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By Root 1171 0

grinding his teeth. Everything about him was capable of awakening the Major’s irritation: his overbearing manner; the way he always insisted on being right, flatly stating his opinions in a loud and abusive tone without paying any attention to what the other fellow was saying; and the unjust way in which he dealt with the twins, locking them up for telling lies when he himself was in the process of telling them, tyrannizing them unmercifully whenever the whim crossed his mind. But no less offensive were Edward’s demonstrations of tenderness towards these same twins, the mildness and self-mockery that cohabited uneasily with his ferocity and conviction of always being in the right. “He’s weak and sentimental,” the Major would think on these occasions. “How can I have ever liked the chap?” Even Edward’s clothes, the impeccable cut of his suits and the creases in his trousers, became an affront. “Don’t you think that Edward looks like a tailor’s dummy?” he remarked one day to Miss Archer as Edward sauntered past. Indeed, the only satisfactory thing about Edward was his evident liking for the Major. “He can’t help but admire me because I did what his wash-out of a son should have done. What a joke!”

Perhaps it was inevitable that sooner or later the Major and Edward should have a row.

“The Black and Tans who sacked Balbriggan should be punished,” the Major said one day after he had glimpsed Edward and Sarah walking together on the terrace outside the dining-room. Edward looked at him, irritated and surprised—it had obviously never occurred to him that the Major might not approve of reprisals.

“Or perhaps you think that there should be one law for them and one law for other people?” went on the Major aggressively.

“But, Brendan, a man was killed in cold blood.”

“That’s still no reason for going on the rampage.”

“A man was murdered. These people have to be taught a lesson.”

“By all means let the culprits be taught a lesson. And leave law-abiding people alone.”

“Ach, they’re all the same. They laugh behind their hands when one of our chaps is killed.”

“That’s not against the law. Burning people’s houses is.”

“But how can the police possibly be expected to find who’s guilty and who isn’t when they’re all in it together?” shouted Edward, losing his temper. “Dammit, man! Be reasonable.”

“If they don’t know who’s guilty they should find out before going berserk and punishing people at random the way they did at Balbriggan.”

“I don’t want to hear any more of this. If you don’t care about the poor fellow who was killed doing his duty, I do!” And with that Edward strode away, clenching and unclenching his fists furiously. After a few strides he paused and shouted back: “Are you disloyal, Major, or what?” Then he departed without waiting for a reply.

Edward muttered an apology later in the day for this last abusive question and the Major, who was ashamed of himself, murmured sadly that that was quite all right, he hadn’t taken it to heart. Later the Major wondered why he should feel ashamed of himself. After all, he genuinely believed in what he had said to Edward.

“If the R.I.C. take to behaving as badly as the Shinners,” he remarked to Miss Archer, “pretty soon the whole country will be in chaos and it’ll be every man for himself.”

Later again the painful image of Edward and Sarah walking together on the terrace came to his mind.

“She’s a Catholic and he’s old enough to be her father,” he told himself sourly.

“This is no place for a young man to spend his time, surrounded by a lot of old women,” Miss Archer said to the Major with a smile.

“Yes, perhaps I shall still go to Italy...Florence maybe, or Naples. But I hear that travelling abroad is becoming impossible. All the papers one needs...not like before the war when all you needed was a ticket. But you’re quite right, Sybil. I must make up my mind.”

And yes, the Major was seriously thinking of leaving Kilnalough. Now that relations were strained between himself and Edward there was even less reason to stay. He could go anywhere in the world. He no longer had any