hit me I wouldn’t be here now.