Page:Lady Athlyne (IA ladyathlyne00stok).pdf/17

 People would begin to believe you. What is forty anyhow!" The other answered sententiously:

"What is forty? Not old for a wife! Young for a widow! Death for a maid! "

"Really Aunt Judy" said the girl smiling "one would think you wish to be an old maid. Even I know better than that—and Father thinks I am younger and more ignorant than the yellow chick that has just pecked its way out of the shell. The woman has not yet been born—nor ever will be—who wants to be an old maid."

Judith Hayes raised herself on one elbow and said calmly:

"Or a young one, my dear!" Then as if pleased with her epigram she sank back on her pillow with a smile. Joy paused; she did not know what to say. A diversion came from the stewardess who had all the time stood ill the doorway waiting for some sort of instructions:

"Bedad, Miss Hayes, it's to Ireland ye ought to come. A lovely young lady like yerself—for all yer jabber about an ould maid iv forty—wouldn't be let get beyant Queenstown, let alone the Mall in Cork. Bedad if ye was in Athlone its the shillelaghs that would be out an' the byes all fightin' for who'd get the hould on to ye first. Whisper me now, is it coddin' us ye be doin' or what?" Joy turned round to her, her face all dimpled with laughter, and said:

"That's the way to talk to her Mrs. O'Brien. You just take her in hand; and when we get to Queenstown find some nice big Irishman to carry her off."

"Bedad I will! An sorra the shtruggle she'd make agin it anyhow I'm thinkin'!" Aunt Judy laughed:

"Joy" she said "you'd better be careful yourself or maybe she'd put on some of her bachelor press-gang to abduct you."

"Don't you be onaisy about that ma'am," said Mrs. O'Brien quietly "I've fixed that already! When I seen