Declan said wearily. ‘They’ll have to stick their long noses in, no doubt.’
‘Aye, no doubt.’ Peader looked across at his son. ‘’Tis a sad and cruel way to go, son,’ he said carefully. ‘And we’d all have give our right hands to save the child’s life, but it’s happened. We’ve all seen death before, the death of an innocent. You must never blame yourself, for I know you, Brog. You’ll start thinkin’ that if you’d not taken the baby, if you’d left her here, the girl might be alive now. Well, I’m tellin’ you, son, that first it was the will o’ God and second that if you’d left the baby it might have been that little one who died. She could have pulled the coke burner over . . .’
Brogan was staring at the dark bundle, which had once been a loving, caring girl. Now he leaned forward and pulled back the coat. He gazed at the girl’s face and suddenly his dream came back to him in every detail, he could hear her voice, low, pleading, speaking to him from the heart.
You’ll tek care of ’er for me, Brogan? You’ll take care of me heart’s darling? You won’t throw her on the world’s mercy, when it don’t ’ave none?
‘Brogan? She was a good girl she was, she’ll not bear you any grudge, nor haunt you in any way.’
His father’s voice was fairly throbbing with the intensity of his feelings, and he put a hand out to draw the coat back over the dead face, but Brogan stopped him.
‘In a moment, Daddy,’ he said gently. ‘But Mollie must look her last on her sister.’ He drew the baby, rosy and only just stirring, out of the breast of his coat. ‘See, Mollie? That’s your sister who loved you, who died for you. She wanted me to take care of you for her, and I’ll not disappoint her.’
‘Take care of her? But she’s got parents . . . brothers and sisters . . .’ Peader said doubtfully, only to have his son round on him.
‘To be sure she has; a drunken father who beats his kids and a mother who has no time for them. Daddy, I should have known Jess was dead, because I dreamed of her, when we were coming home in the guard’s van. She begged me to take care of the baby . . . she said Mollie was her heart’s darling and she didn’t want her thrown on the world’s mercy, for it has none. What can I do but try to take care of Mollie for her?’
‘But the parents will want her back; the police will be round here . . .’
Brogan knelt on the floor and put the baby down beside the dead girl and Mollie touched the cold, white face, then turned back to him. She scrambled back on to his knees and pushed her thumb into her mouth, then turned her face into him. Brogan tucked her back inside his coat and looked squarely at the ring of faces surrounding him. ‘Well, fellers? What would you do?’
There was a long, long pause whilst each man consulted his own thoughts, his own conscience. Then Paddy spoke for them all.
‘If I had a dream like that, sure an’ I’d keep the littl’un as long as I was able. But it’ll be a hard road for you, Brogan me boy. I must say, I don’t hold wit’ fathers who rule their kids wit’ their belts nor mothers who give birth and then hand their babbies over to the older kids to bring up, but there’s laws in England same as there are back home. It won’t be easy.’
Peader looked thoughtfully around the cabin, at the faces in the glow from the coke burner, all serious, concerned.
‘You must go home, boy,’ he said after a moment. ‘Right away, you must go home. We’ll tell the authorities we found the lass on the line, it’ll be a while before they know who she is or where she hails from, and we’ll say nothing about the baby.’ He smiled at his son. ‘Ah, your mammy’s wanted a girl all her life, aren’t you the lucky fella to be bringin’ her a little daughter!’
‘Home!’ Brogan could feel a smile starting. To go home – and with such a gift for his beloved mammy! ‘Oh, but someone’s bound to notice the baby
‘Aye, no doubt.’ Peader looked across at his son. ‘’Tis a sad and cruel way to go, son,’ he said carefully. ‘And we’d all have give our right hands to save the child’s life, but it’s happened. We’ve all seen death before, the death of an innocent. You must never blame yourself, for I know you, Brog. You’ll start thinkin’ that if you’d not taken the baby, if you’d left her here, the girl might be alive now. Well, I’m tellin’ you, son, that first it was the will o’ God and second that if you’d left the baby it might have been that little one who died. She could have pulled the coke burner over . . .’
Brogan was staring at the dark bundle, which had once been a loving, caring girl. Now he leaned forward and pulled back the coat. He gazed at the girl’s face and suddenly his dream came back to him in every detail, he could hear her voice, low, pleading, speaking to him from the heart.
You’ll tek care of ’er for me, Brogan? You’ll take care of me heart’s darling? You won’t throw her on the world’s mercy, when it don’t ’ave none?
‘Brogan? She was a good girl she was, she’ll not bear you any grudge, nor haunt you in any way.’
His father’s voice was fairly throbbing with the intensity of his feelings, and he put a hand out to draw the coat back over the dead face, but Brogan stopped him.
‘In a moment, Daddy,’ he said gently. ‘But Mollie must look her last on her sister.’ He drew the baby, rosy and only just stirring, out of the breast of his coat. ‘See, Mollie? That’s your sister who loved you, who died for you. She wanted me to take care of you for her, and I’ll not disappoint her.’
‘Take care of her? But she’s got parents . . . brothers and sisters . . .’ Peader said doubtfully, only to have his son round on him.
‘To be sure she has; a drunken father who beats his kids and a mother who has no time for them. Daddy, I should have known Jess was dead, because I dreamed of her, when we were coming home in the guard’s van. She begged me to take care of the baby . . . she said Mollie was her heart’s darling and she didn’t want her thrown on the world’s mercy, for it has none. What can I do but try to take care of Mollie for her?’
‘But the parents will want her back; the police will be round here . . .’
Brogan knelt on the floor and put the baby down beside the dead girl and Mollie touched the cold, white face, then turned back to him. She scrambled back on to his knees and pushed her thumb into her mouth, then turned her face into him. Brogan tucked her back inside his coat and looked squarely at the ring of faces surrounding him. ‘Well, fellers? What would you do?’
There was a long, long pause whilst each man consulted his own thoughts, his own conscience. Then Paddy spoke for them all.
‘If I had a dream like that, sure an’ I’d keep the littl’un as long as I was able. But it’ll be a hard road for you, Brogan me boy. I must say, I don’t hold wit’ fathers who rule their kids wit’ their belts nor mothers who give birth and then hand their babbies over to the older kids to bring up, but there’s laws in England same as there are back home. It won’t be easy.’
Peader looked thoughtfully around the cabin, at the faces in the glow from the coke burner, all serious, concerned.
‘You must go home, boy,’ he said after a moment. ‘Right away, you must go home. We’ll tell the authorities we found the lass on the line, it’ll be a while before they know who she is or where she hails from, and we’ll say nothing about the baby.’ He smiled at his son. ‘Ah, your mammy’s wanted a girl all her life, aren’t you the lucky fella to be bringin’ her a little daughter!’
‘Home!’ Brogan could feel a smile starting. To go home – and with such a gift for his beloved mammy! ‘Oh, but someone’s bound to notice the baby
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