The Search Party/Chapter 23
CHAPTER XXXIII
MISS BLOW was very angry when she discovered that Mr. Goddard was not in the telegraph office. Nothing Jimmy O'Loughlin said soothed her in the least. He pointed out that the officer's absence was caused by his excessive zeal for the cause they all had at heart; that he had in fact gone in person to investigate the mystery of Rosivera. Miss Blow refused to believe him, and expressed her contempt for habitual liars in plain language.
"If you don't believe me, miss, ask Constable Moriarty, and he'll tell you the same."
"I shouldn't believe him either," said Miss Blow; "and in any case Constable Moriarty is a fool."
"He was standing by," said Jimmy, pursuing the subject without regarding the interruption, "the same as it might be yourself, and he heard every word that passed between us. 'Mr. Goddard,' I says, 'them ladies is in a terrible state, and getting worse. It's hardly ever they were able to take the cup of tea I had wetted for them.' 'I know it, Jimmy,' says he; 'I know it well; and if cutting off my right hand would be any ease to them I'd do it this minute.' 'You would,' I says, for I knew well the way it was going through him; 'but what good would that be? Wouldn't it be better now if you was' 'If I was to what?' says he, catching me up like. 'If you was to send Moriarty for a bit of a stroll along the road,' I says, 'to see could he hear any news of the sergeant.' 'I'll not do it,' says he, looking terrible determined. 'I'll not do the like. What's Constable Moriarty but a boy, Jimmy? A boy with maybe a mother breaking her heart after him somewhere. If there's murder going,' says he, 'it's not Constable Moriarty it'll light on, but myself.' 'Do you mean that?' says I. 'I do,' he says; 'I mean it; I'll go myself. What murder's done to-night will be done on me, for I'll not take it on my conscience to be the cause of Moriarty's death.' 'Mr. Goddard,' says I, 'you're a fine man. I'll give it in to you that you're as brave as any one ever I met; but you'll be taking your sword with you, promise me that now.' 'I will, Jimmy,' says he; 'I'll take my sword, and I'm thankful to you for making the suggestion.' And with that, miss, he was up and off out of the door, and that was the last I seen of him."
"If you hadn't been telling me lies ever since I've been in Clonmore," said Miss Blow, "there'd be some chance of my believing you now."
"There's a man going past the door of the hotel this minute," said Jimmy, "with an ass load of turf that he's after fetching in off the bog. Will you go out now and ask him did he meet Mr. Goddard on the road? Maybe you'll believe him when he tells you."
Miss Blow accepted the challenge. She waylaid the man with the donkey, who proved to be very deaf. She raised her voice and shouted at him. He replied in a low tone. She shouted again, and the man made what seemed a long answer. Miss Blow returned to Jimmy O'Loughlin.
"You've told me the truth for once," she said ungraciously. "That man met the officer a mile out of town on the road to Rosivera."
Jimmy was generous. He did not attempt to humiliate Miss Blow. He pursued his policy of trying to soothe her. An hour passed. Two hours passed. Even Miss Blow's anger began to give way to anxiety. What if Mr. Goddard was himself a victim to the mysterious gang which had already made away with seven men? He might have gone the whole way to Rosivera. He might have fallen into some craftily arranged ambush on the road. Fear laid hold on her heart. Jimmy O'Loughlin, who was a little puzzled but not particularly anxious, seized his opportunity.
"It'll be better for you," he said, "to go to your bed, you and the rest of the ladies, where you'll be safe till the morning. You'll hardly be expecting any other man to be going out into the darkness of the night, risking his life maybe, to satisfy you. Not but what there's many a one would do it. I'd do it myself if I saw any good would come out of it."
Miss Blow and Miss Farquharson consulted together anxiously. This fresh disaster had gone a long way towards cowing them. They were not prepared to insist on the sacrifice of more human life. Mrs. Dick wept noisily and unrebuked. Mrs. Sanders became very white and her hands trembled.
"You'll be safe in your beds anyway," said Jimmy. "You can turn the key in the door of every room in this house barring the one I sleep in myself, for the lock of it is gone wrong on me, and since poor Patsy Devlin went from us there isn't a man about the place fit to settle it."
"Let us go," said Mrs. Dick, sobbing. "I want to be somewhere at peace. I don't care Oh, poor Richard!"
"You're right, ma'am," said Jimmy; "it'll be better for you. I have a dog in the yard that'll bark fit to wake the dead if e'er a one comes near the house during the night; and I'll leave word with Bridgy that she's to waken you in good time if so be anything was to happen; but with the help of God there'll be no need for that."
"Come," said Miss Blow at last; "we can do no more to-night. Let us get some sleep, if any of us are able to sleep."