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"Degrade you?" said he. "Foolish lass! Come in to your dinner."
When these two did come in to dinner – nearly a quarter of an hour late – their hostess looked anxiously from one to the other. But what could she perceive? Mary Avon was somewhat pale, and she was silent: but that had been her way of late. As for the Laird, he came in whistling the tune of the Queen's Maries, which was a strange grace before meat, and he looked airily around him at the walls.
"I would just like to know," said he lightly, "whether there is a single house in all Scotland where ye will not find an engraving of one or other of Mr. Thomas Faed's pictures in some one of the rooms?"
And he preserved this careless and indifferent demeanour during dinner. After dinner he strolled into the library. He would venture upon a small cigar. His sole companion was the person whose humble duty in this household is to look after financial matters, so that other folks may enjoy themselves in idleness.
The Laird lay back in an easy chair, stretched out his legs, lit his cigar, and held it at arm's length, as if it were something that ought to be looked at at a distance.
"You had something to do with the purchase of Miss Mary's American stock, eh?" said he, pretending to be concerned about the end of the cigar.
"Yes."
"What was it?"
"Funded Five per Cent."
"What would be about the value of it now?"
"Just now? Oh, perhaps 106, or 107."
"No, no, no. I mean, if the bonds that that ill-faured scoondrel carried away with him were to be sold the now, what money, what English money, would they fetch?"
But this required some calculation.
"Probably about 7,300*l*."
"I was asking," said the Laird, "because I was wondering whether there was any chance of tracing them."
"Not the least. They are like bank-notes – more useful indeed, to a swindler than even bank-notes."
"Ay, is that so?" said the Laird; and he seemed to be so charmed with his whistling of the air of Queen's Maries that he returned to that performance. Oddly enough, however, he never ventured beyond the first line: perhaps he was afraid of missing the tune.
"Seven thousand, three hundred," said he, meditatively. "Man, that's a strong cigar – little, and black, and strong. Seven thousand, three hundred. Girls are strange craytures. I remember what that young Doctor was saying once about weemen being better able to bear pain than men, and not so much afraid of it either – "
And here the Queen's Maries came in again.
"It would be a strange thing," said the Laird, with a sort of rueful laugh, "if I were to have a steam yacht all to myself, and cruise about in search of company, eh? No, no; that will not do. My neighbours in Strathgovan will never say that I deserted them, just when great improvements and serious work have to be looked forward to. I will not have it said that I ran away, just to pleasure myself. Howard, my lad," he added, imaginatively addressing his absent nephew, "I doubt but ye'll have to whistle for that steam yacht."
The Laird rose.
"I think I will smoke in the garden now: it is a fine evening."
He turned at the door, and seemed suddenly to perceive a pair of stag's horns over the chimney-piece.
"That's a grand set o' horns," said he; and then he added carelessly, "What bank did ye say they American bonds were in?"
"The London and Westminster."
"They're just a noble pair o' horns," said he emphatically. "I wonder ye do not take them with ye to London." And then he left.
CHAPTER VIII.
A RELEASE
We had a long spell ashore at this time, for we were meditating a protracted voyage, and everything had to be left ship-shape behind us. The Laird was busy from morning till night; but it would appear that all his attention was not wholly given to the affairs of Strathgovan. Occasionally he surprised his hostess by questions which had not the least reference to asphalte pavements or gymnasium chains. He kept his own counsel, nevertheless.
By and by his mysterious silence so piqued and provoked her that she seized a favourable opportunity for asking him, point-blank, whether he had not spoken to Mary Avon. They were in the garden at the time, he seated on an iron seat, with a bundle of papers beside him; she standing on the gravel-path with some freshly-cut flowers in her hand. There was a little colour in her face, for she feared that the question might be deemed impertinent; yet, after all, it was no idle curiosity that prompted her to ask it. Was she not as much interested in the girl's happiness as any one could be?
"I have," said he, looking up at her calmly.
Well, she knew that. Was this all the answer she was to get?
"I beg your pardon, ma'am," said he, after a second, "if I seem to be making a mystery where there is no mystery. I hate all foolishness like that. I do not myself believe there is anything of the kind; but I will just ask ye to wait for a day or two before speaking to the lass herself. After that, I will leave it all in your hands. I trust ye will consider that I have done my part."
"Oh, I am sure of that, sir," said she: though how could she be sure?
"There is not much I would not do for that lass," said he, somewhat absently. "She has a wonderful way of getting a grip of one's heart, as it were. And if I could have wished that things had turned out otherwise – "
The Laird did not finish the sentence. He seemed to rouse himself.
"Toots! toots!" said he, frowning. "When we are become men, we have to put away childish things. What is the use of crying for the moon? There, ma'am, is something serious and practical to consider – something better worth considering than childish dreams and fancies."
And then, with much lucidity and with a most dispassionate parade of arguments on both sides, he put before her this knotty question: whether it was a fit and proper thing for a body like the Strathgovan Commissioners to own public-house property? That was the general question. The immediate question was whether the "William Wallace" public-house, situated in the Netherbiggins road, should be re-let or summarily closed? On the one hand it was contended that the closing of the "William Wallace" would only produce a greater run on the other licensed houses; on the other hand, it was urged that a body like the commissioners should set an example and refuse to encourage a mischievous traffic. Now the Laird's own view of the liquor question – which he always put forward modestly, as subject to the opinion of those who had had a wider legislative and administrative experience than himself – was, that the total suppression of the liquor traffic was a chimera; and that a practical man should turn to see what could be done in the way of stringent police regulations. He was proceeding to expound these points when he suddenly caught sight of the Youth, who had appeared at the gate, with two long fishing rods over his shoulder. He dropped his voice.
"That just reminds me, ma'am," said he. "I am greatly obliged to ye – my nephew equally so – for your great kindness to him. I think it will not be necessary for him to trespass on your forbearance any longer."
"I don't quite understand you."
"I think I will let him go back to his own pursuits now," said the Laird.
"Oh, no," she said. "By all means let him come with us to Stornoway. He has been very good in not grumbling over any inconvenience. You would not send him away – just as we are going to start on our longest cruise?"
She could not say anything further at the moment, for the Youth came up the gravel-path and threw the two huge rods on to the lawn.
"Look there, uncle!" he cried. "I don't care what size of lithe you get on the line, I'll bet those rods won't break, any way. Sutherland used to be lamenting over the big fish you lost up in the north: try them with those things!"
Here their hostess passed on and into the house with her flowers. Uncle and nephew were left by themselves.
"Howard, lad," said the elder of the two men, "bring that chair over, and sit opposite me, I do not want my papers to be disturbed. There are one or two matters of business I would like to put before ye."
The Youth did as he was bid. The Laird paused for a second or two; then he began —
"When I asked ye to come to the Highlands," said he, slowly, "I put an alternative before ye, with certain consequences. There were two things, one of which I wanted ye to do. Ye have done neither."
Howard Smith looked somewhat alarmed: his hostess was not there to put a jocular air over that bargain.
"Well, sir," he stammered, "I – I could not do what was impossible. I – I have done my best."
"Nevertheless," said the Laird, in a matter-of-fact way, "neither has been done. I will not say it has been altogether your fault. So far as I have seen, ye have been on very good terms with the young leddy; and – and – yes, paid her what attention was expected of ye; and – "
"Well, you see, uncle," he interposed, eagerly, "what was the use of my proposing to the girl only to be snubbed? Don't I know she cares no more about me than about the man in the moon? Why, anybody could see that. Of course, you know, if you insist on it – if you drive me to it – if you want me to go in and get snubbed – I'll do it. I'll take my chance. But I don't think it's fair. I mean," he added hastily, "I don't think it is necessary."
"I do not wish to drive ye to anything," said the Laird – on any other occasion he might have laughed at the Youth's ingenuousness, but now he had serious business on hand. "I am content to take things as they are. Neither of the objects I had in view has been accomplished; perhaps both were impossible; who can tell what lies in store for any of us, when we begin to plan and scheme? However, I am not disposed to regard it as your fault. I will impose no fine or punishment, as if we were playing at theatre-acting. I have neither kith nor kin of my own; and it is my wish that, at my death, Denny-mains should go to you – "
The Youth's face turned red; yet he did not know how to express his gratitude. It did not quite seem a time for sentiment; the Laird was talking in such a matter-of-fact way.
" – Subject to certain conditions," he continued. "First of all, I spoke some time ago of spending a sum of 3,000*l.* on a steam yacht. Dismiss that from your mind. I cannot afford it; neither will you be able."
The young man stared at this. For although he cared very little about the steam yacht – having a less liking for the sea than some of us – he was surprised to hear that a sum like 3,000*l.* was even a matter for consideration to a reputedly rich man like his uncle.
"Oh, certainly, sir," said he. "I don't at all want a steam yacht."
"Very well, we will now proceed."
The Laird took up one of the documents beside him, and began to draw certain lines on the back of it.
"Ye will remember," said he, pointing with his pencil, "that where the estate proper of Denny-mains runs out to the Coulter-burn Road, there is a piece of land belonging to me, on which are two tenements, yielding together, I should say, about 300*l.* a year. By and by, if a road should be cut so – across to the Netherbiggins road – that land will be more valuable; many a one will be wanting to feu that piece then, mark my words. However, let that stand by. In the meantime I have occasion for a sum of ten thousand three hundred pounds – "
The Youth looked still more alarmed: had his uncle been speculating?
" – and I have considered it my duty to ask you, as the future proprietor of Denny-mains in all human probability, whether ye would rather have these two tenements sold, with as much of the adjoining land as would make up that sum, or whether ye would have the sum made a charge on the estate generally, and take your chance of that land rising in value? What say ye?"
The Laird had been prepared for all this; but the Youth was not. He looked rather frightened.
"I should be sorry to hear, sir," he stammered, "that – that – you were pressed for money – "
"Pressed for money!" said the Laird severely; "I am not pressed for money. There is not a square yard of Denny-mains with a farthing of mortgage on it. Come, let's hear what ye have to say."
"Then," said the young man, collecting his wits, "my opinion is, that a man should do what he likes with his own."
"That's well said," returned the Laird, much mollified. "And I'm no sure but that if we were to roup that land, that quarrelsome body Johnny Guthrie might not be trying to buy it; and I would not have him for a neighbour on any consideration. Well, I will write to Todd and Buchanan about it at once."
The Laird rose and began to bundle his papers together. The Youth laid hold of the fishing-rods, and was about to carry them off somewhere, when he was suddenly called back.
"Dear me!" said the Laird, "my memory's going. There was another thing I was about to put before ye, lad. Our good friends here have been very kind in asking ye to remain so long. I'm thinking ye might offer to give up your state-room before they start on this long trip. Is there any business or occupation ye would like to be after in the south?"
The flash of light that leapt to the young man's face!
"Why, uncle!" he exclaimed eagerly, diving his hand into his pocket, "I have twice been asked by old Barnes to go to his place – the best partridge shooting in Bedfordshire – "
But the Youth recollected himself.
"I mean," said he seriously, "Barnes, the swell solicitor, don't you know – Hughes, Barnes, and Barnes. It would be an uncommonly good thing for me to stand well with them. They are just the making of a young fellow at the bar when they take him up. Old Barnes's son was at Cambridge with me; but he doesn't do anything – an idle fellow – cares for nothing but shooting and billiards. I really ought to cultivate old Barnes."
The Laird eyed him askance.
"Off ye go to your pairtridge-shooting, and make no more pretence," said he; and then he added, "And look here, my lad, when ye leave this house I hope ye will express in a proper form your thanks for the kindness ye have received. No, no; I do not like the way of you English in that respect. Ye take no notice of anything. Ye receive a man's hospitality for a week, a fortnight, a month; and then ye shake hands with him at the door; and walk out – as if nothing had happened! These may be good manners in England; they are not here."
"I can't make a speech, uncle," said the Youth slyly. "They don't teach us those things at the English public schools."
"Ye gowk," said the Laird severely, "do ye think I want ye to make a speech like Norval on the Grampian Hills? I want ye to express in proper language your thankfulness for the attention and kindness that have been bestowed on ye. What are ye afraid of? Have ye not got a mouth? From all that I can hear the English have a wonderful fluency of speech, when there is no occasion for it at all: bletherin' away like twenty steam-engines, and not a grain of wheat to be found when a' the stour is laid."
CHAPTER IX.
"WHILE THE RIPPLES FOLD UPON SANDS OF GOLD."
The days passed, and still the Laird professed to be profoundly busy; and our departure for the north was further and further postponed. The Youth had at first expressed his intention of waiting to see us off; which was very kind on his part, considering how anxious he was to cultivate the acquaintance of that important solicitor. His patience, however, at last gave out; and he begged to be allowed to start on a certain morning. The evening before we walked down to the shore with him, and got pulled out to the yacht, and sate on deck while he went below to pack such things as had been left in his state-room.
"It will be a strange thing," said our gentle Admiral-in-chief, "for us to have a cabin empty. That has never happened to us in the Highlands, all the time we have been here. It will be a sort of ghost's room; we shall not dare to look into it for fear of seeing something to awaken old memories."
She put her hand in her pocket, and drew out some small object.
"Look," said she, quite sentimentally.
It was only a bit of pencil: if it had been the skull of Socrates she could not have regarded it with a greater interest.
"It is the pencil Angus used to mark our games with. I found it in the saloon the day before yesterday;" and then she added, almost to herself, "I wonder where he is now."
The answer to this question startled us.
"In Paris," said the Laird.
But no sooner had he uttered the words than he seemed somewhat embarrassed.
"That is, I believe so," he said hastily. "I am not in correspondence with him. I do not know for certain. I have heard – it has been stated to me – that he might perhaps remain until the end of this week in Paris before going on to Naples."
He appeared rather anxious to avoid being further questioned. He began to discourse upon certain poems of Burns, whom he had once or twice somewhat slightingly treated. He was now bent on making ample amends. In especial, he asked whether his hostess did not remember the beautiful verse in "Mary Morison," which describes the lover looking on at the dancing of a number of young people, and conscious only that his own sweetheart is not there?
"Do ye remember it, ma'am?" said he; and he proceeded to repeat it for her —
'Yestreen, when to the trembling string
The dance gaed through the lighted ha',
To thee my fancy took its wing,
I sat, but neither heard nor saw.
'Though this was fair, and that was braw,
And yon the toast of a' the town,
I sighed and said amang them a',
"Ye are na Mary Morison."'
– Beautiful, beautiful, is it not? And that is an extraordinary business – and as old as the hills too – of one young person waling2 out another as the object of all the hopes of his or her life; and nothing will do but that one. Ye may show them people who are better to look at, richer, cleverer; ye may reason and argue; ye may make plans, and what not: it is all of no use. And people who have grown up, and who forgot what they themselves were at twenty or twenty-five, may say what they like about the foolishness of a piece of sentiment; and they may prove to the young folks that this madness will not last, and that they should marry for more substantial reasons; but ye are jist talking to the wind! Madness or not madness, it is human nature; and ye might jist as well try to fight against the tides. I will say this, too," continued the Laird, and as he warmed to his subject, he rose, and began to pace up and down the deck, "if a young man were to come and tell me that he was ready to throw up a love-match for the sake of prudence and worldly advantage, I would say to him: 'Man, ye are a poor crayture. Ye have not got the backbone of a mouse in ye.' I have no respect for a young man who has prudence beyond his years; not one bit. If it is human nature for a man of fifty years to laugh at sentiment and romance, it is human nature for a man at twenty-five to believe in it; and he who does not believe in it then, I say is a poor crayture. He will never come to anything. He may make money; but he will be a poor stupid ass all his days, just without those experiences that make life a beautiful thing to look back on."
He came and sate down by Mary Avon.
"Perhaps a sad thing, too," said he, as he took her hand in his; "but even that is better than a dull causeway, with an animal trudging along and sorely burdened with the world's wealth. And now, my lass, have ye got everything tight and trim for the grand voyage?"
"She has been at it again, sir," says his hostess, interposing. "She wants to set out for the south to-morrow morning."
"It would be a convenient chance for me," said the girl simply. "Mr. Smith might be good enough to see me as far as Greenock – though, indeed, I don't at all mind travelling by myself. I must stop at Kendal – is that where the junction is? – for I promised the poor old woman who died in Edinburgh that I would call and see some relations of hers who live near Windermere."
"They can wait, surely?" said the Laird, with frowning eyebrows, as if the poor people at Windermere had attempted to do him some deadly injury.
"Oh, there is no hurry for them," said she. "They do not even know I am coming. But this chance of Mr. Smith going by the steamer to-morrow would be convenient."
"Put that fancy out of your head," said he with decision. "Ye are going to no Greenock, and to no Kendal, at the present time. Ye are going away with us to the north, to see such things as ye never saw before in your life. And if ye are anxious to get on with your work, I'll tell ye what I'll do. There's our Provost M'Kendrick has been many a time telling me of the fine salmon-fishing he got at the west side of Lewis – I think he said at a place called Gometra – "
"Grimersta," is here suggested.
"The very place. Ye shall paint a picture of Grimersta, my lass, on commission for the Provost. I authorise ye: if he will not take it, I will take it myself. Never mind what the place is like – the Provost has no more imagination than a boiled lobster; but he knows when he has good friends, and good fishing, and a good glass of whisky; and, depend on it, he'll be proud to have a picture of the place, on your own terms. I tell ye I authorise ye."
Here the Youth came on deck, saying he was now ready to go ashore.
"Do you know, sir," said his hostess, rising, "what Mary has been trying to get me to believe? – that she is afraid of the equinoctials!"
The Laird laughed aloud.
"That is a good one – that is a good one!" he cried. "I never heard a better story about Homesh."
"I know the gales are very wild here when they begin," said Miss Avon seriously. "Every one says so."
But the Laird only laughs the more, and is still chuckling to himself as he gets down into the gig: the notion of Mary Avon being afraid of anything – of fifteen dozen of equinoctial gales, for example – was to him simply ludicrous.
But a marked and unusual change came over the Laird's manner when we got back to Castle Osprey. During all the time he had been with us, although he had had occasionally to administer rebukes, with more or less of solemnity, he had never once lost his temper. We should have imagined it impossible for anything to have disturbed his serene dignity of demeanour. But now – when he discovered that there was no letter awaiting any one of us – his impatience seemed dangerously akin to vexation and anger. He would have the servants summoned and cross-examined. Then he would not believe them; but must needs search the various rooms for himself. The afternoon post had really brought nothing but a newspaper – addressed to the Laird – and that he testily threw into the waste-paper basket, without opening it. We had never seen him give way like this before.
At dinner, too, his temper was no better. He began to deride the business habits of the English people – which was barely civil. He said that the English feared the Scotch and the Germans just as the Americans feared the Chinese – because the latter were the more indefatigable workers. He declared that if the London men had less Amontillado sherry and cigarettes in their private office-rooms, their business would be conducted with much greater accuracy and dispatch. Then another thought struck him: were the servants prepared to swear that no registered letter had been presented in the afternoon, and taken away again because there was no one in the house to sign the receipt? Inquiry being made, it was found that no such letter had been presented. But finally, when the turmoil about this wretched thing was at its height, the Laird was pressed to say from which part of the country the missive was expected. From London, he said. It was then pointed out to him that the London letters were usually sent along in the evening – sometimes as late as eight or nine o'clock. He went on with his dinner, grumbling.
Sure enough, before he had finished dinner, a footstep was heard on the gravel outside. The Laird, without any apology, jumped up and went to the window.
"There's the postman," said he, as he resumed his seat. "Ye might give him a shilling, ma'am: it is a long climb up the hill."
It was the postman, no doubt; and he had brought a letter, but it was not for the Laird. We were all apprehensive of a violent storm when the servant passed on and handed this letter to Mary Avon. But the Laird said nothing. Miss Avon, like a properly-conducted school-girl, put the letter in her pocket.
There was no storm. On the contrary, the Laird got quite cheerful. When his hostess hoped that no serious inconvenience would result from the non-arrival of the letter, he said, "Not the least!" He began and told us the story of the old lady who endeavoured to engage the practical Homesh – while he was collecting tickets – in a disquisition on the beauties of Highland scenery, and who was abruptly bidden to "mind her own pussness"; we had heard the story not more than thirty-eight times, perhaps, from various natives of Scotland.
But the letter about which the Laird had been anxious had – as some of us suspected – actually arrived, and was then in Mary Avon's pocket. After dinner the two women went into the drawing-room. Miss Avon sate down to the piano, and began to play, idly enough, the air called Heimweh. Of what home was she thinking then – this waif and stray among the winds of the world?
Tea was brought in. At last the curiosity of the elder woman could no longer be restrained.
"Mary," said she, "are you not going to read that letter?"
"Dear me!" said the girl, plunging into her pocket. "I had forgotten I had a letter to read."
She took it out and opened it, and began to read. Her face looked puzzled at first, then alarmed. She turned to her friend.
"What is it? What can it mean?" she said, in blank dismay; and the trembling fingers handed her the letter.
Her friend had less difficulty in understanding; although, to be sure, before she had finished this perfectly plain and matter-of-fact communication, there were tears in her eyes. It was merely a letter from the manager of a bank in London, begging to inform Miss Avon that he had just received, through Messrs. Todd and Buchanan, of Glasgow, a sum of 10,300*l.* to be placed to her credit. He was also desired to say, that this sum was entirely at her own free disposal; but the donor would prefer – if she had no objection – that it should be invested in some home security, either in a good mortgage, or in the Metropolitan Board of Works Stock. It was a plain and simple letter.
"Oh, Mary, don't you understand – don't you understand?" said she. "He meant to have given you a steam yacht, if – if you married Howard Smith. He has given you all the money you lost; and the steam yacht too. And there is not a word of regret about all his plans and schemes being destroyed. And this is the man we have all been making fun of."
In her conscious self-abasement she did not perceive how bewildered – how absolutely frightened – this girl was. Mary Avon took back the letter mechanically; she stood silent for a second or two; then she said, almost in a whisper —
"Giving me all that money! Oh, I cannot take it – I cannot take it! I should not have stayed here – I should not have told him anything – I – I – wish to go away – "
But the common sense of the elder woman came to her rescue. She took the girl's hand firmly, and said —
"You shall not go away. And when it is your good fortune to meet with such a friend as that, you shall not wound him and insult him by refusing what he has given to you. No; but you will go at once and thank him."
"I cannot – I cannot," she said, with both her hands trembling. "What shall I say? How can I thank him? If he were my own father or brother, how could I thank him? – "
Her friend left the room for a second, and returned.
"He is in the library alone," said she. "Go to him. And do not be so ungrateful as to even speak of refusing."
The girl had no time to compose any speech. She walked to the library door, timidly tapped at it, and entered. The Laird was seated in an easy-chair, reading.
When he saw her come in – he had been expecting a servant with coffee, probably – he instantly put aside his book.
"Well, Miss Mary?" said he cheerfully.
She hesitated. She could not speak; her throat was choking. And then, scarcely knowing what she did, she sank down before him, and put her head and her hands on his knees, and burst out crying and sobbing. And all that he could hear of any speech-making, or of any gratitude, or thanks, was only two words —
"My father!"
He put his hand gently on the soft black hair.
"Child," said he, "it is nothing. I have kept my word."
