'I knew you'd come back. At first there were bits in the newspaper
about you, and the people told me things-but these last years there has
been nothing, nothing at all.
'I'm sorry. ' Sean sobered.
'You're a bad boy. ' She was sparkling with excitement, her hair had
escaped from its bun and a wisp of it hung down her cheek. 'But it's
so good to have you back-' and suddenly she was crying.
'Don't, Ma. Please don't. ' He had never seen her cry before.
'It's just that ... It's the surprise. ' She brushed impatiently at
her tears. 'It's nothing. ' Desperately Sean sought something to
distract her. 'Hey!'
he exclaimed with relief,
'I've another surprise for you.
'Later, ' she protested. 'One at a time.'
'This won't wait.' He led her to the door and out on to the front
stoep with his arm around her shoulders.
'Dirk,' he shouted. 'Come here.'
He felt her standing very still as they watched Dirk coming up the
garden walk.
'This is your Gran'a. ' He introduced them.
'Why is she crying? ' Dirk eyed her with frank curiosity.
Later they sat at the table in the kitchen while Ada and Mary plied
them with food. Ada Courtney believed that the first thing to do with
a man was feed him.
Mary was almost as excited as Ada, she had taken full advantage of the
few minutes she had been alone, and now her hair was freshly brushed
and she wore a gay new apron, but the powder with which she had tried
to cover the terrible disfiguration of the skin served only to call
attention to it. In sympathy Sean refrained from looking at her, and
Mary noticed. Shyly she devoted herself to winning Dirk's attention.
She fussed over him quietly-and Dirk accepted this as the natural order
of things.
While they ate Sean filled in the missing years for Ada with a brief
outline of his activities, glossing over the death of Dirk's mother,
and other things of which he had no reason to be proud.
He came to the end of it.
'And so here we are.
'Home is the sailor, home from the sea, And the hunter home from the
hill.' Dirk, don't put so much in your mouth and keep it closed when
YOU chew.
'How long will you stay? Mary, see if there are any cream puffs in the
jar-Dirk is still hungry,' said Ada.
'You'll make him sick. I don't know; not long though-there's a war on.
' 'You're going to join?'
'Yes. ' 'Oh, Sean. Must you?' Knowing that he must. While he
selected a cheroot from his case Sean studied her closely for the first
time. There was grey now as he had known there would be, almost as
much grey as black; long streaks of it across her temples and the
texture of her skin had altered, losing the moisture of youth, drying
