As it was, I let Anthony do without me for once. To be sure, he was
tremendously busy getting Brosna in order for me. I had Zoe brought
round, the beautiful mare who was his latest gift to me, and rode over
to Damerstown.
Mrs. Dawson received me in the drawing-room, affectionate as of old, but
with the air which asked forgiveness for the wrong her husband had done
us. It was an air that grieved me, and as I kissed her I passed my hand
over her forehead as though I would brush it away like a palpable thing.
"I thought, dearie," she said, "being what you are, that you'd be
happier in your own happiness if you knew things were well with my poor
Rick. He never did you any harm except to love you too much."
"No, indeed," I said hastily, "and I should be so glad to know that he
has forgiven and forgotten me. I've heard, of course, that he has quite
recovered and is going abroad. I shall always feel very kindly towards
him and very sorry because of any wrong I did him."
"You never did him any," the mother said.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her where Nora Brady was, for
that was a trouble to me, too, despite my happiness. The poor people
round about had, I was told, taken the same view of poor Nora's devotion
to her sick man as Maureen.
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