Nora waves her cigarette. I am, she says, and enjoying it down to the
last ash.
Every puff you take, he starts.
I know, she says, Im taking food out of the mouths of my children.
Youre insolent, woman.Youll get no charity here.
Is that a fact? Well,Mr.Quinlivan,if I dont get it here I know where
I will.
What are you talking about?
Ill go to the Quakers.Theyll give me the charity.
Mr. Quinlivan steps toward Nora and points a finger. Do you know
what we have here? We have a souper in our midst.We had the soupers
in the Famine.The Protestants went round telling good Catholics that
if they gave up their faith and turned Protestant theyd get more soup
than their bellies could hold and, God help us, some Catholics took the
soup,and were ever after known as soupers and lost their immortal souls
doomed to the deepest part of hell.And you, woman, if you go to the
Quakers youll lose your immortal soul and the souls of your children.
Then, Mr. Quinlivan, youll have to save us, wont you?
He stares at her and she stares back at him. His eyes wander to the
other women. One puts her hand to her mouth to smother a laugh.
What are you tittering about? he barks.
Oh, nothing, Mr. Quinlivan. Honest to God.
Im telling ye once more, no boots. And he slams the door
behind him.
One by one the women are called into the room. When Nora
comes out shes smiling and waving a piece of paper. Boots, she says.
Three pairs Im gettin for my children.Threaten the men in there with
the Quakers and theyll give you the drawers off their arses.
When Mam is called she brings Malachy and me in with her.We
stand before a table where three men are sitting asking questions. Mr.
Quinlivan starts to say something but the man in the middle says,
Enough out of you,Quinlivan.If we left it up to you wed have the poor
people of Limerick jumping into the arms of the Protestants.
He turns to Mam, he wants to know where she got that fine red
coat. She tells him what she told the women outside and when she
comes to the death of Margaret she shakes and sobs. She tells the men
shes very sorry for crying like that but it was only a few months ago
and shes not over it yet, not even knowing where her baby was buried
if she was buried at all, not knowing even if she was baptized itself
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