Willy Burke, or, The Irish orphan in America - Digital Repository ...

54 WILLY BURKE; OR,
a justification of her secret fears. But when she heard
all— the jibing sneers wherewith one of the holiest sacraments
of the Church had been spoken of ; her son's un-
dutiful and ungrateful message, and, worse than all, his
silence when his religion was so basely reyiled—when she
heard all this (even though her son told her nothing of
the contemptuous epithets bestowed on herself), it seemed
as though a fearful weight fell suddenly and crushingly
on her heart, and, sinking back in her chair, she covered
her face with her hands. But no tear came to her relief,
for her eyes were dry and burning, and for some seconds
she spoke not a word.
Willy and the little girls were alarmed by her silence,
and all three gathered fondly around her, beseeching her
to speak to them. " Sure, mother darlin' !" said Willy,
twining his arm around her neck, " sure it 's not so bad
but it might be worse. God loves you too well to let
an' I 'm sure if you go to see him
Pether come to harm ;
yourself you '11 find him as good an' dutiful as ever, for I
know he loves you in his heart, poor fellow ! an' it 's only
the bad advice that made him act that way".
" An' you 're right enough, my own darlin' son", cried
his mother, starting to her feet ; " thanks be to God I
can still take him home, for I 'm sure he '11 not disobey
me when I bid him come with me. Plase the Lord, I '11
go in the mornin' early an' bring him home, an' if I only
get him safe out of it, a child o' mine '11 never set foot in
the same house ; I 'd sooner see ye, ay a thousand times,
go into a plague-house ! There now, Willy dear, sit
down to your supper ;
no, children, don't ask me, for my
heart's so full I couldn't ate a bit. When you 're done
your supper we '11 get our prayers said, an' go early to
bed, for I 'm not to say very well".