And then she saw that look of dawn, of serene delight on the face
of the man, and she stood aghast. Dannie threw wide the door, and
crossed her threshold with outstretched arms.
"Is it true?" he panted. "That thing Father Michael told me, is
it true? Will ye be mine, Mary Malone? At last will you be mine?
Oh, my girl, is the beautiful thing that the priest told me true?"
"~The beautiful thing that the priest told him!"
Mary Malone swung a chair before her, and stepped back. "Wait!" she
cried sharply. "There must be some mistake. Till me ixactly what
Father Michael told you?"
"He told me that Jimmy na held me responsible fra his death. That
he loved me when he died. That he was willing I should have ye! Oh,
Mary, wasna that splendid of him. Wasna he a grand mon? Mary, come
to me. Say that it's true! Tell me, if ye love me."
Mary Malone stared wide-eyed at Dannie, and gasped for breath.
Dannie came closer. At last he had found his tongue. "Fra the love
of mercy, if ye are comin' to me, come noo "Mary" he begged." My
arms will split if they dinna get round ye soon, dear. Jimmy told
ye fra me, sixteen years ago, how I loved ye, and he told me when
he came back how sorry ye were fra me, and he--he almost cried when
he told me. I never saw a mon feel so. Grand old Jimmy! No other
mon like him!"
Mary drew back in desperation.
"You see here, Dannie Micnoun!" she screamed. "You see here----"
"I do," broke in Dannie. "I'm lookin'! All I ever saw, or see now,
or shall see till I dee is `here,' when `here' is ye, Mary Malone.
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