Hannah massey (9 page)

There came a chorus of, "He was, Gran. He is. Gran." And from the little boy himself. "

"Safternoon, Gran; I am.

"Safternoon."

"Aw, a shame on to God it is to cut those beautiful ringlets." Then looking from one to the other of the children she said, "Don't you see who's here? It's your Aunt Rosie. Say hello to your Aunt Rosie."

The children looked to where Rosie was standing on the stair above her mother and chorused, obediently, "Hello, Auntie Rosie."

They had heard a lot about their Auntie Rosie whom they very rarely saw, their clever, beautiful Auntie Rosie who was in London, living among the swells. They were shy of her. She silenced their tongues and they turned as one and, scuffling, went back into the kitchen and to their mother, who was emptying a basket on to the table.

"Hello, there, Betty." Hannah greeted her daughter-in-law, and the plump, matronly girl turned her head over her shoulder saying, "Hello, Ma." Then catching sight of Rosie, she turned fully round, crying,

"Rosie, you're home? When did you come?" She was smiling, broadly"

kindly.

"Last night, Betty."

Before Rosie could go on Hannah put in loudly, "It's the 'flu she's had; she's as white as lint. Did you ever see her lookin' like this?

Oh, I'm goin' to try and persuade her to get a job nearer home so I can look after her and fatten her up. She hasn't a pick on her. "

The two girls smiled at each other.

Rosie liked John's wife; she always had. Betty was an uncomplicated girl. From the first she had fallen like a cat on its feet into the ways of the family; and this was demonstrated in the next moment when she pointed to a large parcel she had taken from her extra large

shopping bag.

"You'll be able to use that," she said.

"What is it?" Hannah quickly undid the brown paper, then some grease proof paper, and exposed to her glistening eyes a quarter of an eighty pound Australian cheddar cheese, and she breathed deeply as she said,

"Yes, indeed, indeed."

"We've got a big lump an' all. Gran." It was six-year-old Theresa speaking, as she gazed up at Hannah.

"Have you, me child?"

"Yes. Me da found it in the grab."

"He did, did he?" Hannah was bending over the child now, looking down into her face.

"Yes. When me da pulled up the dredger there was the cheese in a wooden box, and they opened it and they shared it out; me da had half and Mr. Rowland had half."

"He did, did he? Well, that was kind of your da to share it out," said Hannah. The child nodded and smiled before adding, "He found some butter in the dredger last week."

Hannah raised her eyes to Betty, but Betty was busy repacking her

bag.

Her face wore a deadpan expression and she said without looking up,

"They've been warned not to tell anybody outside what their da finds in the dredger. They know they would get him wrong if they did. But as their da told them, if he didn't bring it home it would only be thrown into another part of the river again where they are blocking it up."

"That's right, that's right." Hannah nodded now from one child to the other. Then looking at Rosie, she asked, "Isn't it, Rosie? Isn't that right?" And Rosie nodded, and after a moment said softly, "Yes, yes, that's right."

"Take them into the kitchen, Catherine," said Hannah now, "and have two bullets each out of the tin. No more, mind, just two apiece." She thrust her finger at each of them, and they ran from her, laughing, into the kitchen. And now she turned to her daughter-in-law and pushed her with the flat of the hand.

"Cheese out of the dredger! That's a good-un. And they could come out of the river bottom at that; who's to say they couldn't? With all the boats that's sunk outside the piers, the stuff's bound to float back."

She pushed her again, and Betty, chuckling deeply, said, "Well, you have to tell them something; it's impossible to keep the stuff out of their sight." She buttoned her coat now.

"I'll have to be goin'. And John'll not be in the day, he says, but he'll look in the morrow mornin' after Mass."

"Won't you stay for a cup of tea and have a crack with Rosie here?"

"I can't, Ma.... You sec" --she glanced towards the kitchen door, then muttered under her breath, "I've got to be at Bill's stall in the market by half past ten; he's to let me know then about a bit of bacon, an' if it's all right John'll pick it up this afternoon in the car."

"Aw, I see, lass, I understand, I understand." Hannah flapped her hand.

"And how's the car goin'? The lads have got it into their heads that they're goin' to club together and get one, but I have different ideas; I'll tell you about it later. If you'd had a minute we could have gone into it; perhaps the morrow. But how's the car goin'?"

"Oh, he's always taking it to bits, it's always wanting some- thin'

spending on it; but as he says what can you expect for forty pounds.

He's got his eye on another one. A hundred and twenty they want, but it's in good condition. "

"You'll get it, you'll get it, me girl." Hannah patted Betty's back affectionately; then turning her head over her shoulder, called, "Come away, you lot, out of that, your mother's goin'."

As the children came running into the room again Betty, looking at Rosie, said, "We'll be seeing more of you then, Rosie?"

"Yes, I suppose so, Betty."

"That'll be nice. John'll be pleased to know you're back. Come round and see us, eh? What about the morrow?"

"I'll pop in sometime. I've still a bit of a cold on me, I don't want to go out much yet."

"No, and you're wise. Did you ever know weather like this? I'm sick of the sight of snow. Come on." She gathered the children round her, then pushed them out into the hall amid cries of, "Good-bye, Gran."

"Bye, Auntie Rosie."

"Bye, Gran."

As Betty passed her to go down the steps, Hannah pushed a ten-shilling note into her hand, saying, "Get your hair done this afternoon, an'

all."

' No, Ma. No, Ma. " Betty made great play of pushing the note back into Hannah's hand, but was eventually persuaded tcT take it. Then she smiled her thanks.

"There was no need for that," she said.

Hannah came bustling back into the living-room now, talking all the time. She was in fine fettle. She bustled the cheese off the table and into the kitchen, shouting her conversation back to Rosie, where she stood looking down into the fire.

The whole world was a fiddle . life was a fiddle. There was nothing honest or decent or good in it. Life was putrid. Rosie found her

teeth clamping down tightly into her lower lip, and even when it became painful she went on biting. There was badness of the body and badness of the mind, and she didn't know which was worse. Oh, yes, she did.

Oh, yes, she did. She was shaking her head slowly at herself when the front-door bell rang, and as she turned she saw her mother come to the kitchen door holding the palm of her hand to her brow, the fingers extended wide.

"There's nobody comes to the front door on a Saturday mornin', not at this time." Hannah hurriedly crossed the room, slanting her eyes towards Rosie.

"Now it it's them, act natural like." She glanced swiftly about her; then putting her shoulders back, she made her way to the hall, but stopped again at the sitting-room door and, turning swiftly to Rosie, said with a nervous smile, "Better still, go up to your room. The look on your face would give God himself away."

When the bell rang again, Hannah went forward, crying, "All right, all right, I'm on me way."

Since the stampede last night in getting the shed cleared there had been no more mention of the matter. When the men had come in around eleven, merry and full of talk, her mother hadn't checked them with,

"Whist now! We've got something on our plates." She had made no mention of the transfer of the stuff nor the fact that the house might be searched, and she had warned Bamy to keep his mouth shut. Rosie knew that her mother was living up to the slogan: Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. She had always applied this to the ways of the house, and they had been happier for it; but now, apparently, the evil had come upon them.

She was making her way towards the door when her mother's voice from the hall checked her, crying, "Oh, be god It's you, Father, and on a Saturda' morning Come in, come in; you look froze to the bone.... And what have you there?"

Rosie moved back swiftly towards the fire and stood with her hand

pressed across the lower part of her face. Had she been given the

choice she would have preferred the men to come and search the house rather than to be brought face to face with Father Lafflin. He was kind and jolly was Father Lafflin, but he had eyes that could see

through you.

The priest preceded Hannah into the room, saying, "It's my wireless I've brought along. I want Bamy to have a look at it." At this point he stopped, and looking towards Rosie, he exclaimed, "Why! Rosie! And they never told me you were back."

MABSEY

stall in the market by half past ten; he's to let me know then about a bit of bacon, an' if it's all right John'1! pick it up this afternoon in the car. "

"Aw, I see, lass, I understand, I understand." Hannah flapped her hand.

"And how's the car goin'? The lads have got it into their heads that they're goin' to club together and get one, but I have different ideas; I'll tell you about it later. If you'd had a minute we could have gone into it; perhaps the morrow. But how's the car goin'?"

"Oh, he's always taking it to bits, it's always wanting some- thin'

spending on it; but as he says what can you expect for forty pounds.

He's got his eye on another one. A hundred and twenty they want, but it's in good condition. "

"You'll get it, you'll get it, me girl." Hannah patted Betty's back affectionately; then turning her head over her shoulder, called, "Come away, you lot, out of that, your mother's goin'."

As the children came running into the room again Betty, looking at Rosie, said, "We'll be seeing more of you then, Rosie?"

"Yes, I suppose so, Betty."

"That'll be nice. John'll be pleased to know you're back. Come round and see us, eh? What about the morrow?"

"I'll pop in sometime. I've still a bit of a cold on me, I don't want to go out much yet."

"No, and you're wise. Did you ever know weather like this? I'm sick of the sight of snow. Come on." She gathered the children round her, then pushed them out into the hall amid cries of, "Good-bye, Gran."

"Bye, Auntie Rosie."

"Bye, Gran."

As Betty passed her to go down the steps, Hannah pushed a ten-shilling note into her hand, saying, "Get your hair done this afternoon, an'

all."

' No, Ma. No, Ma. " Betty made great play of pushing the note back into Hannah's hand, but was eventually persuaded trf take it. Then she smiled her thanks.

"There was no need for that," she said.

Hannah came bustling back into the living-room now, talking all the time. She was in fine fettle. She bustled the cheese off the table and into the kitchen, shouting her conversation back to Rosie, where she stood looking down into the fire.

The whole world was a fiddle . life was a fiddle. There was nothing honest or decent or good in it. Life was putrid. Rosie found her

teeth clamping down tightly into her lower lip, and even when it became painful she went on biting. There was badness of the body and badness of the mind, and she didn't know which was worse. Oh, yes, she did.

Oh, yes, she did. She was shaking her head slowly at herself when the front-door bell rang, and as she turned she saw her mother come to the kitchen door holding the palm of her hand to her brow, the fingers extended wide.

"There's nobody comes to the front door on a Saturday mornin', not at this time." Hannah hurriedly crossed the room, slanting her eyes towards Rosie.

"Now it it's them, act natural like." She glanced swiftly about her; then putting her shoulders back, she made her way to the hall, but stopped again at the sitting-room door and, turning swiftly to Rosie, said with a nervous smile, "Better still, go up to your room. The look on your face would give God himself away."

When the bell rang again, Hannah went forward, crying, "All right, all right, I'm on me way."

Since the stampede last night in getting the shed cleared there had been no more mention of the matter. When the men had come in around eleven, merry and full of talk, her mother hadn't checked them with,

"Whist now' We've got something on our plates." She had made no mention of the transfer of the stuff nor the fact that the house might be searched, and she had warned Bamy to keep his mouth shut. Rosie knew that her mother was living up to the slogan: Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. She had always applied this to the ways of the house, and they had been happier for it; but now, apparently, the evil had come upon them.

She was making her way towards the door when her mother's voice from the hall checked her, crying, "Oh, be god It's you, Father, and on a Saturda' mornin'. Come in, come in; you look froze to the bone.... And what have you there?"

Rosie moved back swiftly towards the fire and stood with her hand

pressed across the lower part of her face. Had she been given the

choice she would have preferred the men to come and search the house rather than to be brought face to face with Father Lafflin. He was kind and jolly was Father Lafflin, but he had eyes that could see

through you.

The priest preceded Hannah into the room, saying, "It's my wireless I've brought along. I want Bamy to have a look at it." At this point he stopped, and looking towards Rosie, he exclaimed, "Why! Rosie! And they never told me you were back."

Y

He turned his face towards Hannah.

"You never told me the child was back, Hannah."

"You've never given me a chance, Father." Hannah's voice was sharp and her eyes were riveted on the wireless set the priest was holding before him. She was looking at it as if at any minute it might explode, and it might too. The wireless could bring disaster on her house. She