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- float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -/* DIV */ -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } -</style> -<title>DONALD ROSS OF HEIMRA (VOLUME I)</title> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="43052" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2013-06-28" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume I of 3)" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume I of 3)" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1891" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="William Black" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> - -<link href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" rel="schema.DCTERMS" /> -<link href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/" rel="schema.MARCREL" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.title" content="Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume I of 3)" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.source" content="/home/ajhaines/don1/donald1.rst" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.language" content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.modified" content="2016-06-30T20:14:28.899864+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.publisher" content="Project Gutenberg" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.rights" content="Public Domain in the USA." /> -<link href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43052" rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.creator" content="William Black" /> -<meta name="DCTERMS.created" content="2013-06-28" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" /> -<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" /> -<meta name="generator" content="Ebookmaker 0.4.0a5 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" /> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="donald-ross-of-heimra-volume-i"> -<h1 class="center document-title level-1 pfirst title"><span class="x-large">DONALD ROSS OF HEIMRA (VOLUME I)</span></h1> - -<!-- this is the default PG-RST stylesheet --> -<!-- figure and image styles for non-image formats --> -<!-- default transition --> -<!-- default attribution --> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="container language-en pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the </span><a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a><span> included with -this ebook or online at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>. If you -are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws -of the country where you are located before using this ebook.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>Title: Donald Ross of Heimra (Volume I of 3) -<br /> -<br />Author: William Black -<br /> -<br />Release Date: June 28, 2013 [EBook #43052] -<br /> -<br />Language: English -<br /> -<br />Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line"><span>*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>DONALD ROSS OF HEIMRA (VOLUME I OF 3)</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="container titlepage"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">DONALD ROSS OF HEIMRA</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">BY</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">WILLIAM BLACK</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><em class="italics medium">IN THREE VOLUMES.</em><span class="medium"> -<br />VOL. I.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">LONDON: -<br />SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & COMPANY -<br /></span><em class="italics medium">LIMITED.</em><span class="medium"> -<br />St. Dunstan's House -<br />FETTER LANE, FLEET STREET, E.C. -<br />1891.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">(</span><em class="italics small">All rights reserved.</em><span class="small">)</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="container verso"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">LONDON: -<br />PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED. -<br />STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">CONTENTS OF VOL. I.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">CHAPTER</span></p> -<ol class="upperroman simple"> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#godiva">Godiva</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#young-donald">Young Donald</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-cave-of-the-crowing-cock">The Cave of the Crowing Cock</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-baintighearna">The Baintighearna</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-meall-na-fearn-bog">The Meall-na-Fearn Bog</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#gilleasbuig-mor">Gilleasbuig Mòr</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-pirate-s-lair">The Pirate's Lair</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#face-to-face">Face to Face</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-battle-of-ru-minard">The Battle of Ru-Minard</a></p> -</li> -</ol> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="godiva"><span class="x-large">DONALD ROSS OF HEIMRA.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">CHAPTER I.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">GODIVA.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Well, Mary, it is a pretty plaything to have -given you—a Highland estate!—and no doubt -all your fine schemes will come right. But you -will have to change three things first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And these are human nature and the soil -and climate of Scotland."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Avaunt, Mephistopheles!—and go and give -that porter a shilling."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two speakers were on the platform of -Invershin station, on the Highland line of -railway. One of them was a tall young woman -of distinguished presence and somewhat -imperious carriage, as you could gather at a -first glance; but the next second, if she -happened to turn her face towards you, you would -have perceived that her expression meant -nothing but a bland gentleness and a -prevailing and excellent good-humour. Perhaps -it was the dimple in her cheek that did it—a -dimple that came there readily whenever she -regarded any one, and that seemed to say she -was very willing to be pleased and to please: -at all events, she found it easy, or had hitherto -found it easy, to make friends. For the rest, -she was of an erect and elegant figure; her -complexion fair; her eyes grey-green, and full -of light; her abundant hair of a sunny brown; -her features regular enough and fine enough -for all practical purposes. It was of this young -woman that her friend and now her travelling -companion, Kate Glendinning, was in the habit -of saying—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's one thing I will confess about Mary -Stanley: she's not quite honest. She is too -happy. She is so happy in herself that she -wants every one she meets to share in her -content; and she is apt to say clever and flattering -little things that are not quite true. It is for -no selfish purpose; quite the reverse: still—you -mustn't believe all that Mary says to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus Kate Glendinning of her dearest friend; -but if any one else had ventured to say similar -things in her presence—then, and right swiftly, -there would have been pretty tempests and -flashes of eye-lightning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now there came up to Miss Stanley a -short, stumpy, red-haired and red-bearded man -of extraordinary breadth of shoulder and bulk -of frame. He had a massive head despite his -diminutive height; his mouth, drawn heavily -down at each end, betokened a determined -will, not to say a dogged obstinacy; and his -small, clear, blue eyes, besides being sharp and -intelligent, had a curious kind of cold -aggressiveness in them—that is to say, when he was -not talking to one whom it was his interest -to propitiate, for then he could assume a sort -of clumsy humility, both in manner and speech. -This was Mr. David Purdie, solicitor, of -Inverness. </span><em class="italics">An Troich Bheag Dhearg</em><span>—that is to -say, the Little Red Dwarf—the people out at -Lochgarra called him; but Mr. Purdie did not -know that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The carriage is quite ready, Miss Stanley," -said he, in his slow, deliberate, south-country -accent; and therewithal the three of them -passed round to the back of the station and -entered the waggonette, Mr. Purdie modestly -taking a seat by the driver. The two young -ladies were well wrapped up, for it was in the -beginning of April, and they had fifty miles -before them, out to the Atlantic coast. Kate -Glendinning, in looking after her companion's -abundant furs and rugs, rather affected to play -the part of maid; for this shrewd and sensible -lass, who was in rather poor circumstances, had -consented to accept a salary from her friend -who was so much better off; and she performed -her various self-imposed duties with a tact and -discretion beyond all praise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And as they drove away on this clear-shining -afternoon, Mary Stanley's face was something -to study. She was all eagerness and -impatience; the colour mantled in her cheeks; her -brain was so busy that she had scarcely a word -for her neighbour. For she had heard a good -deal and read much more, in Parliamentary -debates and elsewhere, of the sufferings of the -crofters, of the iniquities that had been practised -on them by tyrannical landlords and factors, of -the lamentations of the poor homeless ones -thrust forth from their native shores; and now, -in this little bit of the world that had so -unexpectedly become hers, and in as far as she -was able, wrong was to be put right, amends -were to be made, and peace and amity, and -comfort and prosperity were to be established -for ever and ever. Perhaps the transcendental -vision of the prophet Isaiah was hunting her: -"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be -glad ... and the desert shall rejoice, and -blossom as the rose." And if she were to -summon back the poor exiles who had been -banished—banished to the slums of Glasgow, -perchance, or to the far plains of Manitoba?... -"And the ransomed of the Lord shall -return, and come to Zion with songs and -ever-lasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain -joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall -flee away." To be sure, as they now drove -along the wide and fertile valley that is -penetrated by the Kyle of Sutherland, she did not -meet with much evidence of the destitution she -had been led to expect. She had heard of -bleak wastes and sterile altitudes, of ruined huts -and dismantled steadings; but here, under the -softly-wooded hills, were long and level stretches -of arable land, the ploughmen busy at their -work; the occasional crofts were very far -indeed from being hovels; and the people whom -they saw, in the bits of gardens, or tending the -cattle, looked well-clothed and well-fed. She -ventured to hint something of this to her -companion; and Kate, glancing at her, began to -giggle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I really believe you are disappointed, Mary! -Is there not enough misery for you? But -never fear. If it's misery you're in search of, -you have seldom far to go for it, in this world. -Only I must tell you this—if you're so eager to -relieve distress—that there is more of wretchedness, -and crime, and squalor, and piteous human -suffering in a single square mile of the slums -of London or New York than you'll find in the -whole of the Highlands of Scotland."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That may be," said Miss Stanley, in her -calm and equable fashion. "But you see, -Käthchen, I have no call that way. I do not feel a -direct responsibility, as I do in this case—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is a responsibility you are making for -yourself," her friend said. "You know very -well it was not for that your uncle left you the -property. It was merely to spite your father -and your brothers."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There was a little more," was the good-natured -reply (for she did not seem to resent -this reference to her amiable relative). "I -think it was to spite the people out there as -well. My uncle and they never could get on; -and he was not a man who liked to be thwarted. -And of course he imagined that I, being a -woman, would not interfere; that I would -leave the estate to be managed by Mr. Purdie, -and simply receive the rents. Well," she -continued, and here she lowered her voice -somewhat, and there was a touch of colour in -her face that was perhaps the expression of -some definite resolve, "I may allow Mr. Purdie -to manage the estate, or I may not. But if -he does continues to manage the estate, it will -be under my direction."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen looked at her, and laughed a little.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't think Mr. Purdie knows whom he -has got to deal with," said she, under her breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They stopped that night at Oykel Bridge. -Miss Stanley invited Mr. Purdie to dine with -them; but he declined on the ground that he -had business in the neighbourhood—an odd -excuse, for the inn and its dependencies -constitute the remote little hamlet. The two young -women passed the evening by themselves, and -talked: the one with generous ardour entering -into all her wonderful schemes, the other (who -knew the country, and the people) interposing -now and again with a little modifying -information. But really Käthchen was not -unsympathetic. Her eyes, which were the attractive -feature of her face, sometimes expressed a trifle -of demure amusement; but she was not a -quarrelsome or argumentative creature; and -besides there is something about all fine -humanitarian projects that one would rather believe -in and welcome.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Next morning they resumed their drive, -and very soon entered a much wilder country -than that of the preceding day. Wilder but -nevertheless beautiful—with its range upon -range of russet hills, wine-stained here and -there with shadow; its woods of leafless birch -of a soft dark rose-lilac; its long undulations -of waste moorland, yellow and brown; with -now and again the sudden blue scythe-sweep -of the river. For now they were traversing -the lonely district of upper Strath-Oykel. Far -ahead of them rose the giant bulk of Ben More, -Assynt, its higher shoulders a solid mass of -white. The sunlight around them was -cheerful, no doubt; and yet there was a strange -sense of solitariness, of voicelessness; and -Mary, who was less concerned about the beauty -of the landscape than about certain problems -haunting her mind, called out to Mr. Purdie, -who was again up beside the driver—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Purdie, why are there no people living -in this country?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because there's nothing for them to live -on," was the laconic answer. "It's fit for -nothing but grazing sheep—and for grouse."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes—the hills, perhaps," said she. "But -look along the valley—by the side of the river."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, it's fine land, that," said he, grimly,—"for -a wheen pesewepes!" And indeed the -plovers were the only visible living things, -jerking about in the air, dipping suddenly to -the ground and swiftly rising again, with their -curious squeaking call, and the soft velvet -fluffing of their wings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, all that was nothing. By and by -they had left the Oykel strath, and had entered -upon a far higher and bleaker region, the -desolation of which appalled her. There was -not even the solitary shepherd's cottage they -had seen down in the other valley; here was -nothing but a wilderness of brown and ragged -moorland, with deep black clefts of peat, and -an occasional small tarn, without a bush along -its shores, its waters driven a deep blue by the -wind. Away in the west they could make out -the spectral shapes of the Assynt mountains—Coul -Beg, Coul More, and Suilven—remote -and visionary through the universal haze of -the heather-burning; but here, all around them, -were these endless and featureless and -melancholy undulations; and the silence was now -unbroken even by the curious bleating of the -plovers: once, and once only, they heard the -hoarse and distant croak of a raven.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," said Mary, in a sort of piteous -dismay, as she looked abroad over those sombre -solitudes, "you have been all along the Ross -and Cromarty coast; is it like </span><em class="italics">that</em><span>?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Plenty of it is worse," was the reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And—and—my place: is it like that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have never been in to Lochgarra."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But—but if it is like that—what am I to -do for my people?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The best you can," said Käthchen, cheerfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It seemed an interminable drive. And then, -in the afternoon, a premature darkness came -slowly over; the mountains in the north -gradually receded out of sight; and heavy, steady -rain began to fall. The two girls sat huddled -underneath one umbrella, listening to the -pattering footfalls of the horses and the grinding -of the wheels on the road; and when they -ventured to peep forth from their shelter they -beheld but the same monotonous features in the -landscape: masses of wet rock and dark russet -heather, black swamps, low and bare hills, and -now and again the grey glimmer of a stream or -tarn. It was a cheerless outlook; continually -changing, and yet ever the same; and hour -after hour the rain came down wearily. There -was hardly a word said between those two: -whither had fled Mary Stanley's dreams of a -shining blue sea, a sunny coastline, and a happy -peasantry busy in their fields and gardens, their -white cottages radiant in the morning light? -Käthchen, on the other hand, was inclined to -laugh ruefully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Isn't it a good thing, Mary, that duty -brought us here? If it had been pleasure, we -should be calling ourselves awful fools."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But quite of a sudden this hopeless resignation -vanished, and a wild excitement took -its place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Stanley," Mr. Purdie called to her, -"we've come to the march."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The what?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The march—the boundary of your estate."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Instantly she had the carriage stopped, and -nothing would do but that she must get out and -set foot on her own land: moreover, when -Käthchen took down the umbrella, they found -that the rain had ceased, and that the western -skies were lightening somewhat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is the march," said Mr. Purdie, -pointing to a low, irregular, moss-grown -wall—obviously a very ancient landmark; "and it -goes right over the hill and down again to the -Garra."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leaving the highway, she stepped across the -ditch, and stood on the moist, soft peat land.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And this is mine!" she said to Käthchen, -with an odd expression of face. "This is -absolutely mine. Nobody can dispute my possession -of it. This piece of the solid world actually -belongs to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I suppose your rights extend as deep -as ever you like," said Käthchen. "You -might go all the way through, and have a walk -in the streets of Melbourne, and get dry, and -come back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary's quick eye had caught sight of -what was to her the most important feature -of the surrounding landscape. It was a cottage -perched on a knoll above a burn—or, rather, -it was the ruins of a cottage, the gables -standing roofless, the thatch long ago blown -away by the winds, the beams and fallen stones -lying among the withered nettles, altogether -a melancholy sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, isn't it shameful!" she exclaimed, in -hot indignation. "Look at that! The very -first thing I meet with! Do you wonder that -people should talk about the Highland -landlords? Some poor wretch has been driven -away—perhaps at this very moment, in Canada -or in Australia, he is thinking of the old home, -and forgetting all the rain and discomfort there -used to be, Mr. Purdie!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, ma'am?" said he, coming a bit -nearer; and Käthchen looked on, wondering -if his doom was about to be pronounced.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who lived in that house?" Miss Stanley demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The schoolmaster," was the reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The schoolmaster? And where is he now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's in his own house," the factor said. -"We built him a new one and a better one, to -be nearer the school and the village; and when -he moved it was hardly worth while keeping -the old one in repair."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh," said she, a little disconcerted. "Oh, -really. Then no one was sent away—from -that cottage?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no—not at all—not at all," said he; -and he followed her to the waggonette and -politely shut the door after her—while -Käthchen's face maintained an admirable gravity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the drove on again, the afternoon seemed -inclined to clear; the skies were banking up; -and there were faint streaks of lemon-yellow -among the heavy purple clouds in the west. -And very soon the road made a sweep to the -left, bringing them in sight of the Connan, a -small but turbulent tributary of the Garra. -Here, also, they encountered the first signs -of the habitations of men—little clumps of -buildings clustered together just over a stretch -of flat land that had clearly been recovered -from the river-bed. Crofts, no doubt: each -slated cottage surrounded by its huddled -dependency of thatched barns and byres.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the waggonette drew near to the first of -these rude little settlements, the women -disappeared into the outhouses, and the children -hid behind the peat-stack; but there remained -standing at the door of the cottage an elderly -man, who regarded the strangers with a grave -and perhaps rather sullen curiosity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Purdie," said Mary, in an undertone, -"is that one of my tenants?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, certainly—that is James Macdonald."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish to make his acquaintance," said she; -and she stopped the carriage, and got out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no sort of fear, or unnecessary -bashfulness, about this young woman. She -walked right up the bank to the door of the -cottage. The short thick-set man standing -there had something of a Russian cast of -countenance, with a heavy grey beard, shaggy -eyebrows, and small, suspicious eyes. His -clothes were weather-worn as to colour and -much mended; but they were not in the least -squalid; and he had a red woollen comforter -round his neck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good evening!" said she, with a most -winning smile.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the propitiating dimple, that had hitherto -been all-conquering, was of no avail here. -He looked at her. He did not raise his cap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Cha 'n 'eil beurla agam</em><span>," said he, with a -sort of affected indifference.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was taken aback only for a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What does he say?" she asked of Mr. Purdie, -who had followed her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He says he has no English," the factor -answered; and then he added, vindictively: -"But he would have plenty of English if he -wanted to tell you of his grievances—oh, ay, -plenty! Start him on that, and he'll find plenty -of English! He's one of the most ill-condeetioned -men in the whole place—and I suppose -he has enough English to understand that!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell him who I am," said she, rather -disappointedly; for she had set out with the -determination to get to know all the -circumstances and wants and wishes of her tenants, -especially of the poorer ones, without the -intervention of any factor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hereupon Mr. Purdie, in unnecessarily severe -tones, as it seemed to her, addressed a few -sentences in Gaelic to the stubborn-looking old -man, who, in turn—and with no abatement -of his hostile attitude—replied in the same -tongue. But to Mary's surprise, he suddenly -added—fixing morose eyes upon her—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She—no my laird! Ross of Heimra—my -laird. Young Donald—he my laird. She no -my laird at ahl!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, but that is absurd, you know," Mary -said, eagerly, and with a quick delight that she -could enter into direct communication with -him. "You forget—you are mistaken—my -uncle bought the estate from the late Mr. Ross -of Heimra. Surely you understand that? -Surely you know that? The whole place was -bought in open market. Mr. Ross sold the -land, and all the rights belonging to it—yes, -and the obligations, too; and my uncle bought -it. Don't you understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man turned away his eyes, and sulkily -muttered something in Gaelic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it?" asked Mary, compelled to -appeal once more to the factor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Like the scoundrel's impertinence!" said -the Little Red Dwarf, darting an angry look at -the crofter. "He says the Englishman—that -is your uncle, Miss Stanley—the Englishman -bought the land but not the hearts of the -people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And that is quite right!" Mary exclaimed. -"That is quite right and true. Tell him I -quite agree with him. But tell him this—tell -him that if my uncle did not buy the hearts of -the people, I mean to win them——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Mary," Käthchen struck in, rather -shamefacedly, "don't talk like that! They -won't understand you. Be practical. Ask him -what complaint he has to make about his -farm—ask him what he wants——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can tell ye that beforehand!" said -Mr. Purdie, in his irascible scorn. "He wants more -arable land, and he wants more pasture; and -both for nothing. And no doubt he would like -a steam plough thrown in, and maybe a score -or two o' black-faced wethers——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary interrupted. She had formed for -herself some idea, before she came to this -country, as to how she meant to proceed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Purdie," said she, in her clear, firm -way, "I wish you to ask this man if he has -anything to complain of; and I wish you to -tell me precisely what he says."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Troich Bheag Dhearg, being thus -ordered, obeyed; but he scowled upon the -stubborn crofter—and it was apparent there was -no love lost on the other side either. At the -end of their brief, and unwilling, conversation, -the factor made his report.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, there are many things he would like—who -could doubt that?—but in especial he -wants the pasture of Meall-na-Cruagan divided -amongst the crofters of this district, and the tax -for the dyke taken off the rent. But -Meall-na-Cruagan never did belong to the crofters at any -time; and it is part of Mr. Watson's sheep-farm—he -has it under lease."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will look into that afterwards," said she. -"What is the tax you mentioned?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, when the dyke along there—the -embankment," said the factor, "was built to -keep the river from flooding the land, the -interest of the money expended was added on -to the rents of the crofts, as was natural—and -that's what they call a tax!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How long have they been paying that -tax?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is about thirty years since the dyke was -built."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thirty years!" she said. "Thirty years! -These poor people have been paying a tax all -this time for an embankment built to improve -the property? Really, Mr. Purdie!——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They get the value of it!" he said, as testily -as he dared. "The land is no longer flooded——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell this man," said she, with some colour -mounting to her face, "that the tax for the -dyke is abolished—here and now!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Godiva!" said Käthchen, in an undertone, -with a bit of a titter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the factor would have protested from his -own point of view. But this young woman's -heart was all aflame. She cared nothing for -ridicule, nor for any sort of more practical -opposition. Here was some definite wrong that -she could put right. She did not want to hear -from Mr. Purdie, or from anybody else, what -neighbouring landlords might think, or what -encouragement it might give the crofters to -make other and more impossible demands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care what other landlords may say!" -said she with firm lips: "You tell me that -I improve my property—and then charge these -poor people with the cost! And for thirty -years they have been paying? Well, I wish -you to say to this man that the tax no longer -exists—from this moment it no longer -exists—it is not to be heard of again!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The factor made a brief communication: the -taciturn crofter answered not a word—not a -word of recognition, much less of thanks. But -Mary Stanley was not to be daunted by this -incivility: as she descended to the waggonette, -her face wore a proud look—right and justice -should be done, as far as she was able, in this -her small sphere: the rest was with the gods.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And again they drove on; but now was -there not some subtle softening of the air, some -moist odour as of the sea, some indication of the -neighbourhood of the Atlantic shores? Clearly -they were getting down to the coast. And -unhappily, as they went on, the land around them -seemed to be getting worse and worse—if there -could be a worse. A wilderness of crags and -knolls—of Hebridean gneiss mostly; patches of -swamp, with black gullies of peat; sterile hills -that would have threatened a hoodie crow with -starvation: such appeared to be Miss Stanley's -newly found property. But a very curious -incident now occurred to withdraw her attention -from these immediate surroundings—an incident -the meaning of which she was to learn -subsequently. They had come in sight of a level -space that had evidently at one time been a lake, -but was now a waste of stones, with a touch of -green slime and a few withered rushes here -and there; and in the middle of this space, on -a mound that had apparently been connected -with the mainland, was a heap of scattered -blocks that looked like the tumbled-down ruins -of some ancient fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is that, Mr. Purdie?" she called -out, still anxious for all possible information.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A malignant grim came over the face of the -Little Red Dwarf.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That," said he, "was once Castle Heimra; -and then it was Castle Stanley; and now it is -nothing!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had scarcely uttered the words when the -driver slashed at the neck of one of the horses; -and both animals sprung forward with a jerk—a -jerk so sudden and violent that Mr. Purdie -was nearly pitched headlong from his seat. He -threw a savage glance at the driver; but he -dared not say anything—the two ladies were -within hearing. Later on that evening Mary -recalled this little incident—and seemed to -understand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Behold, at last, the sea!—a semi-circular bay -sheltered by long black headlands; beyond that -the wide grey plain, white-tipped with flashing -and hurrying waves; and out towards the -horizon a small but precipitous island, a heavy -surge springing high along its southern crags. -But she had time only for the briefest glance, -for here was the village—her own village!—with -its smithy, its schoolroom, its inn, its -grocery store that was also a post-office, and -thereafter a number of not very picturesque -cottages scattered about amid bits of poor -garden, just above the shore. Nay, at the -same moment she caught sight of Lochgarra -House—her home that was to be: an -odd-looking building that seemed half a jail and -half a baronial castle, but was prettily situated -among some larch-woods on a promontory on -the other side of the bay. Of course they had -driven through the little township almost -directly; and now she could turn to the sea -again—that looked strangely mournful and -distant in the wan twilight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But where's the yacht?" she exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What yacht?" her companion asked, with -some surprise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, the yacht I saw a minute ago—just -before we came to the village: it was out -yonder—close to the island——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, nonsense, Mary!" said Kate Glendinning. -"You may have seen a fishing-smack, -or a lobster-boat—but a yacht at this -time of the year!——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I declare to you I saw a yacht—for I -noticed how white the sails were, even in the -twilight," Mary insisted; and then she appealed -to the factor: "Mr. Purdie, didn't you see a -yacht out there a minute or two ago?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I did not," he made answer; and then -he in his turn addressed the driver: "Did -you, John?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said the driver, looking straight ahead -of him, and with a curiously impassive -expression of face—an expression of face that -convinced Mr. Purdie, who was prone to suspicion, -that the man had lied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a kind of bewilderment to her, this -taking possession: the going up the wide stone -steps, the gazing round the lofty oak hall, the -finding herself waited upon by those shy-eyed -soft-spoken Highland maids. But when she -was in the retirement of her own room, whither -she had been accompanied by the faithful -Kate, one thing stood out clear to her mind -from amid all the long day's doings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," said she—and she was pacing -up and down the room—or going from window -to window without looking out—as was -some-times her habit when she was excited—"I -mean to have my own way in this. It is not -enough that the tax should be abolished—it is -not enough. No doubt those poor people were -saved from the risk of floods; but on the other -hand the property was permanently improved; -and it is monstrous that they should be expected -to go on paying for ever. I tell you they have -paid too much already; and I mean to see -things made right. What do I care for -Mr. Purdie, or the neighbouring landlords? If -Mr. Purdie has any business to talk of when he -comes along this evening—well, my little piece -of business must take precedence. I am going -to give Mr. Purdie the first of his instructions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She paused for a second—and then she spoke -with rather a proud and determined air: -"Fifteen years of that tax to be remitted and -returned!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Godiva!" said Käthchen, again; but there -was not much sarcasm in her smiling eyes.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="young-donald"><span class="large">CHAPTER II.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">YOUNG DONALD.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"And if I am not the laird," said Miss Stanley, -as the three of them took their places at table—for -Mr. Purdie had accepted an invitation, -and had come along from the inn to dine with -the two young ladies—"if I am not the laird, I -want to know who is the laird: I mean, I want -to know all about my rival. What was it -the stubborn old crofter called him? Young -Donald—Young Ross of Heimra—well, tell -me all about him, Mr. Purdie!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But to Mary's surprise, the Little Red Dwarf -remained sternly mute. Yet there was no one -in the room besides themselves except the maid -who was waiting at table—a tall and -good-looking Highland lass, whose pretty way of -speech, and gentle manner, and shy eyes had -already made a pleasant impression on her -young mistress. All the same, the factor -remained silent until the girl had gone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I would just advise ye, Miss Stanley," said -he, rather moderating his voice, which -ordinarily was inclined to be aggressive and -raucous, "I would just advise ye to have a -care what ye say before these people. They're -all in a pact; and they're sly and cunning—just -beyond belief; ay, and ready to do ye a -mischief, the thrawn ill-willed creatures!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Mr. Purdie!" Mary protested, in her -good-humoured way, "you mustn't try to -prejudice me like that! I have already had a -little talk with Barbara; and I could not but -think of what Dr. Johnson said—that every -Highland girl is a gentlewoman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And not a word they utter is to be believed—no, -not with a Bible in their hands," the -factor went on, in spite of her remonstrance. -"Miss Stanley, did ye hear me ask the driver -as we came through the village if he had seen -the yacht out by Heimra island—the yacht -that ye saw with your own eyes? He said -no—he had not seen it—and I knew by his face -he was lying to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, Mr. Purdie," said Mary, again, "you -did not see the yacht either. And I may have -been mistaken."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ye were not mistaken," said the factor, -with vicious emphasis. "For well I know -what that was. That was nothing else than -young Ross coming back from one of his -smuggling expedeetions—the thieving, poaching -scoundrel!—and little thinking that I would -be coming out to Lochgarra this very afternoon. -But I'll be even with my gentleman yet!—for -it's all done to thwart me—it's all done to -thwart me——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The factor's small clear eyes sparkled with -malice; but he had perforce to cease speaking, -for at this moment Barbara came into the -room. When she had gone again, he resumed:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will just tell ye how I came to get on his -track," Mr. Purdie said, with something of a -triumphant air. "And first of all ye must -understand, Miss Stanley, I take some little -credit to myself for having routed out the illicit -stills in this country-side; ay, I'm thinking -they're pretty well cleared out now; indeed -I'll undertake to say there's not a hidden -worm-tub or a mash tun within twenty miles -around. There was some trouble; oh, yes; for -they're cunning creatures; and they stand by -one another in lying and concealment; but I -managed to get some information for the -Preventive Staff all the same—from time to time, -that was—and then I had a good knowledge -o' the place—ye see, Miss Stanley, I was factor -at Lochgarra before your uncle gave me back -my post again; and so, with keeping the -gaugers busy, we got at one after another of -the black bothies, as they call them, until I -doubt whether there's a </span><em class="italics">bothan dubh</em><span> between -here and Strathcarron. Yes, I may admit I -take some credit for that. I've heard folk -maintain that speerits are a necessary of life -in a bad climate like this; but what I say is, -let people pay their rent before comforting -themselves wi' drams. My business is with -the rent. I'm not a doctor. Temperance, ay, -and even total abstinence, is a fine thing for -everybody."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't you help yourself, Mr. Purdie?" -said Kate Glendinning, with grave eyes, and -she pushed the sherry decanter towards him. -Mr. Purdie filled his glass—for the fifth -time—and drained it off. Then he proceeded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"However, this is my story. One day I had -finished wi' my business here, and had set out -to ride over to Ledmore, when the toothache -came into my head just terrible, and I was like -to be driven mad. I was passing Cruagan at -the time—where ye spoke to James Macdonald, -Miss Stanley—indeed, it was at James's house -I stopped, and tied up the beast, and went in -to see if I could get a drop of whiskey to put -in the side of my cheek, for the pain was just -fearful. Well, there was nobody in but James's -old mother—an old, old woman—she could -hardly move away from the fire—and says I, -'For God's sake, woman, give me some whiskey -to drive away this pain.' Of course she -declared and better declared there was none in -the house; but at last, seeing I was near out -o' my senses, she hobbled away and brought -me—what do ye think?—a glass of brandy—and -fine brandy, too. 'Hallo!' says I to the -old cailleach, when the brandy had burned in -my mouth for a while, and the pain was not so -bad, 'where did ye get this fine stuff?' Would -ye believe it, she declared and better declared -that she found it! 'Find it, woman! Where -did ye find it?' But no; that was all; she had -found it. And then I began to think. Where -was an old woman like that to get brandy? -So says I all of a sudden, 'This is smuggled -stuff. Ye need not deny it; and unless ye tell -me instantly where ye got it, and how ye -got it, the Supervisor will be here to-morrow -morning, and in twenty-four hours ye'll be in -Dingwall Jail!——'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Purdie," said Käthchen, interrupting—and -with rather a cold manner—"was that -your return for the old woman's kindness to -you in your trouble?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But he did not heed the taunt. He was -exulting in his having trapped his enemy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She was frightened out of her wits, the -wretched old creature. 'Donuil Og,' she -says—Young Donald—it was from young Ross that -she had got it. And now the case was clear -enough! I had been suspecting something of -the kind. And here was a fine come-down for -the Rosses of Heimra;—the Rosses of Heimra, -that in former days made such a flourish at -the English court—dancing at Almacks, and -skelping about wi' the Prince Regent; and -now the last of the family come down to selling -smuggled brandy to old women and a parcel of -crofters and cottars! A fine way of earning -a living! But it's all he's fit for—an idle -ne'er-do-weel, that never did a turn of work in -his life beyond poaching and thieving and -stirring up ill-will behind one's back. But I'll -be even with my gentleman! I'll have the -Supervisor of Excise on to him; his fine little -trips to the Channel Islands—I suppose it's the -Channel Islands, where you get brandy for -next to nothing—we'll soon put a stop to -them; and when he finds himself before the -Sheriff at Dingwall, he'll be singing another -tune!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A tap at the door—then Barbara entered; -and the factor looked up quickly and -suspiciously. But if the tall Highland lass had -been listening her face said nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the young man you speak of," Mary -asked, "does he live all by himself—out on -that island?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's fit that he should live by himself," said -Mr. Purdie, with his eyes beginning to twinkle -fiercely again: for any reference to this young -man seemed to completely turn his head. "He's -nothing but a savage—brought up as a -savage—amongst the rocks and crags—like a -wild-goat—from his earliest years. What else could -ye expect? There was his mother—a proud -woman—proud and vindictive as ever was born—and -she hears how her husband is gallivanting -from this capital to that—throwing away -his money on Italian countesses and -riff-raff—indeed there was the one public scandal, but -I cannot give ye particulars, Miss Stanley, the -story is not for a young lady's ears at all: but -the mother, she determines to go away and live -in that island, and bring up her only child -there; and there the two o' them live, like two -savages, the laddie growing up as a wild goat -would, clambering about the rocks and the shore -and the hills. What could ye expect but that -he should turn out a poaching, thieving, -smuggling rascal, especially with every man, -woman, and child in the place—on the mainland -here, I mean—ready to serve him and screen -him? Truly it is a debasing thing to think -of—such supersteetion; but these poor ignorant -creatures—a name's enough for them—any -Ross of Heimra, because he's a Ross of Heimra, -is a little God Almighty to them; I think they -would perjure their immortal souls for that -impudent and brazen-faced young scoundrel -out there. Brandy? Oh, ay, brandy! And -I dare say he gets them tobacco, too; and -makes a good profit on't; for what else can he -live on? Heimra island is the last of all their -possessions; if you go scattering your money -among Italian countesses, you've got to cut up -the estate, and fling it into the market, bit by -bit, until you come to the final solid lump of -it—which your uncle bought, Miss Stanley; and -then the deserted wife, left to herself on that -island out there, can live on whelks and mussels -if she likes! Well, a fine lonely place to nurse -pride! Plenty of time to think! The great -estate gone—her husband at length dead and -buried without ever having come near her—and -this young whelp to look after—a wild -goat among the rocks! No more grandeur -now—though at times Lord This or Lord That, -or even a Duke or Duchess, would come in -their steam-yacht, or send her presents of game -in the autumn—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor woman!" said Mary. "Is she out -there still?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no—her troubles are over," said the -factor, with some expression of relief. "There's -one the less for these ignorant, supersteetious -creatures hereabouts to fall down and worship, -as if they were golden images. She died near -a year ago; and would ye believe it, this son -o' hers, instead of having her put into a -Christian graveyard, had her buried on the -western coast of the island, up on the top of the -cliff, and there's a great white marble slab -there, that ye might see for miles off. A nice -kind of thing, that! Refusing Christian burial -for his own mother! He's just a Pagan, -neither more nor less—a wild savage—fearing -neither God nor man—getting drunk every -night, I'll be bound, on that smuggled brandy; -and I'm no sure he would scruple to take your -life if he found ye in a convenient place. It's -a terrible thing to think of, a human being -brought up like that, in a country of law and -order and releegion. But I've no pity for him, -not one jot! He and his have done me -sufficient harm; but I'll be even with him -yet—the cheat-the-gallows!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary Stanley, though not much of a coward, -seemed to shrink back a little in unconscious -dismay. She had never seen such venomous -rage working in any human creature's face; -and it was rather an appalling kind of thing. -But presently Mr. Purdie seemed to recollect -himself; this exhibition of overmastering hate -was not the best means of propitiating his new -mistress; and so, making a determined effort to -control himself (and helping himself to another -glass of sherry at the same time) he proceeded -to talk of business, with a certain constrained, -matter-of-fact air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You said before we came in to dinner, Miss -Stanley," he began, in his slow and deliberate -way, "that you wished fifteen years' of the -dyke tax to be remitted and returned to the -Cruagan crofters. Very well. Whatever is -your pleasure. But have you considered what -the result will be?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," said Mary, "I do not wish to consider. -I wish to have the thing done, because I think -it is right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For one matter," said he, "they will take -it, and not thank you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do not care about that," she made answer. -"We will see about the thanks, or no thanks, later on."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But there's more," said the factor, rousing -himself from his forced restraint of manner. -"They'll just begin to think that the time for -the universal getting of everything for nothing -has come at last; and where will there be -an end to their outrageous demands? The -ignorant creatures!—they do not know what -they want—they're like children crying for the -moon; and they're encouraged by a set of -agitators more ignorant than themselves—people -in Parliament, and out of it, that never -saw a peat-moss, and don't know the difference -between a hog and a stirk——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But wait a moment, Mr. Purdie," said she, -with some touch of calm authority. "I can -hardly tell you yet what I intend to do; I have -all kinds of enquiries to make. But every one -is well enough aware that, whatever the cause -or causes may be, there is great distress among -the crofters—great poverty—and, naturally, -discontent; and when I hear of them almost -starving for want of land—and such immense -tracts given over to deer—-I know that a -great wrong is being done. And that is not -going to exist wherever I have a word to say."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It cannot exist on this estate, Miss Stanley," -the factor said, with confidence. "For we have -not a single acre of forested land."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What did I hear my brother say, then, -about eleven stags in one season?" she -demanded. "Why, he asked me to ask him -up here this next autumn for the very purpose -of going stalking!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes, very likely," said the Little Red -Dwarf, with the magnanimity born of superior -knowledge. "The fact is that when the deer -begin to get restless about the end of September -and the beginning of October, a few stags and -hinds come wandering on to our ground, -between the Meall-na-Fearn and the Corrie-Bhreag -mostly. But that is not forest; that is -all under sheep; that belongs to Mr. Watson's -sheep-farm: the stags the gentlemen get in the -autumn are mere chance shots; we have not -a bit of forested land. Indeed, Miss Stanley, -ye'll rarely hear the crofters, in any part of the -country, clamouring to have a deer forest split -up amongst them; they know well enough -what wretched and hopeless kind of stuff it is; -they're wiser than the havering folk in -Parliament. No, no; it's slices off the big arable -and pasture farms they want. And I can tell -ye this," he went on, in quite a reasonable way -(for young Ross of Heimra was off his mind -now), "there's many a proprietor in the -Highlands would be willing and even glad to break -up his big sheep-farms into small holdings; but -where is either landlord or tenant to find the -money to pay for the housing, and steading, -and fencing; and where is the new tenant to -find stock? To change the crofters into small -farmers would be a fine thing, no doubt—an -excellent thing, a great reform; and it would -pay the landlords well if it were practicable. -But how is it practicable? Before the scheme -would work, the crofter would have to be given -land worth at least £20 a year; and where is -the capital to come from for stock and steading?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary listened, a little uneasily, but not much -daunted; for this was merely the professional -view; this was an advocacy of the existing -state of things; and it was the existing state of -things, in this small possession of hers, that she -hoped to amend, if it was within her power. -Nor could she argue with him, seeing she had -no facts at her fingers' ends as yet, or, at least, -none that she could rely on; for it was personal -inquiry and observation that this young woman -meant to trust.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If they can make the small crofts pay——" -said she, vaguely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But they cannot," said he, with south -country bluntness. "The land is too poor; and -there are too many of them wanting to live on -it. Over there at Cruagan the crofters manage -to earn a little money by serving as gillies in -the autumn, and hiring their ponies to the -sportsmen; and along the coast here they eke -out a living with the fishing; but they would -fairly starve on the crofts, if that was all. And -then, besides the poor soil, I do believe they're -the idlest and laziest creatures on God's earth! -I'll undertake to say there has not been a -boat put off from shore this last week past, -though there must be plenty of stenlock in the -bay——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But here Käthchen struck in, a little -indignantly. She had Highland blood in her veins; -and she did not like to hear her countrymen -and countrywomen traduced by an </span><em class="italics">Albannach</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stenlock? You mean big lythe?" said she. -"But you know very well, Mr. Purdie, there is -no market for lythe. They're no use to send -away. And even if they were—even if there -were a market for them—how could the people -get them sent? How often does the steamer -call in here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well, not very often at this time of the -year," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But how often?" she persisted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Once in three weeks," said the factor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now it was Mary's turn to interpose, -which she did eagerly and gladly, for she was -ever on the alert for some actual and definite -thing to tackle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, really, Mr. Purdie, that is too bad! -How can you expect them to be diligent with -the fishing, if the steamer only calls in once in -three weeks? That must be put right, and at -once!" said she, in her generous ardour. "I -will appeal to the Government. I will appeal -to the Treasury."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd better appeal to Mr. MacBrayne," -said Käthchen, drily; and therewithal that -subject was laid aside for the moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Unfortunately this reasonable mood on the -part of the Little Red Dwarf—if he could -properly be called little whose great breadth of -frame caused him to look like a compressed -giant—did not last very long. His -half-smothered hatred of the house of Heimra broke -into flame again; and it is possible that a glass -of whiskey which he took at the end of dinner, -combined with the previous sherry, may have -added fuel to the fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've warned ye, Miss Stanley, not to say a -word about the Ross family, or what I've told -ye, or about any of your plans, before that lass -Barbara."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why all this mystery and suspicion!" said -Mary, with a touch of impatience. "The girl -seems a very obliging and good-natured girl -indeed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's a sister o' the head keeper," said the -factor, with a watchful glance towards the -door; "and that scoundrel of a young Ross -is just hand-in-glove with every man-jack o' -them. Do ye think they've got any eyes in -their head if my young gentleman is after a -salmon on the Garra, or lying in wait for a -stag in the Corrie Bhreag? They would swear -themselves black in the face that they did not -see him if he was standing staring at them -within twenty yards!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, then; if you cannot trust the -keepers, why not get others in their place?" -she said, promptly. "Not that I care much -about the game. I propose to give the crofters, -big and little, free right to trap, or snare, or -shoot all the hares and rabbits they can get -hold of; I do not wish their little bits of -holdings to be plundered by useless beasts. -But grouse do no harm; and whether my own -people come here next autumn, or whether I let -the shooting, all the same there will be the -employment of gillies' labour, and the hiring of -the ponies."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes!" said the factor. "The only money -that ever finds its way into their pocket; and -yet you'll find the idjuts declaring amongst -themselves that not a single stranger should be -allowed to come into the country!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is foolishness," said Mary, calmly. -"That is the idle talk of people who are poor -and suffering, and do not know why they are -poor and suffering. And I, for one, mean to -take no heed of it; though, to be sure, it would -be pleasanter to think I was a little more -welcome. However, about those keepers: if -they do not attend to their duty, if they allow -poaching, why not get others in their place?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That would be worse," said Mr. Purdie, -emphatically. "The strange keepers would be -helpless; they would be outwitted at every -turn. If ye knew the folk about here better, -their clannishness, their cunning——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But are you sure this poaching goes on, -Mr. Purdie," she interposed, "or is it only -guesswork on your part? I presume Mr. Ross -calls himself a gentleman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A gentleman!" said the factor, with that -malevolent look coming into his eyes again. -"A gentleman that earns his living by selling -smuggled brandy to a wheen crofters! A fine -gentleman, that! I suppose when the Duke's -yacht sails into the bay out there, my -gentleman makes haste to hide away the bottles, and -takes care to say nothing about the five shillings -a gallon profit! Ay, ay, a remarkable change -for the great family!—no playactoring about -with the Prince Regent now, but selling -contraband speerits to a lot of old women! -And snuff, maybe? And tobacco? Penny -packets!—a noble trade!" He laughed aloud, -to conceal the vehemence of his hatred. "A -fine come-down for high birth and ancient -gentility—buried alive in an island, not daring -to show his head even in Edinburgh, let alone -in London, his only companions a wheen -thieving gillies and scringe-net fishermen! -But plenty of pride all the same. Oh, yes; -pride and concealment, they go together in the -Highland character: would ye believe it, when -he denied his mother Christian burial, and -made the grave up there on the hill, would he -put up a respectable monument in the ordinary -way, so that people could see it? No, no; it's -on the sea-ward side of the island. Pride again, -ye observe; a scorn of the common people; -pride and concealment together."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I should think it was a great deal more -likely," said Käthchen, with some touch of -anger, "that the mother chose where her own -grave was to be." But Mary, with thoughtful -eyes, only said: "Poor woman!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, ay, pride enough," continued Mr. Purdie, -in a more triumphant strain. "But -their pride had a famous fall before your uncle -and myself were done with them——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this Mary started somewhat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My uncle?" said she. "Why, what cause -of offence could there have been between him -and them? What injury could they possibly -have done him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Injury? Plenty of injury: in stirring up -ill-will and rebellion among the tenants. It's -yourself, Miss Stanley, will find that out ere -long; oh, yes, wait till ye come to have dealings -with these people, ye'll find out what they are, -I'm thinking! A stubborn and stiff-necked -race; and cunning as the very mischief; and -revengeful and dark. But we broke their -obstinacy that time!" He laughed again: -a malignant laugh.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I saw ye noticed it, Miss Stanley, as we -came along this afternoon—the dried-up place -that was once a loch, and the pile of stones——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She remembered well enough; and also she -recollected the vicious slash the driver had -made at his horses when the factor was -grinningly answering her question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but I did not quite understand what -it meant," said she.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll just tell ye."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Purdie poured himself out a little drop -of whiskey—a very little drop—in an inadvertent -way. There was quite a happy look on -his face when he began his tale.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay; it's a fine story when people of -obstinate nature meet their match; and your -uncle, Miss Stanley, could hold his own—when -there was proper counsel behind his back, -if I may say so. And what had Mrs. Ross -and her son to do with anything on the land? -Heimra island out there had been reserved for -them all the way through, as the estate was -going bit by bit; and when Lochgarra went as -well, there was still the island to preserve the -name of the family, as it were. And was not -that enough? What did they want—what -could any one want—with Loch Heimra and -Castle Heimra, when they had been sold into -other hands? If they wanted the name kept -in perpetuity, there was the island—which -undoubtedly belonged to the Rosses; but the -loch and the castle on the mainland, they were -gone; they had been sold, given up, cut adrift. -And so, says your uncle, 'we'll cut adrift the -name too. They have their Heimra Island; -that is sufficient: the loch and the castle are -mine, and that must be understood by all and -sundry.' Natural, quite natural. Would ye -have people giving themselves a title from -things not belonging to them at all, but to -you? And what was the castle but a heap -of old stones, with about six or seven hundred -years of infamy, and bloodshed, and cruelty -attached to it? Ay; they could show ye a -red patch on the earthen floor of the dungeon -that was never dry summer or winter. Many's -the queer thing took place in that stronghold -in the old days. 'Well, well,' says your -uncle, 'if they will call themselves "of Heimra," -let it be of Heimra Island. The loch and the -castle are not theirs, but mine; and, being -mine, I am going to give my own name to -them. Loch Stanley—Castle Stanley—that's -what they are to be. I'm not going to have -strangers calling themselves after my property. -Let them keep the island if they like——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, what did it matter?" said Mary. -"They did not claim either the castle or the -loch. It was merely the old association—the -historical association; and what harm did that -do to any one? And an interesting place like -that, that has been in possession of the same -family for centuries——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, surely, a man has the right to do -what he likes with his own?" said the Troich -Bheag Dhearg, with the corners of his mouth -drawn down, and his small eyes looking forth -a challenge. "I can tell ye, Miss Stanley, -your uncle was a man not to thwarted——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I dare say!" said Mary, coldly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Castle Stanley—Loch Stanley—that was -now established; let them take their title from -what belonged to them, which was the island. -Ay; but do ye think the people about here -would follow the change?" Mr. Purdie went -on, with something more of vindictiveness -coming into his tone. "Would they? Not -one o' them, the stubborn deevils! There was -not an old bedridden woman, there was not a -laddie on his way to school, ye could get to say -'Castle Stanley' or 'Loch Stanley'; it was -Loch Heimra and Castle Heimra from every -one; and they held on to it as if it had been -the Westminster Confession of Faith—the dour -and bigoted animals they are! Even the very -gamekeepers, that ye might think would be -afraid o' losing their situation, they were just -like the rest, though they had their plausible -and cunning excuses. 'You see, Mr. Stanley,' -they would say, 'if we tell the gillies about -Castle Stanley they will think it is Lochgarra -House we mean; and if we send them to Loch -Stanley, they will be going down to the -seashore.' But well I know who was at the back -of all their stubbornness," the factor continued, -with a scowling face. "Well I know: it was -that idling, mischievous, thrawn-natured, -impudent ne'er-do-weel, egging them on, and egging -them on, and keeping himself in the -background all the time. The dignity of his -family! I suppose that was what he was after—the -old castle and the old name; so that -strangers might think that his mother and he -had still property on the mainland! And I -warned your uncle about it. I warned him. I -told him that as long as that graceless scoundrel -was in the neighbourhood there would be -nothing but spite and opposition on the part -of the tenantry. 'Well, then,' said he, 'for -spite there will be spite, if it comes to -that!' Miss Stanley, your uncle was not a man to be -defied."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know," said Mary, with downcast face: -she foresaw what was coming—and did not at -all share in the savage glee the factor was -beginning to betray.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Give them time, Mr. Purdie,' says he. 'If -I buy a dog, or a horse, or a house, I can -call it by what name I please; and so I can -with a piece of water and an old ruin. But -not too much time, Mr. Purdie—not too much -time. If they have a will of their own, so have -I. If there's to be neither Loch Stanley nor -Castle Stanley, I'll make pretty well sure there -will be neither Loch Heimra nor Castle Heimra. -I'll put an end to those Rosses calling -themself after any part of my property. I'll soon -wipe out the last trace of them from the -mainland, anyway; and they're welcome to the -island out there, for anything I mind. The -seven centuries of history can follow them -across the water; I've no room for such things -on my estate.' And that's just how it came -about, Miss Stanley. Not one creature in the -whole of the district but would stick to the old -name; crofter, cottar, shepherd, fisher-laddie, -they were all alike. There was no help for it; -Your uncle was a determined man. Anyone -that contended with him was bound to get the -worst of it; and here he was dealing with his -own. 'Very well,' said he, 'if there's to be -no Castle Stanley, I'll take care there shall be -no Castle Heimra. Mr. Purdie, get the loch -drained of its last drop of water, and have -every stone of the useless old ruin hauled to -the ground!' And that's precisely what ye -saw this afternoon, Miss Stanley!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her reply somewhat astonished the vain-glorious -factor, who had perhaps been expecting approval.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was shamelessly done!" said she—but -as if she were not addressing him at all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then she rose, and Kate Glendinning -rose also; so that Mr. Purdie practically found -himself dismissed—or rather he dismissed -himself, pleading that it was late. He made some -appointment for the next morning, and -presently left: no doubt glad enough to get a -chance of lighting his pipe and having a -comfortable smoke on his way home to the inn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the two girls went into the -drawing-room—which was a large hexagonal room in -the tower, with windows looking north, west, -and south—they found that the lamps had not -yet been brought in, and also perceived, to -their surprise, that the night outside had -cleared and was now brilliant with its -thousands of throbbing stars. They went to one -of the windows. The heavily-moaning sea -was hardly visible, but the heavens were -extraordinarily lustrous; they were even aware -of a shimmer of light on the grey stone terrace -without: perhaps it was from the gleaming -belt of Orion that hung above a dark headland -jutting out towards the west; while there, -also, was the still more fiery Sirius, that burned -and palpitated behind the black birch-woods in -the south. And then they turned to seek the -island of Heimra—out there on the mystic and -sombre plain—under that far-trembling and -shining canopy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Käthchen, with some vehemence -of indignation (for her Highland blood had -mounted to her head) "I know this, Mary: -scapegrace or no scapegrace, if I were the -young fellow living out there, I know what I -should do—I would kill that factor! Isn't it -perfectly clear it was he who goaded your -uncle into pulling down the old castle and -draining the loch?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary was silent for a second or two. Then -she said, in an absent kind of way—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There are wrongs and injuries done that -can never be undone. I can never rebuild -Castle Heimra."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-cave-of-the-crowing-cock"><span class="large">CHAPTER III.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">THE CAVE OF THE CROWING COCK.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Mary Stanley's eyes had not deceived her; -the boat of which she had caught a momentary -glimpse was a smart little yawl of twenty tons -or so, that was making in for Heimra Island; -and there were three men on deck—two redcaps -forward, the master at the helm. This last was -a young fellow of about six and twenty, a little, -not much, over middle height, of somewhat -pale complexion, and with singularly dark eyes -and hair. The curious thing was this: though -you could not say that any of his features were -particularly fine (except, perhaps, his coal-black -eyes, which were clearly capable of flame, if -the occasion demanded) the general effect of -them was striking; they seemed to convey an -impression of strength—of a certain lazy -audacity of strength; while the forehead revealed -by the peaked cap being pushed carelessly -backward denoted at once intelligence and resolution. -But indeed at this moment the young man's -attitude was one of merely quiescent indifference—though -there was an occasional quick scrutiny -of the neighbouring coast; all the graver perils -of the voyage were over; they were running -easily before a steady wind; and they would -get safely to their anchorage ere the light had -wholly died out of the western skies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Down foresail!" he called to the men. For -now they were passing a headland that formed -one of two arms encircling a sheltered little -bay—a strangely silent and solitary-looking place -it seemed in this mysterious light. Sterile, too; -tumbled masses of rock with hardly a scrap of -vegetation on them; a few clumps of birches -here and there; an occasional dark green pine -higher up the cliffs. But at all events it was -quiet and still; the water lapped clear and crisp -along the shingle; while the murmur of the -outer sea was still everywhere around, and also, -on the northern side of the bay, there was a long -out-jutting reef where there was a continuous -surge of white foam over the saw-toothed edge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Down jib!" The sound of a human voice -was so strange in this solitude—far stranger -than the mere rattle of blocks and tackle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Main sheet!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two men came aft: the steersman jammed -down his helm; the vessel slowly rounded into -the wind—the boom being hauled in meanwhile—the -mainsail flapping and shivering in the -light breeze.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stand by to let go!" was the next order; -and the hands went forward again—the vessel -gradually losing the way that was on her, until -she seemed absolutely motionless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let go!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a splash and a roar that sent a -thousand shuddering echoes through the silence. -A heron uttered a hoarse croak and rose on -heavy and slow-moving wings to make for -some distant shelter. A pair of dunlins—unseen -in the dusk—added their shrill piping cry. -Then all was still again, save for the -continual moaning of the surge on the distant -reef.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give a haul at the topping-lift, lads!" This -was the final direction; and then, with another -keen look round the little bay, young Ross of -Heimra—or Donuil Og Vich Iain Vich Ruari, -as some were proud to call him—went down -into the cabin to put a few things together -before going ashore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of the two sailors now left on the deck one -was a powerfully built man of about thirty, -with a close-clipped brown beard, bushy brown -eyebrows, and eyes of a clear Celtic grey. His -name was Kenneth Macleod; but he was more -generally known as </span><em class="italics">Coinneach Breac</em><span>—that is to -say, Kenneth of the small-pox marks. His -companion was younger than himself—a lad of -twenty or two-and-twenty; long and loutish of -figure; but with a pleasant expression of face. -This was Malcolm, or rather, Calum, as they -called him. Probably he had some other name; -but it was never heard of; the long, lumpish, -heavily-shouldered lad was simply known -throughout this neighbourhood as Calum, or -Calum-a-bhata, Calum of the Boat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is I who will have a sound sleep this -night," said he, in Gaelic, as he stretched his -hands above his head and yawned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And I, too, when the work is over," said his -neighbour, pulling out a short black pipe. "And -now you see what it is to have many friends. -Oh, I know you, Calum; you are a young lad: -and you are strong: you think of nothing but -fighting, like the other young lads. But let me -tell you this, Calum; it is not a good thing, -fighting and quarrelling, and making enemies; -it is easier to make enemies than to make friends: -and many times you will be sorry when it is too -late, and when that has been put wrong which -you cannot put right. For you know what the -wise man of Islay said. Calum; he said—'</span><em class="italics">He -who killed his mother a few moments ago would -fain have her alive now!</em><span>'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But who was talking about fighting, Coinneach—tell -me that?" said the youth, angrily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was giving you advice, Calum, my son," -said Coinneach—lighting his pipe and pulling -away, though there appeared to be very little -tobacco inside. "I was telling you that it was -a good thing to have many friends, as the -master has. Oh, he is the one to make friends, -and no doubt about that! For look you at this, -Calum; you know what is stowed in the cabin; -and here we come into the bay, without waiting -for the night at all, and just as if there was -nothing on board but a few tins of meat for our -own use and a loaf or two. That is the wisdom -of having many friends, as I am telling you. -Why, if there was any one after us, if there -was any one wishing to put trouble upon us, do -you know what would have happened this -evening?—there would have been a bonfire on -every headland between Ru Gobhar and the -Black Bay. And that is what I tell you, Calum, -that it is a very good thing to have plenty of -friends ashore, who are as your own kinspeople -to you, and will come between you and the -stranger, and will see that the stranger does not -harm you. The master, he is the one to make -friends with old and young; and believe me as -far as that goes, Calum. Ay, you are a young -lad; and you do not know what the world is; -and you do not know what it is to go sailing -with a hard skipper; and if you are an -apprentice, a bucket of water in your bunk to wake -you in the morning. But the master—oh, well, -now, look at this: if there is bad weather, and -there is something difficult to be done, and you -do it smartly, why, then he calls out to you -'Fhir mo chridhe!'[#] and that is a far more -welcome thing to you than cursing and swearing; -it is a far more welcome thing, and a good thing -to comfort you." He shook the ashes out of his -pipe, and put it in his pocket. "Well, now, -see to the tackle, Calum, and we'll get the boat -hoisted out, for the master will be going -ashore."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Fhir mo chridhe!</em><span class="small">—Man of my heart!</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The boat—a twelve-footer or thereabouts—had -been stowed on deck; but they soon had -her launched over the side, and everything put -ship-shape and in readiness. And presently -the young man who had gone down into the -cabin re-appeared again; he threw some things -into the boat, and took his place in the -stern-sheets; the men shoved off, and presently they -were well on their way to the beach, where -there was a rudely-formed slip. By this time -the streaks of lemon-hued light that had -appeared in the west were dying away; -darkness was coming over land and sea; already, -in the east, one or two stars were visible -between the thinning and breaking clouds. -Young Ross landed at the slip, and made his -way up to a level plateau on which stood a -long, rambling, one-storeyed building mostly -of timber: a sort of bungalow, with a slated -porch, and with some little pretence of a -garden round it, though at this time of the -year nothing, of course, was visible in it but -a few leafless bushes. At the door stood an -old woman neatly and smartly dressed, whose -eyes were still expressive enough to show how -pleased she was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good evening to you, Martha," said he in -Gaelic, "and I hope you are well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed I am all the better for seeing you -back, sir," replied the old woman, with many -smiles. "The house is no house at all when -you are away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She followed him obsequiously into the -narrow hall. He only glanced at the newspapers -and letters on the table. But there -was something else there—a brace of grouse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will I cook one of the birds for Mr. Ross's -dinner?" she asked, her Highland politeness -causing her to address him in the third -person.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A quick frown came over his face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who brought these here?" he demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well—they were left," said old Martha, -evasively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes, left; but who left them?" he -asked again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well; maybe it was the Lochgarra -keepers," said she.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The keepers? Nonsense!" he said angrily. -"Do you tell me the keepers would shoot grouse -at this time of the year, when the birds have -paired, and soon will be nesting? It was -Gillie Ciotach,[#] I'll be bound. Now you will -tell the Gillie Ciotach, Martha, that if he does -not stop his tricks I will have him sent across -the land to go before the Sheriff at Dingwall; -and how will he like that?"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Gillie Ciotach</em><span class="small">—the left-handed young man.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Oh, well, indeed, sir," said Martha, in a -deprecating way, "the poor young lad meant -no harm. He was coming over here anyway, -because he lost a dog, and he was wishing to -find the dog."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this the young master burst out laughing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Gillie Ciotach is an excellent one for -lies, and that is certain!" said he. "His dog? -And how could his dog swim across from -Lochgarra to Eilean Heimra? Tell Gillie -Ciotach from me that when he comes over here -he may look after the lobsters, but he will be -better not to tell lies about a dog, and also he -will do well to leave the Lochgarra grouse -alone. And now, Martha, if there is any -dinner for me, let me have it at once; for -I am going back to the yacht by-and-bye."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He went into the simply-furnished dining-room, -where there was a lamp on the table and -likewise a magnificent peat-fire ablaze in the -big iron grate—a welcome change from the -little stove in the cabin of the </span><em class="italics">Sirène</em><span>. He had -brought his letters with him in his hand. He -drew in a wickerwork lounging-chair towards -the fireplace, and idly began to tear the -envelopes open: here were tidings, various -hushed voices, as it were, from the busy world -that seemed so distant to him, living in these -remote solitudes. It is true he had been away -for a time from Eilean Heimra; but during -that interval there had not been much of -human companionship for him; nay, there was -for the most part a greater loneliness than -ever, especially when he took his watch on -deck at night, sending the two men below for -much-needed rest. Indeed these letters and -newspapers seemed almost to make a stir -and noise!—so used had he been to silence -and the abstraction of his own thoughts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile Coinneach and Calum had returned -to the yacht, had got some supper, and -were now up at the bow, contemplatively -smoking, and chatting to each other in their -native tongue. Night had fallen; but the -skies were becoming clearer and more clear; -the starlit heavens were gradually revealing -themselves. There was not a sound—since the -rattle of the anchor had disturbed the quietude -of the little bay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The work is not over yet," Coinneach was -saying, in somewhat low tones, "and it is the -part of the work that I have no liking for. -Anything else I shrink not back from, when -the master wishes; he is the one to follow, and -I will go with him wherever he desires; and -that in safety, too—for who knows the -navigation like himself, yes, and speaking every -language that is known upon the earth? I -will go with him wherever he wishes; I will -do whatever he wishes. But, Calum, I have no -liking for the Uamh coilich na glaodhaich."[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Uamh coilich na glaodhaich</em><span class="small">—The Cave of the Crowing -Cock.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Nor I, Coinneach," said his companion. -"Especially in the night-time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Day-time or night-time: what is the -difference in the Uamh coilich na glaodhaich, when -it is so dark that no man has ever been to the -end of it, or knows to what it leads? Nor is -any man likely to try to discover, since the one -that went on and on, until he heard a cock -crowing. Oh, God, that must have been a -terrible thing, to be so near the edge of another -world that you could hear a cock crowing -there. And if the people had caught him and -kept him—they would have taken him away -to the place where the piper went when he -played Cha till mi tuilich;[#] and that is a tale -that is told of many caves; and it may be this, -Calum, that all the great caves lead to that -other world; but who can tell about such -fearful things? A cock crowing—that is -nothing—when you are in your own home, -with the daylight around you; but to hear the -crowing of a cock after you have gone away -into the earth, then that tells you of wonderful -things, for you know the saying, '</span><em class="italics">Deep is the -low of a cow upon strange pasture.</em><span>' Well, well, -what the master says must be done; but -many's the time I am wishing that when the -kegs have to be hidden, it was some other -place we had for the hiding of them than -the Cave of the Crowing Cock."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Cha till mi tuilich</em><span class="small">—I shall never more return.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Coinneach," said the lad, and he also spoke -in a hushed kind of way, "how long ago is it -since that one heard the cock crowing?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How long? Who can answer such questions? -Can you tell me when the Macarthurs -came into the world? For you have heard the -saying, Calum: '</span><em class="italics">The hills and the streams and -the Macalpines came together; but who can say -when the Macarthurs came?</em><span>' It is a long time -ago: it is not any use asking. Ay, and there -was something before all of these." He paused -for a second: then he said darkly—"That -was—that was when the Woman was in these -islands."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What woman?" said Calum, with the -eager curiosity of youth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Coinneach seemed disinclined to answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you not heard?" said he. "But it -is wise not to speak of such things."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What woman was that, Coinneach?" his -companion persisted, fixing his eyes on -Coinneach's face, that was full of a sombre -meditation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you never hear of her—the Woman -that was here before there were any people in -these islands or in the mainland either? But -it is not prudent to speak."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who was she, Coinneach?" said Calum. -"Surely she cannot hurt you if she was dead -these many thousands of years?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do not say that," he responded rather -gloomily. "Who can tell?—for there are -strange things. You know I am not a coward, -Calum."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is what I know well!" said Calum, -confidently. "How many days is it since you -stood up against the French skipper, and he -with four of them at his back?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, but there are things that are more -terrible than blows; and it is of these that I am -afraid. Or perhaps not quite afraid; but I -think. And that is the difference between one -man and another man, Calum. There is always -ill-luck happening; but one man will suffer it -and not inquire, while the other man will ask -what caused it or who it was that did him the -harm. And if it is not always prudent to speak -of such affairs, at least the truth is the safest: -you know the saying '</span><em class="italics">Speak the truth as if you -were in the presence of kings</em><span>.' And now I will -tell you this, Calum, of a strange thing that -happened to me when I was a boy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He abated his voice, as if afraid of being -overheard. Calum's eyes 'glowered' in the dusk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I had been over to Ru-Gobhar, where I had -a sister married then; and I was returning -home. It was a moonlight night; the sea very -calm; there was no wind. Well, when I was -at the highest point of the road, above the -Black Bay, do you know what happened? But -I will tell you what happened. And this is -what I saw: the sea began to move, although -there was not a breath of wind, and there was -no noise either; only it moved and heaved in -a terrible way; and there was a line of white, -but it was more like white fire than white foam, -all along the land, from Ru-Gobhar in to -Minard, and all round the headlands to where -I was. For I was standing looking, and very -much afraid to see so strange a thing; and -then this is what happened: I got to know that -there was someone behind me; and then I got -to know it was the Woman, and I durst not -look round, for I was shaking with terror. -May you never have such an experience in -your life, Calum, as was mine that night. I -knew that she had come across the sea, from -the islands, noticing that I was alone and no -one to help me; and now I knew that she was -not only behind me, but in front of me, and all -around me, though I could not see anything, -for I was in such terror. She did not speak to -me, nor touch me; but I felt myself choking at -the throat as if she had a grip of me; and I -gave myself up for dead—for I could not run -away from her—and I knew it was the Woman -who had a grip of my throat. Well, well, I -gave myself up for dead; but all of a sudden it -entered my mind that she would carry me away -out to the islands and bury me in one of the -caves; and with that I made a great effort, and -cried out 'God on the cross, save me, save -me!' That was the last I knew of it; when I came -to myself I was lying in the road, cold as -a stone; and the sea was quite smooth again. -May you never have an experience like my -experience of that night, Calurn!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Calum was silent for a little while. Then he -said, slowly—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Coinneach, do you suppose the Woman -came from the cave where the cock was heard -crowing?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How can I tell?" was the answer. -"Perhaps I have said too much. But what -I have said to you, that is the least part of -what happened to me that night, for it is not -to be spoken of." And then he rose; and put -his pipe in his pocket. "Come, Calum, my -son, we must take the boat ashore now, for the -master will be coming down to the slip. But -do not you speak of such things as I have told -you; for it is not good to speak of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And to this Calum merely replied—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What the master wishes is enough for you -and me, Coinneach; but I would rather not be -going into the Uamh coilich na glaodhaich this -night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They rowed the boat in to the shore—they -could see their way well enough, for now the -heavens were quite clear, and a universe of -white worlds was shining down on them; and -there they ran her bow into the soft seaweed -by the side of the slip. They had not long to -wait. There was a sound of footsteps on the -gravel-path; then from out of the shadow -emerged a figure into the open space above the -beach; they knew who this was. Young Ross -of Heimra seemed to be in no great hurry; his -hands were in his pockets; he came down -towards the boat with long, lounging, leisurely -strides; and he was whistling a gay air that -was unfamiliar to them—for Coinneach and -Calum could hardly be expected to recognise -'</span><em class="italics">La Noce de Jeanne</em><span>.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is the master who is not afraid of -anything," said the elder of the two men, under -his breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed you may say that," rejoined Calum, -as he, too, put his pipe in his pocket. "I think -he would face old Donas[#] himself, and not ask -for any allowance."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Donas</em><span class="small">—the Devil.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Young Ross came down the beach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lend a hand here, lads," he sung out, "and -we'll take the other boat with us. Maybe we'll -be able to do it in one trip; and I'm sure it's -a good long sleep both of you will be wanting -this night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They speedily had the second boat launched -and shoved along to the slip; then they -attached the painter to the one in which they -had come ashore; and presently they were -pulling both boats quietly out to the </span><em class="italics">Sirène</em><span>. -The gangway was open. Ross and the elder -of the two men stepped on board; and proceeded -to remove the skylight of the chief cabin—Calum -securing the boats by the side of the -yacht. And then began the final business of -the expedition—the hoisting up on deck and -the transferring to the boats alongside of a -considerable number of kegs that were small -enough to be handled with comparative ease. -Young Ross, who was down in the cabin, -worked just like the others: slim as his figure -seemed, there was plenty of strength about his -arms and shoulders. There was no lamp in the -cabin, nor yet on deck; nor was there need of -any; the black figures labouring away there -did very well with the faint illumination shed -by those thousands of tremulous stars. And in -course of time the operation was complete; the -casks that had been skilfully stowed in the -main cabin of the </span><em class="italics">Sirène</em><span> were now ranged as -tightly as might be in the boats alongside; -then the men stepped in and took to the oars; -while the young master went to the tiller. -Calum had been told to put a couple of candles -in his pocket; and he was not likely to forget -that—for they were going to the Cave of the -Crowing Cock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a long and laborious pull—the boat -astern acting as a heavy drag; moreover, even -with this clear starlight, they dared not go -anywhere near that saw-toothed reef that guarded -the next small bay whither they were bound. -They could hear each successive thud of the -surge, and the long receding roar; and they -could even descry in a kind of way the line of -white foam that boiled and churned incessantly -along the almost invisible rocks. But once -they were round this dangerous point—giving -it a significantly wide berth—they found -themselves in smooth water again. Not a word -was spoken. The two men toiled away at the -oars—most likely thinking of the welcome sleep -awaiting them when all was done. The land -ahead seemed to grow darker as they -approached, even as the black precipitous cliffs -appeared to soar higher and higher into the -clear starlit skies. Then there was a -whispering of water: the beach was near. Young -Ross bade them pull more gently now: he was -trying to make out the most suitable -landing-place—in amongst those mysterious shadows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Eventually the two boats were grounded, -and dragged up to be secure from the tide; -while the work of getting the kegs out began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Calum," said the young master, "take the -candles now and get them lighted; and mind -you do not light them until you are well inside -the cave."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Calum appeared to receive this commission -very unwillingly; at all events he hesitated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is asking for your pardon I am, sir," -said he; "but—I have brought a pistol with me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A pistol? And why so?" said Donald Ross.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is the pistol that I would like to be firing -into the cave," said Calum, rather timidly, -"before any of us went into it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what is your reason for that, Calum?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Calum rather hung his head; but he said all -the same—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If there would be wild beasts in the cave, -it will scare them before we go in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wild beasts? And what wild beasts are -there in Eilean Heimra?" Then the young -man laughed. "Calum, is it a badger, or a -wild cat, or an otter that you fear? Or is it -not rather the Dark Person you are afraid of, -who used to come every night to Lochgarra to -ask Mr. Stanley if he was not ready yet? Did -you believe that story, Calum; and did you not -think the Dark Person very foolish to talk -Gaelic to Mr. Stanley, when he was not -understanding a word of it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Calum did not answer: he was shamefacedly -awaiting permission to fire into that dreaded -place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, well, Calum," young Ross said, -good-naturedly, "you are not long from your mother's -apron-string: if you are afraid, give me the -candles, and keep the pistol in your pocket. -Give me the candles—and lend Coinneach here -a hand with the kegs."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But at this Calum raised his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed that will I not do," said he, "for it -is not Mr. Ross that must go first into the cave, -when I am here, or when Coinneach is here. If -I am not to fire the pistol, then I will not fire -the pistol. But it's myself that am going to -light the candles in the cave."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And a lucifer-match, Calum," said the -young master, turning away from him, "will -frighten wild beasts as well as any -pistol—besides making a great deal less noise."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Uamh coilich na glaodhaich was only a -few yards distant; but the entrance to it was -concealed by a huge mass—a perpendicular -pinnacle—of rock; and when Calum had got -behind this gigantic natural screen, there were -no more cheerful stars to guide him; he was -confronted by darkness and unknown terrors. -And yet he scrupulously obeyed his instructions. -His trembling fingers, it is true, grasped -the pistol, but he kept it in his pocket -nevertheless; while with his left hand he groped his -way well into the cave—dreading at every -moment to see two fiery eyes glaring on -him—before he set to work to light the candles. -And how feeble and ineffectual were the -small red flames in this vast cavern! Their -flickering hardly showed the roof at all; but -it was not the roof that Calum was regarding; -it was the far-reaching and black abyss in front -of him, that led—whither? Perhaps the -inhabitants of that other world could see better -than himself, and were now regarding him?—that -other world in which the dawn began in -the middle of the night, and where there were -cocks crowing when all the natural universe -was asleep. He had to fasten each lighted -candle into the neck of a bottle that had been -left there for the purpose; but all the while he -did so he was staring into that vague and awful -space that the feeble, dull red glow did not -seem to penetrate at all—staring into it as if he -expected to find two white eyes and a ghastly -countenance suddenly become visible. And -then again, when he had placed the bottles on a -shelf of rock that ran along one side of the -cave, a few feet from the ground, he did not -instantly turn and go. He retreated -backward—cautiously, for the shelving shingle was loose -and slippery—keeping his face towards that -hollow darkness, so that he might guard himself -against any strange thing, or be warned by -hearing any strange noise. Then a colder -stirring of air told him that he was outside; he -made his way past the over-looming rock and -into the clear star-light again; and with a -beating heart—but a thankful heart withal—he -went quickly along the beach and rejoined his -companions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time the kegs had been all got out; -so that in case of any sudden danger, of which -they appeared to have but little dread, the three -of them could have jumped into one of the -boats and made off. There remained, therefore, -only the task of carrying along the casks and -stowing them in the cave; and this work young -Ross left to the two men. He remained on -watch—if watch were needed—pacing up and -down the shingle, looking at the far resplendent -heavens and the darker sea, and listening to -the continuous murmur of the distant surf. He -had lit his pipe, too; he did not seem to have -much apprehension of being interfered with. -And indeed all went well; and in due course of -time the two dark figures came along the beach -with the intelligence that all the kegs had been -safely stowed, and that they were now ready to -row the master back to his own home.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Coinneach," said Donald Ross, seated at the -helm, when they were some way out on the -black and tumbling water, that glanced and -quivered here and there with the reflections of -the stars, "they were telling me before we left -in the yacht that the lady was shortly coming -to Lochgarra House."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And indeed I heard the same thing myself," -said Coinneach, "and they were making ready -at the big house for the coming of the -Englishwoman."[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Ban-sassunnach</em><span class="small"> was the term he used. But young -Ross had referred to her as </span><em class="italics small">Baintighearna</em><span class="small">, or -lady-proprietor—a much more respectful appellation.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"And I have no doubt," the master continued, -"that Purdie will come with her, to show her -the property, and introduce her to the people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Little Red Dwarf," said Coinneach; -and then he muttered to himself: "It is the -lowermost floor of hell that I am wishing -for him, and for every one of his accursed house!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Young Ross of Heimra took no notice of this -pious ejaculation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now listen," said he. "This is what I wish -to say to you, Coinneach. When Purdie comes -to Lochgarra with the lady who is the new -proprietor, that would be a very good time -indeed for widow Mac Vean to ask them to give -her a cow in place of the one that she lost in -the Meall-na-Fearn bog. Maybe they will give -the poor woman a cow; and she will pay them -back bit by bit if they allow her time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is of no use asking the Little Red Dwarf -for anything," said Coinneach, sullenly. "There -is no goodwill in his heart towards the people. -Nor is there any goodwill in their hearts -towards him—God forbid that there should be -any such thing. Indeed, now, there is -something I could say about the Little Red -Dwarf—But it does not serve to talk."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What were you going to say, Coinneach?" -the young master demanded—knowing Coinneach's ways.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, perhaps Mr. Ross would not like to -hear," said Coinneach, evasively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed, but I wish to hear. Now what is it -you have to tell me about the Troich Bheag -Dhearg?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Coinneach was silent for a second or two.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said he, slowly, "it was some of the -young lads they were saying that it only -wanted a word from Mr. Ross. Yes; they -were saying that. It was just a word from -Mr. Ross; and they would see that the Little Red -Devil did not trouble anyone any more, neither -in this nor in any other country."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, indeed," said the master, placidly. -"Then it is a murder the Gillie Ciotach and the -rest of them are for planning—is that what you -have to tell me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I would not give a thing a bad name," said -Coinneach, as he laboured at the oar. "No, no; -they were not talking of a murder, or any bad -thing like that. But—but there might be an -accident; and a very good thing, too, if an -accident happened to the Little Red Dwarf!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what kind of an accident?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh well," said Coinneach, looking away out -to the horizon as if the suggestion might come -from any quarter. "Maybe he would be riding -home on a dark night; and maybe there might -be a wire stretched across the road; and if he -was to break his neck, who could help that? -And it is I who would laugh to hear that he -had broken his neck; indeed I would laugh!" -said Coinneach, though there was little laughter -in his sombre tones.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And that is what you call an accident, -Coinneach? It is an accident that might end in -your finding yourself with a hempen collar -round your neck. And what was it set the -young men talking like that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh well, indeed, they were talking about -the draining of the loch and the pulling down -of Castle Heimra; and they were saying that -nowadays the law was being altered by the -people themselves, and that right and justice -could be done without waiting for the courts. -They were saying that. And they were saying -that we have come into a new time, which is -the truth. They were speaking of the people -over there in the Lews; and the last that was -heard was that the people would not wait any -longer for more pasture to be given them; they -would not wait for the courts; they were going -to take the deer-forest to themselves, and -hamstring every one of the stags—them that they -could not eat; and they had got their tents and -baggage ready, to go into the forest and take -possession. In former times they would not -have dared to do so; but times are different -now; and people have not to wait for justice; -it is they themselves who must say what is right, -whether about the Little Red Dwarf, or -anything else. They were telling me that. And -who was to put the crofters and cottars out of -the deer-forest over there in the Lews? Not -all the policemen in the island: there are not -enough. And if they were to send soldiers, the -Queen's soldiers dare not fire on the Queen's -subjects, or the officer would be hanged. That -was what they were telling me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Coinneach," said the young master, "if the -Gillie Ciotach and his companions are talking -like that, they will be getting themselves into -trouble one of these days. They'd better let the -Little Red Dwarf alone; for one thing, I dare -say he is safe enough; the devil looks after his -own brats. But do not forget what I am telling -you now—about Mrs. Mac Vean. Old Martha -will be wanting you to go over to the mainland -to-morrow; and when you are there, you can -seek out Mrs. Mac Vean, and bid her tell the -factor how her cow was lost in the Meall-na-Fearn -bog. She can do no harm by asking."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's very little she will get from the Troich -Bheag Dhearg," said Coinneach, gloomily, -"whether by asking or any other way."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last the long pull was over; and the men, -having landed the master at the slip, set out -again for the yacht. Young Ross of Heimra -went up to the house. But before going in, he -paused at the porch, to have a final look at the -wonderful glories of that vast firmament—the -throbbing Sirius low down in the south, the -gleaming belt and sword of Orion, the powdered -diamond-dust of the Pleiades, the jewelled head -of Medusa, Cassiopeia's silver throne. And -perhaps he was not thinking so much of those -distant and shining worlds as of her who had -first taught him their various names—of the -worse than widowed woman who had shut herself -up here in proud isolation, himself her only -care. Well, she was at peace now; her wrongs -and sufferings and bitter memories all come to -an end; surely there was nothing but quiet and -sweet slumber around that white grave-stone, -far up there on the top of the cliff, overlooking -the wide and lonely western seas.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-baintighearna"><span class="large">CHAPTER IV.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">THE BAINTIGHEARNA.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Next morning Mary went eagerly and joyously -to the window, for here indeed was a welcome -change: no more louring heavens and streaming -roads, but a vast expanse of wind-driven -sea, blue as the very heart of a sapphire, and -yet with innumerable sudden flashes of white -from the crest of its swift-hurrying waves. -The sky cloudless; the fresh breeze blowing -straight in from the Atlantic; the world all -shining around her; even those long spurs and -headlands, sterile as they were, looked quite -cheerful in the prevailing sunlight. And out -yonder, too, was the island of Heimra, to which -her eyes would go back again and again -with a curious interest. She thought of the -lone mother, and of the boy brought up like a -wild goat among the rocks. And if he had -turned out a reckless and unscrupulous -ne'er-do-well, an Ishmael with his hand against -every man, well, that was a deplorable thing, -though perhaps not to be wondered at; -moreover it could matter little to her what such an -outcast might think of her or of her family; -but, nevertheless, deep down in her heart, there -was an odd and ever-recurring feeling of -compunction. She wished to be able to say "I am -sorry." Certainly it was not she who had -destroyed the last relic and monument of the -ancient name—who had drained the loch and -levelled the old stronghold with the ground; -and he must know that; but she wished him to -know more; she wished him to know how -indignant she had been when she first heard of -that monstrous and iniquitous act of vandalism. -And then again (as she still stood gazing at the -island out there in the wide blue waters, with -the white foam springing high in the sunlight -along its southern coasts) it seemed to her that -she rather feared meeting this man. Rude and -lawless and mannerless, might he not laugh at -her stumbling apologies? Or in his Highland -pride he might scorn her southern birth, and -vouchsafe no word in reply? Well, being -sorry was all that remained for her; what was -done could not be undone; it was not within -her power to bring back Castle Heimra from -that waste of ruin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had got up very early, but she did not -care to waken Kate, who was no doubt tired -with the long drive of yesterday; she thought -instead she would quietly slip outside and have -some little investigation of her surroundings. -So she quickly finished dressing; went down -and through the lofty oak hall; passed out upon -the stone terrace, and from thence descended -into the garden, where she found herself quite -alone. The air was sweet and soft; there was -a pleasant scent of newly-delved earth; and -everywhere there was abundant evidence that -the Spring had already come to this sheltered -space—for there were masses of daffodils and -primroses and wallflower all aglow in the -warm sunlight, and there were bunches of -blossom on the cherry-trees trained up the high -stone wall. She went away down to the end -of the garden, opened a door she found there, -and, passing through, entered the wilder -solitude of the woods. And ever as she wandered -idly and carelessly along, the sense that she was -the mistress and owner of all these beautiful -things around her seemed to grow on her and -produce a certain not unnatural joy and pride. -For the moment she had forgotten all the -problems in human nature and in economics -that lay ahead of her; here she had all the -world to herself—this picturesque world of -silver-grey rock, and golden gorse, and taller -larch and spruce, all dappled with sun and -shadow, while the fresh odours of the Spring -were everywhere around, and a stirring of the -new life of the year. And then, when she had -fought her way through the thick underwood -to the summit of one of the westward-looking -cliffs—behold! the dark blue sea, and the -sunny headlands, and Eilean Heimra, with its -thunder-shocks of foam. Heimra island again; -it seemed to be always confronting her; but -however long she might gaze in that direction, -there was no sign of any white-winged yacht -coming sailing out into the blue.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then she scrambled down from this -height to the water's edge; and here she -discovered a most sequestered little haven—a -small, semicircular bay sheltered from the -land-winds by rocks and trees, while the pellucid -green sea broke in ripples of silver along the -cream-white and lilac pebbles. A most solitary -spot—quiet, and sunny, and peaceful: she -began to think that whatever might be done -with other portions of her property, she would -keep this little bit of picturesque seclusion -entirely for herself. This, surely, could be of -no use to anybody—the pebbly beach, the rocks -purple-black with mussels or olive-green with -seaweed, the clear water whispering along the -shore. Political economy should not follow -her hither; here would be her place of -rest—her place of dreaming—when she was done -with studying the wants of others, and wished -to commune with her own soul.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But all of a sudden she found she was not -alone: an apparition had become visible—a -solitary figure that had quietly come round the -rocky point, and was now regarding her with -dumb apprehension. This was a girl of about -five-and-twenty, who had something of an -Irish cast of face: fair-complexioned, freckled, a -tilted nose, grey eyes wide-apart and -startled-looking, and curly light-brown hair that was -mostly concealed by the scarlet shawl she wore -round her head and shoulders. She regarded -Miss Stanley with obvious fear, and did not -advance; her eyes, that had the timidity of a -wild animal in them, had something more than -that; they seemed to say that the poor creature -was but half-witted. Nevertheless the young -proprietress instantly concluded that this was -one of "her people," and that, therefore, she -was bound to make friends.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good morning!" said Mary, and she -brought her wonder-working smile and dimple -into play, as well she knew how.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A quick light, of wonder and pleasure, -sprang into the girl's eyes. She came forward -a little way, timidly. She smiled, in a -pleading sort of fashion. And then she ventured -to hold out her hand, timidly. Mary went -forward at once.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am very glad to make your acquaintance," -she said, in her bland tones, "and you must -tell me who you are."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the girl, taking the hand that was offered -to her, bent one knee and made a humble and -profound curtsy (where she could have learnt -this trick it is hard to say), and then she uplifted -her smiling and beseeching eyes to the great -lady (who was considerably taller than she), -and still held her hand, and repeated several -times something that sounded like </span><em class="italics">Bentyurna -veen—Bentyurna veen</em><span>.[#]</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Baintighearna mhin</em><span class="small">—the gentle lady.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"I am very sorry I don't know Gaelic," -said Mary, rather disappointedly. "Don't you -know a little English?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl still held her hand, and patted it; -and looked into her face with pleased and -wistful eyes; and again she was addressed as -</span><em class="italics">Bentyurna veen</em><span>. And then, in this unknown -tongue, something more was said, of which -Mary could only make out the single word Heimra.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, do you come from Heimra island?" -she asked, quickly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But of the girl's further and rapid speech -she could make nothing at all. So she said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am really very sorry; but I don't know -any Gaelic. Come with me to the house, and -I will get some one to speak between us. Come -with me, to Lochgarra House, do you understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The girl smiled, as if in assent; and -thereupon the two of them set out, following a -winding path through the woods that -eventually brought them to the garden gate. But -here a curious incident occurred. Mary opened -the gate, and held it for her unknown friend -to follow; but at the same moment the girl -caught sight of Mr. Purdie, who had come -along for instructions, and was now in the -garden awaiting Miss Stanley's return. The -instant that this stranger girl beheld the Little -Red Dwarf, she uttered a quick cry of terror, -and turned and fled; in a moment she was out -of sight in the thick underwood. Mary stood -still, astounded. It was no use her trying to -follow. And so, after a second or two of -bewilderment, she turned and went on to the house, -saying a few words to Mr. Purdie in passing, -but not with reference to this encounter. Some -instinct suggested that she ought to seek for -information elsewhere.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When she went into the dining-room she -found that Käthchen had come down, and also -that Barbara was bringing in breakfast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Barbara," said she, "do you know of a girl -about here who seems to be not quite in her -right mind, poor thing? A fair-complexioned -girl, who wears a red shawl round her head -and shoulders——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, that was just Anna Chlannach[#] that -Miss Stanley would be seeing," said Barbara, -in her soft-spoken way.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Anna Chlannach</em><span class="small">—Anne of the many curls.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"And does she come from Heimra Island?" -was the next question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, no, she is not from Eilean Heimra," -said Barbara. "Maybe she would be speaking -to Miss Stanley, and it is about her mother she -would be speaking. Her mother died about -two years ago; but Anna thinks she has been -changed into one of the white sea-birds that -fly about Eilean Heimra, and that she is -coming back, and so she goes along the shore -and watches for her. That is what she would -be saying to Miss Stanley."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Barbara, can you tell me why the girl -should be afraid of Mr. Purdie?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, well, indeed, ma'am, they were saying -that Mr. Purdie was for having her sent away -to an asylum; and it is no doubt Anna would -rather be among her own people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To an asylum?" Mary demanded sharply. -"For what reason? She does no harm?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is no harm about Anna Chlannach," -said Barbara, simply and seriously, as she -busied herself with the table things. "There -is no harm at all about Anna Chlannach, poor -girl. But when Mr. Purdie wishes a thing to -be done, then it has to be done."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hot blood mounted to Mary Stanley's face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, do you think so?" said she. "For I -do not think so—not at all! It is not -Mr. Purdie who is to be the master here—when I -am here. I will let Mr. Purdie understand -that he is not to—to interfere with my -people——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mary!" said Kate Glendinning, in an undertone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary was silent; she knew she had been -indiscreet. But presently she said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Käthchen, I see I must learn Gaelic."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gaelic," observed Kate, sententiously, "is -a very intricate key; and then when you've -got it, and put it in the lock, and turned it, -you find the cupboard empty."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps so with regard to literature—I -do not know; but I want to be able to talk -to the people here, without the intervention of -an interpreter. Barbara," said she, to the -parlour-maid, who had come into the room -again, "do you know what </span><em class="italics">bentyurna veen</em><span> is?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Baintighearna mhin</em><span>?" said Barbara, with -a smile. "Oh, that is 'the gentle lady,' And -that is what Anna Chlannach would be calling -Miss Stanley, I have no doubt of that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, now, Barbara," Mary continued, -"you must tell me how to say this in Gaelic—'</span><em class="italics">Am -I welcome?</em><span>' What is that in Gaelic?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But here Barbara became very much embarrassed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am sure it is not necessary that Miss -Stanley should say that—oh no, indeed," she -answered with averted eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am not so sure," said Mary, in her direct -way. "I hope the time will come when I shall -not have to ask such a question in going into -any one's cottage; but at present I am a -stranger, and I must make my way gradually. -Now, Barbara, what is the Gaelic for 'Am -I welcome?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But still Barbara hesitated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you would ask Mr. Purdie, ma'am, he -would give you the good Gaelic."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I will not," said the imperative young -mistress. "I dare say your Gaelic is quite as -good as Mr. Purdie's."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you would be saying 'Am I welcome?' -in going into a house?" said Barbara, slowly—for -translation is a serious difficulty to the -untutored mind. "Oh, I think you would just -say '</span><em class="italics">An e mo bheatha?</em><span>'; but why would Miss -Stanley be saying such a thing as that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'</span><em class="italics">An e mo bheatha?</em><span>'—is that right? Very well!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how will you understand their answer, -Mamie?" Kate Glendinning asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will read that in their faces," was the reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was quite clear that the young proprietress -had in no wise been disheartened by that first -interview with one of her tenants on the -previous evening. This fair-shining morning -found her as full of ardent enthusiasm, of -generous aspirations, as ever; and here was -the carriage awaiting them; and here was -Mr. Purdie, obsequious; and even Käthchen looked -forward with eagerness to getting a general -view of the estate. Then their setting forth -was entirely cheerful; the Spring air was sweet -around them; the sunlight lay warm on the -larches and on the tall and thick-stemmed bushes -of gorse that were all a blaze of gold. But it -was not of landscape that Mary Stanley was -thinking; it was of human beings; and the -first human being she saw was a little old -woman who was patiently trudging along with -a heavy creel of peats strapped on her back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The poor old woman!" she exclaimed, with -an infinite compassion in her eyes. "Doesn't -it seem hard she should have to work at her -time of life?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's a good deal better off than if she -were in Seven Dials or the Bowery," said -Käthchen. "But perhaps you would like to -give her a seat in the carriage?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You may laugh if you like," said Mary, -quite simply, "but it seems to me it would be -more becoming if that poor old woman were -sitting here and I were carrying the creel. -However, I suppose we shall have to begin -with something more practicable."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But was it more practicable?—that was the -question she had speedily to put to herself. -For no sooner had they left the wooded -'policies' and surroundings of Lochgarra -House than they entered upon a stretch of -country the sterility of which might have -appalled her if only she had fully comprehended -it. Land such as the poorest of Galway -peasants would have shunned—an Arabia -Petræa—rocks, stones, and heather—wave upon -wave of Hebridean gneiss, the ruddy-grey -knolls and dips and heights showing hardly -a trace of vegetation or of soil. And yet -there were human beings here, busy on their -small patches; and there were hovels, some of -them thatched, others covered over with turf -tied down by ropes; while now and again -there appeared a smarter cottage, with a slated -roof, and lozenge-panes of glass in the window. -Moreover, they had now come in sight of the -sea again; yonder was a far-stretching bay of -silvery sand; and out at the margin of the -water, which was at lowest ebb, there were -a number of people, mostly women and young -lads and girls, stooping at work; while an -occasional small dark figure, with a hump on -its back, was seen to be crossing the expanse -of white.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are they doing, Mr. Purdie?" Mary asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're cutting seaware for manure to put -on their crofts," was the answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And at the same moment her attention was -drawn to a man not far from the roadside who, -in his little bit of rocky ground, was making -use of an implement the like of which she had -never seen or heard of.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is that, Mr. Purdie? Is it some kind -of spade?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, just a foot-plough—there's no other kind -of plough would be of any use in this district."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And nothing would do but that she must -descend and examine this novel method of -tillage. She went boldly up to the man: he -was a tall, lean, swarthy person, severe of -aspect, who kept a pair of hawk-like eyes fixed -on the factor all the time he rather unwillingly -answered her questions. For Mary, to her -great delight, discovered that this man could -speak English; and she wanted information at -first hand; and indeed she immediately showed -a very definite knowledge of what she was -after. The man clearly did not like being -cross-examined; again and again he resumed -his delving operations with that long-coultered -instrument that he worked with foot and arms; -but she would take no heed of his sullen -humour. What stock had he?—two cows, two -stirks, eight sheep up on the common pasture, -and a pony. What potatoes did he raise?—well, -he would plant about two barrels, and -maybe get ten or twelve barrels. Did he make -any meal?—hardly any; the cows and stirks -did not let his crops come to the threshing. -And so forth, until Mary said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I don't see where you get any capital -to work the croft, or to increase the stock if we -could give you more land. You don't seem to -be getting any money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no money at ahl," said the crofter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen to him!" interposed Mr. Purdie, -with an angry frown. "Let me tell you this, -Miss Stanley: that man gets twenty-five -shillings a week, gillie's wages, when the -gentlemen are here for the shooting, and besides -that he hires his pony to them at twenty-three -shillings a week; and I suppose he's just the -one to cry out that not a sportsman should be -allowed to come into the country."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it true that you get that money?" said -Mary, calmly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, that is true," he admitted, in rather a -sulky fashion; "but it is not from the croft -I get the money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I am only making enquiries at -present," said Miss Stanley. "I wish to know -what improvements are possible—I wish to -know what the people want——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But here, to her surprise, she was interrupted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A railway," said the tall, black-a-vised -crofter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A railway?" she repeated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay—a railway to Bonar."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A railway to Bonar Bridge?" she said, -staring at the man. "Why, what good would -that do you? Take your own case. You say -you have nothing to sell. Even if there were -a railway to Bonar Bridge—and there couldn't -be, for the cost would be enormous, and there -would be no traffic to speak of—but supposing -there were a railway, how would that benefit you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He made no reply; he merely worked away -with the long and narrow coulter, turning up -the poor soil. So she saw it was no use arguing -with him; she bade him a cheerful -"Good-morning!" and came away again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And with a right gallant courage did she -continue her house-to-house visitation, -desperately trying to win friends for herself, and -wondering more and more that she was so -ill received. She was not accustomed to sour -looks and sullen manners; and in casting about -for some possible reason for this strange -behaviour she began to ask herself whether she -might not get on better with these people if -Mr. Purdie were well away back in his office in -Inverness. One point struck her as being very -peculiar; not a single man or woman of them -asked for a reduction of rent. She thought -that would have been the first thing for them -to demand, and the simplest for her to consider; -but it was never mentioned. They asked for -all kinds of other things—when they would -speak at all. They wanted herring-nets from -the Government; they wanted more boats from -the Government—and the instalments of -repayment to be made smaller; they wanted the -steamer to call in thrice a week, during the ling -season; they wanted their arrears of debt to -the curers to be wiped off; they wanted more -pasture land; they wanted more arable land.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As for pasture land," said Käthchen, in an -undertone, as they were leaving one of these -poor steadings, "I don't know whether you -will be able to persuade Mr. Watson to give up -a slice of his sheep-farm; but as regards arable -land, Mary, you should tell those people they -have made a mistake about you. You are not -the Creator of the Universe: you can't make -arable land out of nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't be profane," said Mary, severely. -"And mind, I'm not going to have any -giggling disparagement of my work: I can tell -you, it promises to be very serious."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Serious enough! When they got back to -Lochgarra House in the afternoon, her head -was fairly in a whirl with conflicting statements -and conflicting demands. She knew not how -or where to begin; the future seemed all in a -maze; while the personal reception accorded -her (though she tried to think nothing of that -for the moment) had been distinctly repellent. -And yet, not satisfied with this long day's -work, she would go down to the village in the -evening, to see what was expected of her there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose I can interfere?" she said, to -Mr. Purdie, who was having tea with them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beg pardon?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose I can interfere? The village -belongs to me, does it not?" she demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In a measure it does," said the factor. "Of -course you are the Superior; but where feus -have been granted, they have the land in -perpetuity, while you have only the rent——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I can't interfere, then?" said she, -with some disappointment that her sphere of -activity seemed limited in that direction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You can step in to see that the conditions -of the leases have been respected——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I can't do things?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They'll let you do whatever ye like—so -long as it means spending money on them," -said Mr. Purdie, with grim sarcasm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The inn, for example?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The inn is different. We built the inn. -The landlord is only a yearly tenant."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We will go down and see him at once, if -you please, Mr. Purdie," said Mary, with -promptitude. "I have a scheme in my head. -Käthchen, are you tired?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Kate laughed, and dragged herself from her -chair. Indeed, she was dead tired; but none -the less she was determined to see this thing -out. So the three of them proceeded along to -the village as far as the inn—which was a -plain little two-storeyed building, with not -even a sign hanging over the door; and there -they went into the stuffy little parlour, and -sate down, Mr. Purdie ringing the bell and -sending for the landlord.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aren't those things dreadful?" said Mary, -glancing around at the hideous stone and china -ornaments on the mantelshelf and elsewhere—pink -greyhounds chasing a yellow hare; bronze -stags that could only have been designed in -wild delirium; impossible white poodles on a -ground of cobalt blue, and the like; while on -the walls were two gaudy lithographs—German-looking -nymphs with actual spangles in their -hair and bits of gold and crimson tinsel round -their neck. "I must have all this altered -throughout the cottages——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes, Mamie," said Käthchen; "Broussa -silks—Lindos plates—a series of etchings——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But here was the landlord, a rather youngish -and shortish man, who seemed depressed and -dismal, and also a little apprehensive.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Peter," said Mr. Purdie, in his merry -way, "what are ye frightened for? Ye've got -a face as if ye'd murdered somebody. We're -not going to raise your rent."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would be little use that—for I could not -pay it," said the sad-looking young man with -the cadaverous grey face and grey eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't you take a seat?" said Miss Stanley, -interposing. "I have a proposal to make to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Peter Grant did not answer: he remained -standing, stolidly and in silence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It seems to me," she went on, "that -something should be done to bring visitors here in -the spring, as well as the few that come -through this way in the autumn. It would be -a benefit all round—to the inn, and to the -gillies who would be required, I mean for the -salmon-fishing in the Garra. Now I don't -particularly want the salmon-fishing in the -spring months; and it seems to me if you were -enterprising you would rent it from me, and -advertise it, and let it to two or three -gentlemen, who would come and live in your house, -and give you a good profit. Do you see?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He answered not a word; he kept his eyes -mostly fixed on the carpet; so she continued—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gentlemen will go very far for salmon-fishing -now-a-days, so I am told; and you -might give them quiet quarters here, and make -them comfortable, and every year they would -come back. And I should not be hard upon -you in fixing the rent. Indeed, I would rather -the proposal came from you. What do you -think you could afford to give me for the -spring fishing in the Garra?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, as for that," said the young landlord, -rather uncivilly, "I do not see that there -should be any rent. For the people about here -were saying that no one has a right to the -salmon more than anyone else."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now you know you're talking nonsense," -said Mary, with decision. "For if everyone -had a right to the salmon, in a fortnight's time -there would not be a single fish left in the -river. And besides, do you forget that there -is the law?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes, Peter knows there is the law," -interposed Mr. Purdie, who seemed to be in a -most facetious mood. "Not more than two -months ago Peter found that out when the -Sheriff at Dingwall fined him ten shillings and -ten shillings expenses for having carried and -used a gun without a license. There is quite -sufficient of law in the land, as Peter has just -found out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The young man's eyes were filled with a -sullen fire; but he said nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"However," continued Miss Stanley, not -heeding this interruption, "I would not insist -much on rent: I might even give you the -spring fishing for nothing, if you thought it -would induce the gentlemen to come and occupy -the inn. It is an out-of-the-way place; but -perhaps you would not be charging them very -much either—not very much—I don't quite -know what would be a fair rent to ask—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I would charge them £30 a month," said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She looked up, a trifle indignant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I see. The fishing is worth nothing -while I have it; but it's worth £30 a month -when you have it: is that how the matter -stands? Do you call that fair dealing? Well, -I haven't given you the fishing yet—not on -those terms." She rose—rather proudly. -"Come, Käthchen, I think we might go and -have a look at this fishing that seems to alter -in value so remarkably the moment it changes -hands. We need not trouble you, Mr. Purdie. -Good evening!" This last salutation was -addressed to the landlord, who seemed to have -no word of explanation to offer: then the two -girls went out from the inn, and walked off in -the direction of the river, which they had seen -in passing on the previous evening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary was no doubt considerably hurt and -offended; and there were still further trials in -store for her before the end of this arduous -and disappointing day. She had proposed this -excursion to the river chiefly in order to get -rid of Mr. Purdie; but when she and Käthchen -found themselves by the side of the Garra, a -vague curiosity drew them on, until they had -penetrated into solitudes where the stream for -the most part lay still and dark under the gloom -of the steep overhanging banks. There was -something strangely impressive in the silence -and in the dusk; for while a distant range of -hill flamed russet in the western light—an -unimaginable glory—the stealthily creeping river -was here almost black in shadow, under the thick -birchwoods. And then suddenly she caught -Käthchen by the arm. Surely there was some -one there—a figure out in the stream—a faint -grey ghost in the mysterious twilight? And -then a startling thing occurred. The figure -moved; and instantly, on the black and oily -surface of the water there was a series of vivid -blue-white circles widening out and out, and -slowly subsiding into the dark again. Each time -the grey ghost moved onward (and the two -girls stood motionless, watching this strange -phenomenon) there was this sudden gleam (the -reflection of the clear-shining heavens -overhead) that lasted for a moment or two; then -the vague obscurity once more encompassed -the unknown person, and he became but an -almost imperceptible phantom. And was there -not some sound in the all-pervading stillness?—an -occasional silken 'swish' through the -air? Mary understood what this was well enough.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That man is poaching," said she, calmly—and -she took no pains to prevent herself being -overheard. "And I suppose you and I, -Käthchen, have no means of arresting him, -and finding out who he is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her voice was clear, and no doubt carried a -considerable distance in this perfect silence. -Immediately after she had spoken there were -two or three further series of those flashing -rings—nearing the opposite bank: then darkness -again, and stillness; the spectral -fisherman, whoever he was, had vanished into the -thick birchwood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary Stanley made no doubt as to who -this was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now I understand," she said, bitterly, as -she and her companion set out for home again, -"why the salmon-fishing isn't worth £30 a -month to me—when it does not belong to me! -And now I understand what Mr. Purdie said -about the poaching—and the connivance of -everybody around. And yet I suppose Mr. Ross -of Heimra calls himself a gentleman? -I suppose he would not like to be called a thief? -Well, I call him a thief! I call poaching -thieving—and nothing but thieving—whatever -the people about here may think. And I say -it is not the conduct of a gentleman."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was very angry and indignant; and the -moment she got back to Lochgarra House she -sent for the head-keeper. In a few minutes -the tall and bushy-bearded Hector presented -himself at the door of the room, cap in hand -a handsome man he was, with a grave and serious face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is any one allowed to fish in that river -who pleases?" she demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was not aware of any one fishing, ma'am," -said the keeper, very respectfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But is there no one watching?" she demanded, -again. "Can any poacher who chooses -have the run of the stream? Does it belong -to everybody? Is it common property? -Because—because I merely wish to know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was somewhat perturbed and excited; -she did not think she was being dealt with -justly; and she saw in the grave and reticent -manner of the head-keeper only an intention -of screening the culprit whom she herself had -by accident detected a little while before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The fishing in the Garra is not very good -in the spring," said the weather-browned -Hector, "and we were not thinking it was -much use to have a water-bailiff whatever."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But surely it is your business to see that -no poaching goes on, either on the river or -anywhere else? Surely that is your duty? -And if there were no fishing, would anyone -fish?—you may trust a poacher to know! I'm -sure," she went on, with something of a hurt -manner, "it is very little I ask. I only want -to be treated fairly. I am trying to do my -best for every one in the place—I wish to do -what is right by every one. But then I want -to be treated fairly in return. And poaching -is not fair; nor do I think it fair that you, as -a keeper, should make excuses for it, or try -to screen anyone, whoever he may be."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man's face became rather pale—even -under the weather tan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If Miss Stanley would be wanting to get -another gamekeeper," he said, slowly and -respectfully, "I would not be asking to stay."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you would rather leave than interfere -with Mr.——" She did not complete the -sentence. She turned away and walked to the -window. The fact is, it had been a long and -harassing day; her nerves had got unstrung; -and all of a sudden a fit of helplessness and -despair came over her; it seemed impossible. -she could ever struggle against this -misconstruction and opposition and dislike.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Kate Glendinning turned to the keeper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You need not wait, Hector," said she, in -an undertone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then she went to her friend. Mary had broken -down completely—and was sobbing bitterly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mamie!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I—I am not used to it," she said, between -her sobs. "All day long, it has been nothing -but hatred—and—and I am not used to being -hated. What have I done to deserve it? I -wish to—to do what is right by every -one—and—and I tried my—my very hardest to make -friends with every one. It is not fair—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, it is not," said Käthchen, and she took -her companion by the hand and led her back -into the room. "But you must not be -disheartened all at once. Give them time. They -don't understand you yet. And I will back -you to win over people against any one I ever -knew: the fact is, Mary, you have always -found it so easy, that when you meet with a -little trouble you are terribly disappointed. -They don't hate you, those people; they don't -know you—that is all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And indeed the girl's naturally sunny -temperament soon broke through these bitter -mortifications.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"After all, Käthchen," she said, "I have -not quite lost a day: I was forgetting that I -made one friend." There was an odd smile -shining from behind her tears. "It is true she -is half-witted; but all the same I am glad that -Anna Chlannach seemed to approve of me."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-meall-na-fearn-bog"><span class="large">CHAPTER V.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">THE MEALL-NA-FEARN BOG.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>And once again a wild, clear, breezy morning; -the sea a more brilliant blue than ever; the -heavy surge bursting like a bombshell on the -rocks of Eilean Heimra, and springing some -sixty or seventy feet in the air. Altogether -a joyous and gladdening sight—from the -several windows of this spacious room in the -tower; but nevertheless Kate, who was far -from being a foolish virgin, observed that the -wind must have backed during the night to -the south, and therefore she began to talk -about waterproofs. For Mr. Purdie was -leaving to-day; and the two girls, thrown -upon their own resources, had planned an -excursion to those portions of the estate they -had not yet visited—the higher moorland -districts; and of course that had to be -accomplished on foot. They did not propose -to take a guide with them; they would simply -go along to the 'march' beyond the little -hamlet of Cruagan, and follow the boundary -line across the hills. Sooner or later they -would strike either the Corrie Bhreag or Glen -Orme, with the lower parts of which they were -acquainted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so, with some snack of luncheon in their -pocket and a leather drinking-cup, and with -their waterproofs over their arm, they set -out—the sunlight pleasant around them, an odour -of seaweed in the air. This was to be a little -bit of a holiday: for this one day, at least, -there were to be no persistent and patient -questions met by sullen replies, no timid -proffers of friendship answered by obdurate -silence. And yet as they neared the village, -Mary was reminded of her perplexities, and -griefs, and disappointments; for here was the -solitary policeman of the place, standing -outside the small building that served him for -both police-office and dwelling-house. John, -as he was simply called—or more generally, -Iain—was not at all a terrible-looking person; -on the contrary he was quite a young man, -very sleek and fat and roseate, with rather a -merry blue eye, and a general appearance of -good-nature: a stout, wholesome-complexioned, -good-humoured young man, who was evidently -largely acquainted with the virtues of porridge -and fresh milk. When Mary saw him, she said,—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Käthchen, if they're all in league -against me, even my own gamekeepers, to -screen the poaching that is going on, I will -appeal to the policeman. He is bound to put -down thieving of every kind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd better not, Mamie," was the instant -rejoinder. "It would be very awkward if a -question were asked in the House of -Commons—about a Highland proprietor who had the -shameless audacity to ask Her Majesty's own -representative to watch a salmon-river in place -of the ordinary keepers."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, this project came to nothing in the -present case; for as they drew near they found -that the belted guardian of the peace was -himself in dire trouble. An elderly woman—no -doubt his mother—had opened an upper -window in the small two-storeyed building; -and she was haranguing and scolding him with -an unheard-of volubility. What it was all -about, neither Käthchen nor Mary had the -least idea, for the old woman was rating him -in Gaelic; but John, seeing the young ladies -approach, grew more and more roseate and -embarrassed. Of course he pretended not to -hear. He gazed out towards Heimra Island. -Then with his stick he prodded at the mass of -seaweed by the roadside that was waiting there -to be carted away. And then he smiled in a -tolerant manner, as if all this tempest were -rather amusing; and finally, not being able, in -such humiliating circumstances, to face the two -ladies, the upholder of the majesty of the law -turned and beat a speedy retreat, hiding -himself in the lower floor of the house until they -should pass. So that on this occasion Mary -had no chance of asking Iain whether he would -catch poachers for her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am sure," said she, as they were passing -through the town, and over the Garra bridge, -and up into the country beyond, "I do not care -to preserve the game, if it were for myself -alone. If I thought it would be really for the -good of the people here, I would have every -head of game on the estate destroyed, and -every salmon netted out of the river. But -you hear what they say themselves—many of -them would never see money at all if it weren't -for the gillies' wages, and the hiring of the -ponies, and so on, in the autumn. Then the -few deer that stray on to the ground, from the -Glen Orme forest, they don't come near the -crofts—they do no harm whatever, except, -perhaps, to Mr. Watson's pasture, and he can -easily get rid of them, if he likes, by saying a -word to his shepherds. So that the shooting -and the fishing are nothing but an advantage, -and a very great advantage, to the people; and -I tell you this, Käthchen, that I mean to -preserve them as well as ever I can. And -really it seems shameful that a gentleman in -Mr. Ross's position should have so little -self-respect as to become a common poacher—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You forget how he has been brought -up—according to Mr. Purdie's account," Käthchen -put in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary did not heed the interruption. -She was very indignant on this point.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is quite excusable," said she, "for the -poor, ignorant people about here to believe that -the Rosses of Heimra are still the rightful -owners of the land. They know nothing -about the law courts and agent's offices in -London. They only know that as far back as -they have heard of, and down to their own -day, the land has belonged to the Rosses; and -their Highland loyalty remains staunch and -true; it is not to be bought over by the -stranger; and perhaps it is not even to be -acquired by kindness—but we'll see about that -in time. However, what I say is this, that I -don't complain of these poor people having -such mistaken ideas; but Mr. Ross knows -better; he knows well enough that he has not -the least shadow of right to anything -belonging to the Lochgarra estate; and that if he -takes a grouse, or a hare, or a salmon, he is -constituting himself a common thief."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But now, and for an instant, she was stricken -dumb. They had come in sight of the dried-up -loch and the waste heap of stones that once -was Castle Heimra; and this sad spectacle seemed -to put some strange fancies into her head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," said she, "do you think he does -it out of revenge?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now Kate Glendinning herself was of -Highland blood; and she made answer boldly—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have told you already, Mary, that if I -were young Ross of Heimra, and such an -injury had been done to me and mine—well, I -should not like to say what I should be inclined -to do in return. A sentimental grievance!—yes; -but it is sentimental grievances that go -deepest down into the Highland nature, and -that are longest remembered. But then on the -other hand it seems to me that shooting game -or killing salmon is a very paltry form of -revenge. That is not how I should try to have -it out with Mr. Purdie—for who can doubt -that it was Mr. Purdie destroyed the loch and -the castle?—I saw his air of triumph when he -told the story. No; poaching wouldn't be my -revenge—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is more than that, Käthchen," Mary -said, absently. "It isn't merely defying the -keepers, or being in league with them. There -is more than that. I wonder, now, if it is he -who has set those people against us, so that -they will never regard us but as strangers and -enemies? It is not natural, their sullen refusal -of kindness. There is something hidden—something -behind—that I don't understand." She -was silent for a second or two: then she -said—"I wonder if he thinks he can drive me -out of the place by stirring up this bitter ill-will."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is one way to get over the difficulty," -said Käthchen, lightly. "Ask him to -Lochgarra House. He is a Highlander: if he has -once sate down at your table, he cannot be -your enemy afterwards."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A touch of colour rose to Mary's face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You forget the character he bears," she -said, somewhat proudly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And here they were at the Cruagan crofts; -and the people were all busy in the wide -stretch of land enclosed by a dilapidated fence -of posts and wire. James Macdonald, the -elderly crofter who had complained of the -dyke-tax, was ploughing drills for potatoes; -two or three women and girls were planting; -and a white-haired old man was bringing out -the seed-potatoes in a pail. The plough was -being drawn by two horses wearing huge black -collars—what these were for the two visitors -could not imagine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you going to speak to him, Mary?" -Kate asked in an undertone—as the plough -was coming towards the end of the field.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I am," said the young lady. "I want -to see if the remission of the tax has had no -effect on him. Perhaps he will have a little -more English now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no time to be lost—the horses -were turning. She stepped across from the -road.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"May I interrupt you for a moment? I -want to ask you—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, the grey-bearded man with the shaggy -eyebrows did check the horses—perhaps he had -meant to give them a rest at the end of the -drill.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, thank you," said Mary, in her most -gracious and friendly way. "I only wished -to ask you whether Mr. Purdie had told you -that there was to be no more tax for the dyke, -and that there was to be fifteen years' of it -given back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Russian-looking crofter regarded the -shafts of the plough without removing his -hands; and then he said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes—he was saying that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not a word of thanks; but perhaps—she -generously thought—his English did not go -so far.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is good dry weather for ploughing, is -it not?" she remarked at a venture.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That very old man," she asked, "who is -he—is he your father?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It seems a pity he should be working at -his age," she went on, wishing to show -sympathy. "He ought to be sitting at the cottage -door, smoking his pipe."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Every one will have to work," said the -elderly crofter, in a morose sort of way; and -then he looked at his horses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh well," said Mary, blithely, "I hope to -be able to make it a little easier for you all. -This land, now, how much do you pay for -it? What is your rent?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It—thirty shillings an acre."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thirty shillings an acre? That is too -much," said she, without a moment's hesitation. -"Surely thirty shillings an acre is too much -for indifferent land like that!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The small, suspicious eyes glanced at her -furtively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I not saying it too mich," he made answer, slowly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, but I will consult Mr. Purdie about -it," said she, in her pleasantest way. "My -own impression is that thirty shillings an acre -is only asked for good land. But I will -inquire; and see what can be done. Well, -good morning!—I mustn't take up your time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was coming away when he looked after her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I not saying—it—too mich rent," said he; -and then he turned to his plough; and his -laborious task was resumed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Isn't that odd?" said Mary, as they were -going along the highway again. "None of -them seem anxious to have their rents reduced. -All day yesterday—not a single complaint!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Mamie," said Käthchen, "I don't -know; but I can guess at a reason—perhaps -they are afraid to complain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This set Mary thinking; and they went on -in silence. She wished she knew Gaelic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When they came within sight of the ancient -boundary line, they left the road, struck -across a swampy piece of land where there -were a few straggling sheep, and then set to -work to climb the bare and rocky hill-side. -It was an arduous climb; but both the young -women were active and lithe and agile; and -they made very fair progress—stopping now -and again to recover their breath. Indeed, it -was not the difficulty of the ascent that was -present to their mind; it was the terribly -bleak and lonely character of this domain they -were entering. Higher and higher as they -got, they seemed to be leaving the living world -behind them; and then, when they reached a -level plateau, and could look away across this -new world, there was nothing but an endless -monotony of brown and purple knolls and -slopes, covered with heather and withered -grass, and then a series of hills along the -horizon, with one or two lofty mountain-peaks, -dark and precipitous, and streaked here and -there with snow. There was no sign of life; -nor any sound. As they advanced further and -further into this wilderness, a strange sense of -intrusion came over them; it was as if they -had come into a land peopled by the dead—who -yet might be regarding them; they looked -and listened, as if expecting something, they -knew not what. They did not speak the one -to the other; indeed, they were some little way -apart—those two small figures in this vast -moorland solitude. Then they came to a -tarn—the water black as night—not a bush nor -the stump of a tree along its melancholy shores. -Nor even here was there the call of a curlew, -or the sudden whirr of a wild-duck's wings. -At this point the girls had come together again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who can wonder at the superstitions of the -Highlanders?" said Käthchen, half absently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary's answer was a curious one. She was -looking at the black and oozy soil around her, -with its scattered knobs of yellow grass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose," she said, meditatively, "they -send the sheep up here later on? But it must -be wretched pasture even at its best."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All this time they had been shut out of sight -of the sea by the higher ranges on their right; -but by and by, when they had surmounted the -ridge in front of them, they came in view of at -least one new feature in the landscape—the -river Garra, lying far below them, in a wide -and empty valley. No hanging birch woods -here, or deep pools sheltered by lofty banks, as -in the neighbourhood where they had surprised -the ghostly fisherman; but a treeless expanse of -rather swampy-looking ground, with the river -for the most part rushing over stony shallows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did it occur to you, Käthchen, that we -should have to cross that stream?" Mary asked, -as they were descending the hill.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is the difficulty?" said Käthchen, -coolly. "We shall simply have to do as the -country girls do, take off our shoes and -stockings, wade over, and put them on again on the -other side."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, this undertaking they postponed -for the present; for it was now mid-day; and -they thought they might as well have luncheon -when they got down to the side of the Garra. -They chose out a rock wide enough to afford -them seats; opened their small packages, and -filled the leather drinking-cups at the stream. -Up in these altitudes the water was not at all of -a peaty-brown; it was quite clear, with -something of a pale greenish hue; it had come from -rocky regions, and from melting snow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It seems very odd to me," said Mary, as -they contentedly munched their biscuits and -sliced hard-boiled eggs, "that I should find -myself in a place like this—a place that looks as -if no human being had ever been here before—and -yet be the actual owner of it. I suppose -there never were any people living here?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They must have been clever if they did," -said Käthchen. "To tell you the truth, Mary, -the most part of the Lochgarra estate that I -have seen is only fit for one thing, and -that is to make heather brooms for sweeping -kitchens."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, but wait," said the young proprietress, -confidently. "Wait a little while, and you will -see. Wait till you hear of all the improvements——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A railway to Bonar Bridge?" said Kate -Glendinning, carefully lifting the leather cup.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now look here, Mephistopheles," said Mary, -seriously. "I could murder you, without the -least trouble. I am stronger than you; I could -kill you, and hide you in a hole in the rocks, -and you'd never be heard of again. So you'd -better have a little discretion in flouting at my -schemes. Ah, if you only knew! Why, listen -to this, now: are you aware that there is a far -greater demand for the Harris homespun cloth -than the people can supply? I discovered that -at Inverness. I was told that half the -home-spun sold in London is imitation, made in -Manchester. Well, I propose to let them have the -real homespun—yes, and plenty of it! And -more than that; I'm going to have homespun -druggets, and homespun plaids; and blankets, -and shawls, and patch-work quilts; and all the -carding and spinning and weaving, and all the -knitting of the stockings, to be done by my own -people. And I'll have a sale-room in London; -and advertise in the papers—that they're the -real things, and not sham at all; and if I have -any friends in the South, well, let them show -themselves my friends by coming forward and -helping us! No charity—far from it; they get -value, and more than value, for their money; -why, where is there any such stuff as homespun -for gentlemen's shooting costumes, or for ladies -ulsters; and where can you get such warmth in -winter from any other kind of stockings? I -don't like to see so many women working in the -fields—especially the old women—and carrying -those heavy creels of seaweed; I'm going to get -them lighter work—that will pay them better; -and when their sons or husbands are away at -the East Coast fishing, they will be earning -almost as much at home. What do you think of -this now? For a good web of homespun I can -get 5*s.* a yard from the clothiers themselves; -and they will do very well when they get 1*s.* or -1*s.* 6*d.* a yard profit; but when I sell in my own -store at 6*s.* 6*d.* a yard, then that is all the more -coming back to us here at home. Oh, I tell you, -you will soon hear plenty of spinning-wheels -going, and shuttles clacking, at Lochgarra!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a pretty enthusiasm; and Käthchen -did not like to say anything. Indeed it was -Mary herself who paused in this dithyrambic -forecast. She had chanced to look at the -gathering skies overhead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," said she, "it was a good thing -we brought our waterproofs."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Kate Glendinning followed the direction -of her glance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," she answered, "and I think we'd -better be getting on."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then here was the business of getting over -the stream. Mary went down to the edge -of the river; pulled off her shoes and stockings -covertly (covertly, in this solitude, where there -was not even a hawk poised on wing!) and -then put one foot cautiously into the swift-running -water. The consequence was a shrill shriek.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," she said, "I can't do it. It's like ice, -Käthchen! I'm going to put my shoes and -stockings on again; and find some stones or -rocks somewhere that I can get across."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll fall in, then," said the matter-of-fact -Käthchen, who was by this time over the -ankles, and making good progress—with her teeth clenched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary did not fall in. She sought out -shallows; and made zig-zag experiments with -the shingle and with bigger stones; and if she -did get her feet wet before reaching the other -side, it was gradually. Very soon it was not -of wet feet they were thinking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For when they ascended the opposite -hill—entering upon a still wilder region than any -they had as yet traversed—they became aware -that all the world had grown much darker; -and when at length they beheld the far line -of the sea, it was of a curiously livid, or leaden, -hue. The wind was blowing hard up on these -heights; now and again there was a sting of -moisture in it—the flying precursor of the rain. -But the most ominous thing that met their -gaze was a series of sickly-looking, formless -clouds that seemed rising all along the western -horizon; while the sea underneath was growing -unnaturally black. Rising and spreading those -clouds were, and swiftly; with a strange and -alarming appearance—as if the earth were -about to be overwhelmed: they looked close -and near, moreover, though necessarily they -must have been miles away. At first the two -girls did not mind very much; all their -strength was needed to withstand the buffetings -of the wind; indeed, there was a kind of -joyance in driving forward against the -ever-increasing gale, though it told on their panting -chests. They had to shout to each other, if -they wished to be heard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is the 'march,' Mary?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I haven't seen any trace of it ... this -side of the Garra ... But of course we're -in the right direction ... We must get into -the Corrie Bhreag sooner or later."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then came the rain—at first in flying -showers, but very soon in thin gauze veils that -swept along between them and the distant hills. -Waterproofs were donned now; but they -proved to be of little use—they were blown -every kind of way, with an immensity of -ballooning and flapping and clapping; while -they materially impeded progress. But -nevertheless the two wanderers struggled on bravely, -hurling themselves, as it were, against these -rude shocks and gusts, until their wet hair was -flying all about their faces, and their eyes were -smarting with the rain. Sometimes they -paused to take breath—and to laugh, in a -rueful way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's nothing so horrid as wet wrists!" -Mary called to her companion, on one of these -occasions, as she shook her arms and hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It won't be wrists only, very soon," said -Käthchen, in reply, as they started on again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The gale increased in violence, so that on -the higher slopes ahead of them the heather was -beaten and driven into long waves of motion; -while even through those whirling veils of -rain they could see the torn shreds and tatters -of lurid cloud that crossed the greyer sky. -The moaning of the wind rose and fell in -remote and plaintive cadence; and then again -it would mount up into a shrill and -long-continued scream, that struck terror to the -heart. For there was no more laughter now. -All their dogged, half-blind struggle against -the storm did not seem to lead them any -nearer to any practicable way of getting down -to the coast; and they were afraid to leave the -line they had conceived to be the march—the -imaginary line which they had hoped would -bring them to the Corrie Bhreag, or, at -furthest and worst, to some portion of Glen -Orme. And if the dusk were to come down -and find them in these trackless solitudes? -During one of their pauses to recover breath, -and to get their wet hair out of their eyes and -lips, Mary took off her waterproof, and her -companion followed her example; the worse -than useless garments were secured by a lump -of rock, and left to be searched for by a -shepherd on the following day. Then forward -again—with the wind moaning and howling -across these desert wastes—with the driving -rain at once blinding and stifling them—and -a dim unspoken fear of the coming darkness -gradually taking possession of their mind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One odd thing was that though Mary -Stanley was the taller and much the more -strongly built of the two, she could not hold -on as well as her smaller companion, who was -in a measure familiar with the work of getting -over heather-tufts and across peat-hags. Mary -complained that the wind and the rain choked -her—she could not breathe. And at last she -stopped, panting, breathless, entirely exhausted -with the terrible strain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," she said, in a despairing sort -of way, "I'm done. But don't mind me. I -will stay here, until the storm goes over. If -you think you can push on until you find some -valley to take you down to the coast, then you -will be able to get home——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mamie, what are you talking about!" said -Käthchen, indignantly. "I am going to keep -by you, if both of us stay here all night. But -we mustn't do that. Come, have courage!!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I've a fearful amount of courage, but -no strength," said Mary, with a very dolorous -sort of smile. "Whenever I begin, I get -caught by the throat. Well, here goes once more!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And again they set forth with a desperate -resolution, forcing themselves against the gale, -though their own saturated clothes were -dragging heavily upon them. But they had -not gone on thus for many minutes when it -somehow seemed as though this laborious -stepping from one heather-tuft to another was -becoming easier. Surely the land was trending down?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," Mary called out, brushing -away the rain from her eyelashes, "here is a -valley, and surely it must lead down to the -sea. I don't know which it is——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, never mind; we must take our -chance," said Kate; "if we can get down to -the coast-line anywhere, we shall be all right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so, notwithstanding their dire fatigue, -they kept on now with lighter hearts; their -progress becoming more and more easy, being -all down hill. Not that this valley was -anything in the nature of a chasm, but rather a -hollow plain gradually sloping down to the -west. And then again, the further they got -away from the wild heights they had left -behind them, the violence of the storm seemed -to diminish; they were better able to breathe; -and if the rain did continue to fall, they were -about as wet as they well could be, so that -did not matter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suddenly Kate Glendinning uttered a joyful cry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look! Look!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Far away down the wide valley, and through -the mists of the rain, they could make out a -small cottage or hut; and there were signs of -life, too—wavering smoke that the wind blew -level as it left the chimney. This welcome -sight put new animation into their exhausted -frames; and they pushed forward right -cheerfully now, little thinking that they were -walking into a far more deadly peril than any -they had encountered among the hills.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For when they got further down the valley, -they found that there intervened between them -and the cottage a circular plain; and although -it certainly looked marshy, it never occurred to -them that they ought to go round by the side -of it. How could their feet be wetter? So -they made straight across, Käthchen leading -the way, and jumping from clump to clump of -heather, so as to avoid the little channels -where the black ooze and water might be deep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But by and by she was forced to go more -cautiously; and had to hesitate before choosing -her course. For those oozy channels had -grown broader; and not only that, but the land -she had reached was very far from being solid—it -trembled in a mysterious way. She still -held on, nevertheless, hoping to reach securer -foundation; and now she was not following -any straight line whatever, but seeking -anywhere and everywhere for a safe resting-place -for her foot. Matters speedily grew worse and -worse. She could not make the slightest -movement without seeing the earth vibrate -for twenty yards around her—an appalling -phenomenon; and at last she dared hardly stir, -for a sickening feeling had come over her that -a single step might plunge her into an -unfathomable abyss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," said Mary, in a low voice (she -was close behind), "don't you think we should -try to go back?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the girl seemed absolutely paralyzed with -terror. She turned an inch or two, and looked -helplessly around.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I—I don't know the way we came," she -said—and her eyeballs were contracted as if -with pain. "Will you try, Mary?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then she made a strenuous effort to pull -herself together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no!—let me go first!" she said in a -kind of desperation, "I am lighter than you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," Mary made answer, quite calmly, "I -will go first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Yes, outwardly she was quite calm; but dismay -had possession of her too. For the whole -world underneath felt so strangely unstable; it -shivered even as she stood; and as for going -back the way they came—why, it seemed to -her that the smallest movement in any one -direction must necessarily cause this quaking -morass to open like the sea and engulf them for -ever. She had undertaken to go first; but -whither was she to go? When she put out a -foot tentatively, the solid earth seemed to slide -away from her in billows. Again and again -she tried; and again and again she instinctively -drew back—her whole frame trembling like -the trembling soil beneath her; until at last -she stood speechless and motionless, turning -strange eyes towards Käthchen—eyes that -asked a question her white lips could not -utter. And the dusk was now coming over -the world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But help was near. They were suddenly -startled by a sound—a distant cry—and at the -same moment they caught sight of a man who -had come running from the direction of the -cottage. As soon as he perceived he was seen, -he held up both arms: it was a signal to them -not to move—as if movement were possible to -them in this prostration of fear! He came -along with an incredible rapidity, by the -outskirts of the morass, until he was opposite -them, and then he ventured in a little distance. -But he did not attempt to approach them; -with his hand he directed them which way to -go; and they—their heart in their mouth the -while—obeyed him as well as they could. By -the time they got near to where he was -waiting, they found themselves with some firmer -consistency under their feet; and then, -without a word, he turned and led the way -off the morass, they following. There he -paused for a second, to give them a brief -direction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must keep along the side; it is very -dangerous," he said, in a somewhat cold manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But in an instant Mary had divined who -this was. The young man with the pale, clear-cut -features and coal-black eyes belonged to no -shepherd's hut.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I—I want to thank you, sir," she said, -breathlessly (he had raised his cap to them -slightly, and was going away). "If it had not -been for you, what should we have done? It -is a dreadful place—we were afraid to move—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He glanced at her and her companion with -some swift scrutiny.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are wet," said he, in the same distant -and reserved fashion. "You will find a fire -in the widow's cottage."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might show us the way," said Käthchen, -half-piteously. "We are frightened."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After that he could not well leave them; -though, to be sure, the way to the cottage was -plain and easy enough, so long as they kept -back from the dangerous Meall-na-Fearn bog. -He walked ahead of them, slowly; he did not -attempt to speak to them. His demeanour had -not been unfriendly; on the contrary, it had -been courteous; but it was courtesy of a -curiously formal and reticent kind. Perhaps -he had not known who these strangers were -when he came so quickly to their help.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And in truth the two girls could hardly -follow him; for now all the enfeeblement of -the terror they had suffered had come upon -them; they were no longer strung up by a -shuddering apprehension of being entombed -in that hideous morass; and the previous -fatigue, physical and nervous, that they had -fought against so heroically, was beginning to -tell now, especially upon Mary. At length she -did stop; she said "Käthchen! Käthchen!" -in a low voice; her figure swayed, as if she -would fall to the earth; and then she sank to -her knees, and burst into a wild fit of hysterical -weeping, covering her face with her hands. -Their guide did not happen to notice: he was -going on: and it was becoming dark.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stay a moment, sir!" said Käthchen, in -tones of indignant remonstrance. "My friend -is tired out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He came back at once.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I beg your pardon," said he, gravely. -"Tell her it is only a little way further. I -am going on to get something ready for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And he did go on; so that it was left for -Käthchen to encourage her companion, and -subdue this nervous agitation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is only the cold, Käthchen," said Mary, -who was trembling from head to foot. "I -suppose you are wet through, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But indeed the cottage was quite close by -now; they made their way slowly; when they -reached it, the door was open; and here was -the young man, with his sailor's cap in his hand, -giving a few further directions, in Gaelic, to -an old woman and a young girl of thirteen or -fourteen who appeared to be the sole occupants -of the earthen-floored hut. There was a -peat-fire burning, and a pannikin slung over it. -The old woman went into the other apartment—the -"ben" of the cottage—and returned with -a black bottle, and some sugar; and presently -she had brewed a most potent liquor which, in -two tea-cups, she presented to the young ladies, -and insisted on their swallowing. They were -seated on a rude bench by the grateful warmth -of the peat; they were made to finish this fiery -draught; and here were oat-cakes and milk -besides. Life seemed slowly to come back to -them—to stir in their veins. But the young -man who had guided them hither? Well, he -had disappeared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After some little time Käthchen happened to -turn and look round.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where has the gentleman gone?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the young girl with the jet-black hair -and the wild, timid eyes who made answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was told to take the ladies to Lochgarra -House," said she, in excellent English, and -with a very pretty pronunciation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You? It is nearly dark!" Käthchen -exclaimed. "Why did he leave us?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But here Mary interposed in her mild, suave -fashion; and she regarded the girl with kindly -eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I am sure you will be able to show us -the way very well," said she. "Only you -must tell your mother—is she your mother?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My grandmother, lady," was the answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, tell your grandmother that you must -stay the night at Lochgarra House; you cannot -come back here so late. We will send you -along in the morning; or I will come with -you myself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the old grandmother knew a little -English too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes, indeed, indeed," said she. "Whatever -the ladies will be pleased."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And by and by they set out; the sure-footed -young mountaineer acting as their guide. -Night had fallen now, and there were no -stars; but after they had gone on some time -they could make out the sound of the sea—and -it was a welcome sound, for it told them they -were nearing the road that here runs all along -the coast. And indeed it was not until they -were actually in the highway that it occurred -to Kate Glendinning to ask how far they had -still to go before they got to Lochgarra.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It will be about seex miles, or more than -five miles whatever," was the answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Six miles!" said Käthchen, faintly. "I -wish we had stayed at your grandmother's -cottage. Mamie, shall you ever be able to -manage it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hope so, Käthchen," Mary said, though -not very joyfully. "I am a little warmer now; -and there is less wind blowing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so they went on—the unseen sea -thundering beneath them in the dark, along -the iron-bound coast—the wind sometimes -rising into a mournful moan, but bringing no -rain with it now. It was a long and weary -tramp; but they were on a good road; and -their brave little guide, whatever she may have -thought of the darkness, went forward unhesitatingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then of a sudden they beheld two points of -fire away ahead of them; and presently there -was a sound of wheels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will give £20 for the loan of that -carriage," said Mary, "whosesoever it is!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why," said Käthchen joyfully, "in this -neighbourhood, whose can it be but your own?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And indeed it was. And not only that, -but here was the gentle-spoken Barbara, -profuse of compassion and pretty speeches; and -she had brought with her an abundance of -blankets—not shawls and wraps, or any -feminine knickknackery—but substantial and -capacious blankets, along with many smaller -comforts and cordials. And when they had all -four got into the shut landau (for the girls -would not allow their young guide to go on -the box) Mary said,—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But who took the news to Lochgarra -House, Barbara? Who told you to bring the -carriage?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, just the young master himself," said -Barbara, with smiling eyes, as she was busy -with her ministrations. And then she corrected -herself. "It was just young Mr. Ross of -Heimra. And did Miss Stanley not know who -he was?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Miss Stanley had known very well. And -Käthchen had guessed.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="gilleasbuig-mor"><span class="large">CHAPTER VI.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">GILLEASBUIG MÒR.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Käthchen was standing at the window, -looking out upon the wild and wayward sea, -that was all brilliantly dappled with sun and -cloud, while Mary was at her dressing-table, -preparing to go down to breakfast. It was -a blowy and blusterous morning, after the -storm; but the welcome sunlight was abroad -again; and the heavens shone serene and fair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never no more," Käthchen was solemnly -remarking, as she regarded the wide plain -of hurrying waves and the white sea-birds that -dipped and sailed and circled in the light, -"never no more shall I have a word to say -against smuggled brandy. By rights, Mary, -you and I ought both to be in a raging fever -this morning; and you look as well as ever you -did in your life, and I have only a little bit -of a headache. Nor against poaching: I have -nothing to say against poaching—when it -suddenly produces somebody to get you out -of a hideous and horrible morass, worse than -any quicksand that ever I heard of. Do you -know, I hardly dared put my foot to the floor -this morning: I was afraid that frightful -sensation would come back, as if I were -standing on nothing, and just about to sink. -Wasn't it terrible? I know I shall dream -about it to my dying day." And then she said: -"I wonder what took young Ross of Heimra -up to that out-of-the-way place? Not poaching; -for he had neither rod nor gun."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"More likely selling brandy to that old -woman," said Mary; and then she added, with -a touch of scorn: "A pretty occupation for -a Highland gentleman!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Mary," said Käthchen, reflectively. -"I confess that story does not sound to me -true. I should like to have some proof before -believing it. No doubt it is just possible he -may have wanted to make up to these poor -people for Mr. Purdie having banished the -illicit stills; and perhaps he could not afford -to get them spirits for nothing; and so he may -charge them what he himself has paid. But -it is not like what a Highland laird would -do, however poor he might be—and in a kind -of way he still stands in the position of laird -towards these people. No, it does not sound -probable; but anyhow I mean to find out—if -we are going along to-day to thank the old -woman for her kindness of last night. And -whether it was poaching, or smuggling, or -whatever it was, that took young Mr. Ross -up to that hut, it was a very lucky thing for us: -we should never have seen the morning if we -had been left there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is true enough," Mary admitted; but -then she went on to say, with some asperity: -"At the same time, a favour is twice a favour -when it is graciously conferred. He seemed -to me a most ill-mannered young man. I doubt -whether he would have come near us at all -if he had known who we were."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I don't agree with you—not in the -least!" said Käthchen, warmly. "I thought -he was most courteous, and—and respectful. -Remember, we were entirely strangers to him. -And just think of his going all the way to -Lochgarra to get the carriage sent for us—and -very quickly he must have done it, too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary had not a word in favour of this -young man whom she suspected of far worse -offences (in her eyes) than killing salmon or -bringing smuggled brandy into the district: -she suspected him, in truth, of stirring up -wrath and ill-will, and setting these people -against her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose," she said, rather coldly, "we -must thank him, if we should see him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I, for one, mean to do so, and very heartily," -Käthchen said at once. "I think he was most -kind and considerate—if—if a little—a little -reserved. And not at all the wild savage -I had expected—most distinguished-looking, -I should call him——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come away down to breakfast, Käthchen," -said Mary, taking her friend by the arm: she -would hear no more on that subject.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the hall they encountered the little -Highland lass who had been their guide on -the previous night; and she, looking up with -timid eyes towards this tall and beautiful lady -whose smile was so gracious and winning, -said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Am I to be going home now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Home?" said Mary. "Have you had your -breakfast?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes, indeed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, you need not go yet; you may -as well wait and come with us in the carriage—for -we want to thank your grandmother for -her kindness to us. You can amuse yourself -in the garden, if you like, until we are ready."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was obediently going away, but -Käthchen stopped her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't think you ever told us your name."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just Isabel," said the little maid, in her -pretty fashion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course you know Mr. Ross?" was the -next question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was he doing up at your cottage last -night?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen!" said Mary; but the little -girl did not notice the interruption: she -answered quite simply,—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He came up to ask about the cow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What cow?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But here Isabel did begin to look a little -frightened; and she glanced anxiously at Miss -Stanley.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps the lady will be angry—" she -said, with shrinking eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, no, she won't be angry," Käthchen -interposed at once. "What about the cow? -Tell me about the cow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was my mother's cow that got into the -bog and was drowned—'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The bog we strayed into?" Käthchen -exclaimed. "Do you mean to say that cattle -have been swallowed up in that place?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, many and many a one," said the little girl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll have it fenced round at once," said -Mary, in her usual prompt and emphatic way, -"no matter what it costs!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the cow?" said Käthchen, encouragingly, -to the little Highland lass. "What did -Mr. Ross want to know about the cow?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Ross," continued Isabel, "he was -sending a message that my mother would ask -Mr. Purdie and the lady for a cow in place -of that one, and the money to be paid back -bit by bit as we could do it; yes, and -Mr. Purdie was to be asked for the cow; and -Mr. Ross he came up last night to see if we were -to get the cow. But we were not hearing -about it from any one."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary's face flushed with vexation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why was I not told about this?" she -said, turning indignantly to Käthchen. "What -right had Mr. Purdie to decide—and go away -without saying a word? I suppose he refused?—and -that was to be all of it!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the little girl, hearing the lady talk in -these altered tones, grew frightened; and tears -started to her eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Please, I was not asking for the cow," she -said, piteously; for she knew not what terrible -mischief she had done. "I was not intending -to make the lady angry——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary turned to the girl, and put her hand -in a kindly way on the raven-black hair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you be alarmed, Isabel," she said, -with a reassuring smile. "You have done no -harm; you were quite right to tell me the -story. And you need not be afraid; your -mother shall have the cow; perhaps even two -of them, if the byre is big enough. Now go -into the garden and amuse yourself, until you -hear the carriage come round."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, it may here be said that in this -instance Mr. Purdie was in no wise culpable. -It appeared that the widow MacVean had two -days before gone over to Cruagan, where she -had a married daughter, in order to help in -the fields; and her only chance of presenting -the petition was by intercepting the factor on -his way homeward. Whether she did or did -not present the petition was of no immediate -consequence: Mary had resolved upon offering -up this cow, or perhaps even two cows, as a -sort of sacrificial thanksgiving for her -deliverance from the Meall-na-Fearn bog.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After breakfast they set out, Isabel seated -beside the driver. And once again they came -in sight of the Minard township, with its poor -little crofts on the rocky soil, and the long -sweep of white sand where, the tide being out, -the people were busy with their sickles cutting -the seaweed from the rocks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder," said Mary, meditatively, "if -I couldn't revive the kelp-burning?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, no," said Käthchen (who did not quite -understand how indefatigable the young -proprietress had been in qualifying herself for -her new position). "That is all over now. -Those were the grand days for the Highlands—for -both the landlords and the people; but -modern chemistry has spoiled all that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't know, then," said Mary, quietly, -"that kelp-burning is carried on in some places -at this moment? It is, though. Over in South -Uist the crofters get from £2 10s. to £3 a -ton for kelp. But perhaps they need all the -seaweed they can get here for their crofts, or -perhaps it isn't the right kind of tangle: I -must find out about that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They drove as far as they could along the -road; and they had to descend from the -carriage, to make the rest of their way on foot. -And strange it was that the moment the two -girls left the highway, and found themselves -upon the yielding heather, they betrayed an -unmistakeable alarm—looking all around them -as if they feared to be betrayed into some -hidden quagmire. But indeed at this point the -land consisted chiefly of rocks and peat and -stones; and gradually they got accustomed to -following their sure-footed young guide who -was going up the hill-side with the lightest of -steps. Long before they had climbed to the -cottage, they saw the old woman come out to -scatter some remains of porridge to the hens: -a pleasant-looking old dame she was, with -silvery-grey hair and a rennet complexion; -moreover (whether she had expected them or -not) she was very tidily dressed—a clean white -"mutch," a short-skirted blue gown, a white -apron, and red stockings. When she saw the -strangers, she remained outside; and when -they came toiling up she saluted them with a -grave and gentle "good moarning!" But -beyond returning that salutation, Mary did not -enter into further talk just then. Her eyes -were drawn with a morbid fascination to the -black morass that had so nearly proved fatal -to her and her companion. She seemed to feel -herself once more standing on that trembling -soil, unable to move in any one direction, the -darkness coming down. And had the darkness -fallen, what would the morning have seen? -The morning would have dawned upon that -level waste just as it was now—silent, empty, -all its secrets sucked down and buried for -ever and ever. A hideous and lingering death: -the slow torture of the long and sombre hours, -before utter exhaustion came, and despair, and -a swooning into the unknown. She shivered -a little: then she turned to the old -grandmother, who was talking to Käthchen with -such English as she could muster.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," she was saying, "my daughter, she -over at Cruagan——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so perhaps she did not speak to -Mr. Purdie about the cow?" Mary interposed. -"Very well. That's all right. Little Isabel -was telling me about the cow that was lost. -Well, I will see that you have one in its place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old woman could not speak; the -withered, weather-wrinkled face wore a pained -look, as if she were trying not to cry; and she -furtively wiped her hand on her apron and -timidly held it out—it was by shaking hands -that she could best express her thanks. And -here was an extraordinary thing!—here was -actual gratitude, the very first symptom of it -that Mary Stanley had encountered since she -came to the place. But the next moment she -was saying to herself bitterly:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why? Why is this old woman friendly? -Because she saw that Mr. Ross of Heimra -condescended to be civil to me yesterday evening. -If he throws a word to me, then I am to be -tolerated! But if I had come here by myself, -I might have offered to double the size of her -byre, and give her two cows instead of one, -and there would have been nothing but sullen -looks and silence. Was I not warned the -moment I set foot in the place? It's Donald -Ross of Heimra who is their laird. I am a -stranger, and an enemy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now it was Kate Glendinning's turn -to make a few discreet inquiries: for the -allegation that a Highland gentleman would -condescend to sale and barter was still rankling -in her soul.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Mrs. MacVean," said she pleasantly, -"that was very excellent brandy you gave us -last night, and very welcome, too: I suppose -we should have died of the cold and wet if you -had not given us the hot drink. But where did -you get brandy in an out-of-the-world place -like this?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An alarmed expression came into the old -woman's face, though she endeavoured to -conceal it. She looked away down the hill-side, -and said vaguely:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was—in the house. Oh, ay—in the house."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; but where did you get it?" Kate asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a moment of silence—and distress.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The brandy?—Mr. Ross—he ordering me -to give it to you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes," said the young lady, in the same -off-hand sort of way, "and it was very thoughtful -of him—and very kind of you. It seemed -to bring us back to life again. I don't know -what we should have done without it. I was -only wondering where you got such good -brandy in this part of the Highlands."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old woman looked anxiously from the -one to the other: were they trying to entrap -her?—even after their generous promise that -she should have the cow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, ay," she said, still clinging desperately -to those evasive phrases, "the brandy—it in -the house—and—and Mr. Ross, he ordering me -to give it—and any one very pleased, whatever -he wishes. And the ladies—very, very wet and -cold—and a long weh home to Lochgarra—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come, come, Mrs. MacVean," Käthchen said, -"you ought to know that we don't want to -make any trouble—is it likely, just after Miss -Stanley has promised to give you the cow? I -am asking only out of curiosity; and I can -keep a secret as well as any one. And of course -we are quite aware that it is Mr. Ross who -brings the brandy into the neighbourhood—and -very properly, too, for good brandy is better -than bad whisky, and you must have something -in the house in case of sickness. Very -well: tell me what he charges you for it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Charges?" the old woman repeated, with a -puzzled air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Käthchen, encouragingly. "I -only want to know for—for information; and I -am not likely to tell any one. What do you pay -him for it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the old grandmother understood; and -though she did not say much, there was -something in her tone that showed how keenly she -resented this imputation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Pay—Mr. Ross of Heimra—for the brandy?" -said she, as if it was herself who had been -insulted; and she was turning angrily away. -"You think—the young master—tekkin money -from the like of me?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then he gives you the brandy for nothing?" -said Kate,—and this question at once arrested -the old dame, who made answer somewhat -sulkily—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I not saying that—I not saying that at ahl."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course not," said Käthchen, with cheerful -good humour. "It is not necessary for you to -say anything. But now I understand; and I -am glad of it; for I have Highland blood in -my veins myself, and I did not like to think of -a Highland gentleman taking money for little -kindnesses of that sort. And indeed I did not -believe it; and I am very pleased indeed that -you have made it possible for me to contradict -such a ridiculous story."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Shortly thereafter—the old grandmother -having been won into something of a more -conciliatory mood by reiterated expressions of -thanks and a circumstantial promise with regard -to the cow—the two young women left; and as -they descended the hill, Kate Glendinning was -most triumphant about this refutation of what -she considered a malignant slander. Mary, on -the other hand, was inclined to be coldly severe -in her judgment wherever young Ross of Heimra -was concerned—though neither coldness nor -severity formed part of her ordinary temperament.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't see anything to be proud of, Käthchen," -said she. "He is cheating the revenue, -for one thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Cheating the revenue," said Käthchen, in -her matter-of-fact way, "is not likely to trouble -a Highlander's conscience much. But I dare -say he thinks the Government can get along -well enough without taking any more taxation -from these poor people; and I have no doubt -he says to himself that if he pays for a bottle of -good brandy for some poor woman with ague or -rheumatism in her old joints, the Government -can afford to let her have it without the duty. -In a climate like this you must have spirits -of some kind; and as I was saying to -Mrs. MacVean, good brandy is better than bad -whisky filled with fusel oil."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know perfectly well what his object is," -Mary said, proudly and indignantly. "His -object is simply to steal away the hearts of the -people—and to stir up ill-will between them and -whoever happens to be at Lochgarra House. -They are all his friends—and my enemies. He -can shoot and fish wherever he pleases; he has -the run of the whole estate; he is welcome at -every fireside; whilst I, when I want to lower -the rents, and better the condition of the people -in every way, and be their friend—well, I am -kept outside at the door, and if I say 'Am I -welcome?' there is no answer. For him—everything: -for me—nothing. And I think it is hardly fair."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She spoke in a proud and hurt way, and her -lips trembled for an instant: it was clear that -she considered she had not deserved this ill-usage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no, no, Mary," her friend protested. -"You are unjust, as far as Mr. Ross is -concerned anyway. For one thing it is very -likely that the poor people about here were -accustomed to look to his mother for little -comforts when they fell ill; and he may be trying -to carry out the same kind of thing, in the only -way that would occur to a man." Then a -demure smile came into Käthchen's eyes. "But -I will be honest with you, Mary. I don't think -it is done to spite you at all: although your -family have wrought him and his sufficient -wrong. But if you were to ask me if it wasn't -done with a determination to spite Mr. Purdie—in -return for the destruction of the illicit -stills—well, you see, people may act from -various motives, and I shouldn't be surprised -if that had something to do with it. As for -stealing the hearts of the people—if you knew -the curious loyalty and devotion of the -Highlanders towards the old families, you would -hardly think it necessary that Mr. Ross should -have to make use of any bribe——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But why should they hate me?" Mary -exclaimed—and Käthchen had no answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, if Miss Stanley had on one or two -occasions suspected that the presence of the -detested factor might have something to do -with the failure of her efforts to cultivate -amicable relations with her tenants, here was -an opportunity of seeing what she could do by -herself; for on their way back they again came -to the small township of Minard, where the -amphibious population were busy in the crofts -and along the shore. She dismissed the -carriage; and proceeded to make a few friendly -little calls—guarding carefully against any -appearance of intrusion, and, indeed, almost -humbly begging for something of consideration -and good-will. And she was resolved to take -no heed of any surly manners or uncivil speech; -for she was of a large, bland, magnanimous -nature; and she had a considerable fund of -patience, and gentleness, and sweetness, to draw -upon. Then she had to remember that her -uncle had been unpopular, and had no doubt -amply earned his unpopularity. Moreover, a -factor who stands between a wilful and -domineering landlord and a tenantry not in the -happiest condition, is most invidiously situated: -he is the universal scapegoat, and is bound to -be hated as well as feared. But here was she -willing to make what atonement was possible; -ready to sacrifice her own interests for the -general good; and above all things anxious to -make friends. With gifts in both hands, ought -she not to have been welcome at every door? -Then she was pleasant to look upon; her -manner was gracious and winning; her eyes -were kind. With the small children she could -get on well enough: they knew nothing of any -deep-slumbering feud.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But her charm of manner, her wonder-working -smile, her unfailing good-humour, that had -made life easy for her elsewhere, seemed to be -of no avail here—with the grown-up folk, at all -events. Not that they were rude: they were -merely obdurate and silent. Of course, when -she got this one or that pinned by a direct -question, he did not absolutely refuse to reply; -but their answers were so contradictory, and -their demands in most cases so impossible, that -no practical enlightenment was possible. One -man wanted more boats from the Government; -another said that more boats were of no use -unless the Government supplied nets as well; -a third said boats and nets were valueless unless -they had a steamer calling daily. There was -also a demand that the Government should -build more harbours; and when Mary said, in -reply to this, that she understood the harbours -they had got—Lochgarra, that is to say, and -Camus Bheag—to be about as excellent as any -in the West Highlands, she was answered that -the harbours were perhaps good enough—if -there was a railway. Then there were some -who did not seem to have any occupation at all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you have anything to work at?" she -said, to one tall and rather good-looking young -fellow, who was standing looking on at the -women and girls gathering the sea-tangle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My father has a croft," he made answer, in a listless way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But wouldn't you," she said, in a very -gentle and hesitating manner, so as not to seem -impertinent, "wouldn't you rather go away and -find some work for yourself?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, well, I was at Glasgow, and I was -getting twenty shillings a week there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you did not stay?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I could not live there," he said, -simply enough. "It is no use getting twenty -shillings a week if you cannot live in a place; -and in a few years I would be dead, if I was -living in Glasgow. I am better to be alive -here than dead in Glasgow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then perhaps you go to the East Coast -fishing?" she suggested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I am not going there now. I was -there one or two years, but it did not pay me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And don't you do anything?" she asked again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, in January I am in the Naval Reserve."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the rest of the year you don't do anything?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, my father has a croft"—and that was -about all the information she could extract from -him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As a final attempt she said to him, timidly—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I were to try to get you a boat and nets -from the Government, would it be of service -to you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It would need eight of a crew," said he, -with an obvious lack of interest, "and I would -not be knowing where to find them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, a great surprise was in store for -her: before getting back to Lochgarra on this -occasion she actually encountered a human -being who received her proffered friendliness -and good-will with cheerful and unhesitating -gratitude, and responded with a frank comradeship -that quite won her heart. It is true the -man was drunk; but at first she did not -perceive that; and indeed she was ready to make -ample allowances in her eager desire to establish -pleasant relations with anybody, after the -disheartening coldness she had just experienced at -Minard. This man whom she and Käthchen -overtook on their homeward way was a huge, -lumbering, heavy-shouldered giant, with a -prodigious brown beard and thick eyebrows, whose -deep-set grey eyes (though a little bemused) -looked at once intelligent and amiable. On his -shoulder he had hoisted a rough wooden box; -and as he trudged along he smoked a small -black clay pipe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-day to you!" said Mary to the giant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, good-deh, good-deh, mem!" said he, -with a broad grin of welcome, and he instantly -put the pipe in his pocket.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is a heavy box you are carrying," -said she; "I wish I were driving, and I would -take it along for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, it's glad I am I hef something to -carry," said he, in a strong Argyllshire accent, -"and I wass thinking that mebbe Miss Stanley -herself would be for tekkin a lobster or two -from me, for the house. Aw, I'll not be -charging Miss Stanley mich for them—no, nor -anything at ahl, if Miss Stanley would be for -tekkin a lobster or two from me——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, these are lobsters?" said she, with the -most friendly interest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, chist that," said the giant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you will be sending them away by the -mail-cart?" she asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, chist that—it's to London I am sending -them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, really," she said. "All the way to -London? Well, now, I wonder if you would -think me inquisitive or impertinent if I asked -you how much you get for them?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How much? Aw, chist two-and-sixpence -the dissen," said he, in a good-natured fashion, -as if he hardly expected to get anything.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary was most indignant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What?" she said. "Two-and-sixpence the -dozen? It's monstrous! Why, it's downright -robbery! I will write to the London papers. -Two-and-sixpence a dozen?—and a single -lobster selling in London for eighteenpence or -two shillings, and that a small one, too. Isn't -it too bad, Käthchen? I will write to the -newspapers—I will not allow such robbery."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is a long weh of communigation," said -the big, heavy-shouldered, good-humoured-looking -man; "and Mr. Corstorphine he paying -ahl the carriage, and sending me the boxes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will get you twice as much as that for the -lobsters," said Mary, with decision, "if I sell -them among my own friends. I will guarantee -you twice as much as that, and I will pay the -carriage, and get you the boxes. What is your -name?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Archie MacNicol, mem," said he; but the -whisky had made him talkative, and he went -on: "I am from Tarbert on Loch Fyne; I am -not from among these people here at ahl. -These people, they are not proper fishermen—aw, -they are afraid of the sea—they will not go -far out—I hef seen the East Coast men coming -along here and tekkin the herring from under -their very eyes. There is one of the Government -boats that they got; and it is not paid for -yet; and it is lying half-covered with sand at -Achnacross, and no one using it at ahl. Ay, -and the curers willing to give elevenpence a -piece for ling. Ay, and I wass into Loch -Hourn, and I got fifty crans of herring, and I -wass curing them myself—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But wait a moment," said Mary, to whom -this information seemed a little confused. "If -you are not tired, won't you keep on your way -to the village, and we will walk with you? -You see, I am anxious to get all the information -I can about this place; and the people here -don't seem to be very communicative—although -it is altogether in their own interests that I -should like to make inquiries. But they appear -to be afraid of me—or there is some quarrely -or ill-will, that I don't understand——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A quarrel with Miss Stanley?" said the -lobster-fisherman, deprecatingly—for he was in -a mellow and generous mood. "No, no—he -would be a foolish man that would be saying -that!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," said Mary, as they were all -three going on to the village, "tell me about -your own circumstances. I want to know how -I can be of help to the people about here. I -have not come to Lochgarra to raise rents, and -collect money, and take it away and spend it -in London. I want to live here—if the people -will let me; but I don't want to live among -continuous enmity and ill-will."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, yes, yes, to be sure, to be sure now!" -said Archie, in the most amiable way, and Mary -was entirely grateful to him for his sympathy—it -was so unexpected.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell me about your own circumstances," -she went on. "Is there anything I can do -for you and the other lobster-fishermen?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, Cosh!" he cried (but it was the -whisky that was responsible: Archie himself -meant to be most polite). "Would Miss -Stanley be doing this for us, now—would she be -writing a letter for us to the Fishery Board?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, certainly," she answered with promptitude, -"if that will be of any service to you. -What about?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And here Big Archie (Gilleasbuig Mòr, as -they called him) in his eagerness to tell his -tale, stopped short, and deposited the -lobster-box in the road.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's this way now—that there will be many -a brokken head before long if something is not -done. For they are coming from ahl quarters -to the lobster-fishing—stranchers that hef no -business here at ahl; and they are building -huts; and where there is a hut there will -soon be a house; and it does not require the -wise man of Mull to tell any one the truth of -that. Yes, and they will be saying they hef -the right from the Fishery Board; but as I -am thinking that is nothing but lies; for how -can the Fishery Board give stranchers the right -to come here and build huts on the crofts -above the shore—ay, and going on, and paying -no rent, either to Miss Stanley, or the crofter, -or to any one? And Gillie Ciotach and me, -ay, and two or three of the young lads, we -were saying we would tek sticks and stones, -and drive them into the sea—ay, though there -might be a bluidy nawse here and there; and -others would be saying no, that it was dancherous -to do anything against the Fishery Board. -And would Miss Stanley be for sending a letter -to the Board, to ask if it is lies those people -are telling us, and whether they can come and -build a hut whenever they like?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly I will," said she. "Only, there -is to be no fighting and bloodshed, mind. Of -course, the space occupied by a hut is a very -trifling matter: I suppose what you really -object to is those strangers coming to your -lobster-ground?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, chist that!" said Big Archie, eagerly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well. It seems to me quite absurd -to think that the Fishery Board should have -given any one the right to build huts; -however, I will inquire; and then, if I get the -answer I expect, you must go peaceably and -quietly to those people, and tell them they are -mistaken, that they have no right from the -Fishery Board or from any one else, and that -they must leave——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Evictions!" said Käthchen, under her -breath: she saw trouble coming.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite peaceably and quietly, you understand," -Mary continued; "there must be no -broken heads or anything of that kind; you -must tell the people what the Fishery Board -says, and then they will see that they are bound -to go."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, ay, chist whatever Miss Stanley -pleases," said Big Archie; and therewith he -shouldered the heavy lobster-box again, and -resumed his patient trudge, while he proceeded -to give Miss Stanley some further information -about those marauding fishermen and their evil ways.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But when they were nearing Lochgarra, -Mary, who had been rather silent and -abstracted for some little time back, said to -him,—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose you have a boat, Mr. MacNicol?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, ay, and a fine boat too," said Archie. -"And if Miss Stanley herself would be wishing -for a sail, I would bring the boat round from -Camus Bheag."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is just what I have been thinking of," -Mary said: they were now come in sight of -the sea, and she was absently looking out -towards the horizon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, chist any time that Miss Stanley pleases, -and I will not be charging anything," said the -good-natured giant with the friendly (and -bemused) eyes. "Aw, naw, there would be no -charge at ahl—but chist a gless of whisky -when we come ashore."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I must pay you for your time, of -course," said she, briefly. "I suppose you -could bring your boat round this evening so -that my friend and myself might start pretty -early to-morrow morning? We should be -ready by ten."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen turned wondering eyes upon her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But where are you going, Mamie?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am going out to Heimra Island," she said.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-pirate-s-lair"><span class="large">CHAPTER VII.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">THE PIRATE'S LAIR.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>It was a bold undertaking; and Käthchen -hardly concealed her dismay; but Mary Stanley -was resolute.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I must see my enemy face to face," she -said. "I want to know what he means. Why -should he stir up enmity and malignity against -me? If he had any thought for those people -who seem to regard him with such devotion, -he would be on my side, for I wish to do -everything I can for them. He ought to -welcome me, instead of trying to drive me out -of the place. And if he fishes and shoots -over the Lochgarra estate simply to spite me, -suppose I refuse to be spited? Suppose I -present him with the shooting and fishing, on -condition that he allows me to be kind to these -people? How would that do, Käthchen? -Wouldn't that be a fine revenge? I think -that ought to make his face burn, if he has -anything of gentle blood left in him!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a vibrant chord of indignation -in her tone, as there generally was when she -spoke of this young man; for she did not -think she was being fairly treated. But -Käthchen, ignoring the true sources of her -dismay, began to urge objections to this -proposed visit, on the ground of social observances.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do really think, Mamie, it will look -strange for two unmarried girls to go away -out and pay such a visit—and—to that lonely -island. Now if you would only wait until the -Free Church Minister comes home, he might -go with us, and then it would be all right. -Not that the Free Church Minister is certain -of a welcome—if the young man is what he is -said to be; but at all events he would be a -chaperon for us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Mary would not hear of waiting; she -would challenge her secret antagonist forthwith.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, then," said Kate Glendinning, -more seriously than was her wont, "if we do go, -we must have some excuse; and you must tell -him you have come to thank him for having -got us out of that frightful bog."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nor did the uninviting look of the next -morning cause Miss Stanley to alter her -resolve. It was hardly a day for a pleasure -sail. The wind, it is true, had abated during -the night; and there was not much of a sea -on; but the skies were heavy and lowering; -and dark and sombre were those long -headlands running out into the leaden-hued main. -But there was the lobster-boat lying at anchor, -in charge of a young lad; and the dinghy was -drawn up on the beach; and a message had -just come in that Big Archie was waiting -below to carry wraps and rugs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," said Mary, sitting hastily down -to her writing-desk, "I have discovered that -the Fishery Board sits at Edinburgh; but I -can't find out who are the members. Do you -think I should begin 'My Lords and Gentlemen' -or only 'Gentlemen'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know," said Käthchen; "I should -think 'Gentlemen' would be safer."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, in happy singleness of purpose, Mary -proceeded to write her letter about the alien -lobster-fishermen—little thinking to what that -innocent action was to lead; then she went and -quickly got ready; and by and by the two -girls were on their way down to the beach, -accompanied by the gigantic and -massive-shouldered Gilleasbuig Mòr. Big Archie, if -the truth must be told, was moodily silent this -morning: the fact being that on the previous -evening he had wound up the day's promiscuous -indulgence by "drinking sore," as they say -in those parts; and now his physical conscience -was troubling him. But if his conversation -was limited to monosyllables, and if he wore -a sad and depressed look, he was, nevertheless, -most kind and assiduous in his attentions to -the two ladies; and when he had rowed them -out in the dinghy, and got them ensconced in -the stern of the bigger boat, he did everything -he could for their comfort, considering the -rudeness of their surroundings. And presently, -when the anchor was got up, Big Archie came -aft to the tiller; the young lad lay prone on -the bit of deck forward, to keep a look-out; -and Mary and her companion knew they were -now pledged to the enterprise, whatever might -come of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed the two girls were themselves rather -inclined to silence. It was a gloomy sort of -morning; there was even a threatening of rain -brooding over the distant headlands; and the -dark sea lapped mournfully around them, with -not a single swift-glancing flash of white. But -the light breeze was favourable, and they made -steady progress, unfamiliar features of the -coast-line becoming visible on right hand and -on left as they made further and further out -to sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It seemed a long and weary time—given -over to dreamings, and doubtings, and -somewhat anxious forecasts. But all of a sudden -Mary was startled by the voice of the skipper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will Miss Stanley be for going in to Heimra?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then for the moment her courage failed her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you say, Käthchen? Do you -think—we should send a message—before -calling——?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes, certainly," said Käthchen, with -eagerness. "That is certainly what we ought to do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, very well, then," said Mary, turning -to the steersman (but there was a flush of -self-conscious shame on her cheeks), "you need not -take us to the house—we will merely have a -look at the island—and some other day we -will come out, when we have told Mr. Ross -beforehand."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, mem," said Big Archie, holding -on the same course, which was taking them by -the south side of the island.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was an angry-looking coast—steep and -sheer—a long, low, heavy surge breaking -monotonously along the black rocks. But -when they got round the westward-trending -headland, they gradually came in sight of the -sheltered waters of the little bay, and of the -sweep of silver beach, and the solitary cottage -perched on its small plateau. And of course -Käthchen's eyes were full of intensest interest, -with something, too, of apprehension; for this -(according to Mr. Purdie) was the pirate's den; -this was the home of the outlaw whose deeds -by night and day, by sea and shore, had gained -him so dark a renown. But Mary's attention -had been attracted elsewhither. She was -regarding a white marble slab, placed high on -the top of the cliff, facing the western seas.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look, Käthchen," she said, in rather a low -voice. And then she turned to the silent little -bay before her. "Poor woman!" she said. -"It was a lonely place to live all those years."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently Mary bethought her of the errand -that had brought her so far; and she repented -of her irresolution.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can you take us into the bay, Mr. MacNicol?" -said she, without staying to consult -Käthchen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, yes, mem, zurely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For it is a long way to have come—and—and -I am anxious to see Mr. Ross."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, very well, mem," said Archie, at once -altering his course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then she said, looking all round the bay:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But where is the yacht?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it Mr. Ross's yat, mem? It wass lying -in Camus Bheag when I wass coming aweh -last evening."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And was Mr. Ross on board?" Käthchen -asked, with a quick sense of relief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed I am not zure of that," said Archie. -"For mebbe he wass sending the men over -to the mainland, and himself staying on the -island."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In any case, Käthchen, that need not matter -to you," Mary interposed. "You can remain -where you are, and I will go up to the house -by myself. Why should you bother about my -business affairs?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was a view of the case that was not -likely to commend itself to Kate Glendinning, -who could nerve herself on occasion. When the -lobster-boat had come to anchor, and they had -gone ashore in the dinghy, she proceeded to -walk up to the house along with her friend -just as if nothing unusual was happening to -her. She kept watch—furtively; but her -outward air was one of perfect self-possession. -As for Mary, she was too deeply engaged in -thinking how her complaints and demands -were to be framed to heed anything else at -this moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They knocked at the door, and again knocked; -after a little while the old woman Martha -appeared—the surprise in her face being obvious -testimony to the rarity of visitors to this remote -island.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is Mr. Ross at home?" Mary asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a second or so before Martha recovered -from her amazement—for she had not seen the -lobster-boat appear in the bay, nor yet the -strangers come ashore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, no—he is over on the mainland," said -the trimly-dressed old woman. "What a -peety—what a peety!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary was rather taken aback; however, she said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is not of much consequence, for, if he is -on the mainland—or if he is in the neighbourhood—I -daresay I shall be able to see him -before he returns to Heimra."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then she was about coming away when -Martha interposed, with Highland courtesy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But would not the leddies come in and sit -down for a little while—and hef some tea, or a -little milk, or something of that kind? -Mr. Ross very sorry when he knows—to be -sure—and a great peety him not here—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, thank you," said Käthchen (whose face -had lightened considerably when she heard of -Donald Ross being absent), "it is very kind of -you; and I am sure I shall be very glad to -have a glass of milk, if you will be so kind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen wanted no milk; but she suddenly -saw before her a chance of having her curiosity -satisfied without risk: she would be allowed to -see what kind of lair this was in which the -savage outlaw lived. And so the unsuspecting -Martha led the way; and the two young ladies -followed her into the passage, and into the first -room leading therefrom, which was a kind of -morning-apartment and study combined. They -seated themselves, and she left to get them such -refreshment as the out-of-the-world cottage could -afford.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two girls were silent; but their eyes -were busy. The first thing that attracted their -notice was a portrait over the mantelpiece—the -portrait of a very beautiful woman, pale -somewhat and dark, with refined and impressive -features, and of a simple yet dignified bearing. -A sad face, perhaps; but a face full of character -and distinction: the first glance told you this -was no common person who looked at you so -calmly. Mary said nothing; Käthchen said -nothing; but they knew who this was—the -likeness was too obvious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And as for the other contents of the room?—well, -there were neither guns, nor rods, nor -splash-nets, nor anything else connected with -fishing or shooting, legal or illegal; but there -was an abundance of books in the shelves that -lined three walls of the apartment. Moreover, -there was one volume lying on the table before -them—beside a wooden pipe. They regarded -this for some little time; but it was Käthchen -who spoke first.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mary, would it be very impertinent if I looked?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary Stanley laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't know," she said. "Most people do -pick up things when they are left in a room. -But we are in a peculiar position. We are -here without the consent of the owner."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, that is so," said Käthchen, resignedly, -and she remained still.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But she continued looking towards the book -in a wistful way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's only the title I should like to see," she -began again. "What harm can there be in -that? If Mr. Ross were here himself, I would -take up the book in a minute—yes, I would! -What do you say, Mary?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," said Mary, frankly, "I really should -like to know what kind of literature commends -itself to any one living in a strange place such -as this. But at the same time we are not his -guests—we are intruders—or if we are guests, -we are the housekeeper's guests, and it is but -fair to her we shouldn't pry into secrets."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen had risen and gone across to the -table: perhaps it would not be breaking the -laws of hospitality if she could get a glimpse -of the title of the book without actually laying -hands on it? But the back of it was away -from the light. In these desperate -circumstances, Käthchen yielded to temptation; she -hastily snatched up the volume, glanced at the -title, and as quickly returned to her seat again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good gracious!" said she. "That is fine -entertainment for a lonely island—Joshua -Williams's 'Real Property'!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A law book?" said Mary, with her face -becoming suddenly grave. "I hope there is -not going to be—any trouble—a lawsuit is such -a dreadful thing——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, no; I understand what that means," -said Käthchen, "I know quite well. That is -one of the books my brother had when he was -reading up for the bar—I remember it because -I spilt some ink over it, and he made me buy -him another. I wonder, now, if Mr. Ross is -reading up for the bar? Wouldn't that be a -blessed dispensation of Providence for you, -Mamie—if he were to go away and shut himself -up in the Temple, and leave you Lochgarra -entirely in your own hands, shooting, and -fishing, and everything? Only," she added, -"I don't quite understand how such a wild -savage as Mr. Purdie described to us would -be likely to get on with the Judges. I am -afraid there would be scenes in court. What -do they call dismissing a barrister?—not -cashiering?—unfrocking?——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen had suddenly to cease; for here was -the elderly Martha, carrying a large tray amply -provided with homely and wholesome fare—oatmeal -cake, soda scones, marmalade, strawberry -jam, fresh butter, and a jug of milk. And -Mary did not pause before breaking bread in -the house of her enemy; for she saw that the -old housekeeper was anxious that her bounties -should be appreciated; and besides, oat-cake -and marmalade and fresh milk ought to -recommend themselves to any healthily-constituted -young woman. By and by, when Martha had -left the room, Miss Stanley said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What shall I give her as we are going -away, Käthchen? Half-a-sovereign?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, for goodness' sake, Mamie, don't think -of such a thing!" Käthchen exclaimed. "At -any other time give her anything you like; but -you must not pay for food in this house; you -cannot imagine how offended she would be. -She would take it as an insult offered to her -master: she represents Mr. Ross in his -absence—it is Mr. Ross who is entertaining us now——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it is Mr. Ross who is entertaining us?—yes -of course," said Mary, thoughtfully; and—perhaps -without noticing the coincidence—she -put down the piece of oat-cake she held in -her hand, nor did she take it up again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And furthermore, as they were going down -to the boat—having made due acknowledgments -to Martha for her hospitality—Mary -walked as one in a dream; while Käthchen, -rejoiced to have come through this dreaded ordeal -with such unexpected ease, was in the gayest -of humours. She did not notice her friend's -reverie; she was chattering away about their -foolhardiness in entering the savage's lair—about -her surprise in finding no skulls and bones -lying in corners—about the quiet and studious -aspect of the place being a pretty cover for all -kinds of dark and lawless deeds. Mary did not -reply; once or twice she looked up to the white -grave on the hill—she was thinking of other things.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But when they had all got into the larger -boat again, and set out on their return voyage, -Käthchen found a companion more of her own -mood. The truth is that while the young -ladies were being entertained in the front part -of the house, Big Archie had slipped up to the -back, had paid his respects to Martha, and had -been presented, as is the custom in the west, -with his morning dram. This welcome -mitigation of his </span><em class="italics">Katzenjammer</em><span> had made a new -man of him; and he was now disposed to be -as talkative as hitherto he had been morose; so -that, as he sate with his arm on the tiller, he was -cheerfully telling the young lady all about -himself, and his doings, and circumstances. And -Käthchen, finding him thus sociable, and friendly, -affected much interest, and plied him with -appropriate questions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you keep a cow, Mr. MacNicol?" said she.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, now," said he, deprecatingly, "the -young leddy will be mekkin me ashamed. It's -chist Archie they'll be calling me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, Archie—do you keep a cow?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I starve one," said Archie, with ironical -humour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And a kitchen garden?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, is it a garden? And you will not -know that I wass tekken the prize for the -garden, ay, more as three or four years? Well, -well, now, there is no longer a prize given for -the best garden, and it's a peety, too——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But tell me," said Käthchen, with some astonishment, -"why was the prize stopped? It seems -a very reasonable thing, a prize for the best -kitchen garden among the crofters and -fishermen—I'm quite sure Miss Stanley would give -such a prize. Why was it stopped?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Big Archie hesitated for a second or two; -then he said, with a grin of confession—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, now, I will tell you the God's truth, -mem; for there's two ways about every story; -and there's my way of it, and there's -Mr. Purdie's way of it; and mebbe the one is true -or the other. And this is my way of it: I wass -gettin the prize—oh, yes, I will not deny -that—year by year, and very proud I wass, too, of -the cabbages, and the scarlet beans, and the like -of that, and the thirty shullins of the prize a -very good thing for me. And then kem the -time the Minard crofters they were for sending -an appligation to Mr. Stanley for to have the -rents revised, and I put my name to the paper -too; but Mr. Stanley he would do nothing at -ahl—he said 'Go to Mr. Purdie.' Then Mr. Purdie -he sees my name on the paper; and he -says, 'Very well, there will be no more prize -for the garden, and you can do without your -thirty shullins.' It wass a punishment for me, -that I wass putting my name on the paper. -Now, mem, that is my story about the -prize——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think it was very shabby treatment!" -Käthchen exclaimed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And that is the way I see my side of it," -continued Big Archie, honestly; "but I am not -denying there may be another way. Aw naw, -mem, I want to tell you fair; and Mr. Purdie -he would hef another version for you, if you -were to believe it——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, then, what is his version?" said -Käthchen—for the time being rather priding -herself on playing Mary Stanley's part.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I wass speaking to Mr. Pettigrew, the -minister, and he wass speaking to Mr. Purdie, -about getting the prize back, and Mr. Purdie he -says to Mr. Pettigrew 'No, I will not give -the prize back; for there was not enough -competition, and Archie MacNicol he wass always -tekkin the prize, and it wass the same as thirty -shullins a year off his rent. The prize,' he wass -saying, 'wass to encourache ahl the people to -attend to their gardens, and not to give Archie -MacNicol thirty shullins a year.' And that's -the God's truth, mem, and both ways of the -story; but what I will be thinking to myself is -that there wass no talk of stopping the prize -till Mr. Purdie found my name on the paper. -That's what I would be thinking to myself sometimes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen glanced rather timidly at her friend. -But Mary was still in that curiously abstracted -reverie—her eyes turned wistfully towards the -now receding Eilean Heimra—her thoughts -remote. So Käthchen merely said in an undertone—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, Archie, I will put both versions -of the story before Miss Stanley, and I have no -doubt she will do what is right. For my own -part, I don't see why you should be deprived -of the prize simply because you keep a smarter -garden than the other people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A great event happened this afternoon—nothing -less than the arrival from the South of -Mr. Watson, the sheep-farmer, Miss Stanley's -principal tenant. The two girls had landed -from the boat, walked along the shore, and were -just about turning off towards Lochgarra House, -when they were overtaken by some one riding -a stout and serviceable little cob; and Mary -instantly guessed who this must be—for persons -on horseback are rare at Lochgarra. The -stranger lifted his hat, but did not draw rein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Watson," said she—looking towards -him with a plain intimation that she desired to -speak with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Watson immediately pulled up, dismounted, -and came towards her, leading the -cob by the bridle. He was a middle-aged man -with a fresh complexion, grizzled hair, short -whiskers, and shrewd blue eyes—looking -prosperous and well-satisfied with himself, and with -some little turn for jocosity about his firmly-set -lips.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I beg your pardon," she said, with a little -embarrassment, "but—I wished to speak with -you——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Stanley?—I am glad to make your -acquaintance," said he, in a marked south-country -accent. And he bowed to Miss Stanley's -companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Won't you come into the house for a moment -or two?" said Mary, with a vague notion that -she ought to be polite to a tenant who paid her -£1400 a year: moreover, she had ulterior ends -in view. Mr. Watson consented; Mary went -and called a gardener, who took charge of the -cob; and then the two young ladies and the -farmer proceeded up the stone steps, and through -the hall, and into the wide hexagonal drawing-room -in the tower. Then she asked him to be -seated, adding some vague suggestion about a -glass of wine and a biscuit after his ride.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I thank ye," said Mr. Watson. "I am a -teetotaller—not an ordinary thing in these parts. -Ay, and a vegetarian. But I practise—I don't -preach," he explained, with a complacent smile; -"so I do no harm to other folk. Both things -suit me; but I let other people alone. That's the -fair way in the world."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wanted to ask you, Mr. Watson," said she, -with a certain timidity, "whether you would -be disposed to give up the pasturage of -Meall-na-Cruagan?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a second the shrewd and humorous blue -eyes had become strictly observant and business-like.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To give it up?" he said, slowly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean," she interposed, "at a valuation. -I know it is yours under the lease; we cannot -disturb you; nor should I wish to do so, except -entirely with your own goodwill."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Stanley," said he, "I will ask ye a -plain question: what for do ye want me to give -up the Meall-na-Cruagan?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The crofters——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay, ay, just that," said he, without much -ceremony. "They've been at ye, in the absence -of Mr. Purdie. Well, let me tell ye this: I am -willing on my part to give up the Meall-na-Cruagan, -at a fair valuation; but I warn ye -that if ye hand it over to the crofters, they'll -be not one penny the better off, and you'll be -just so much the worse. Where are they to -get the stock to put on it? They've enough -grazing for what stock they've got."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but it is not wholly that," said Mary. -"I want to have them satisfied."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ye'll never see them satisfied, though ye -gave them the whole Lochgarra estate for -nothing," said this very plain-spoken person. -"Surely ye are aware that the agents of the -Highland Land League have been here, as -they have been in every hole and corner of the -Highlands; and while some of them have been -making reasonable enough demands, others of -them have been showing themselves nothing -but irresponsible mischief-makers, firing the -brains of these poor creatures with revolutionary -nonsense, and trying to turn the whole -place into another Ireland. Well, well, it's not -my business; it's not for me to speak; but I -warn ye, Miss Stanley, that giving up -Meall-na-Cruagan will not satisfy them. What many -of them want—especially what the more -ignorant among them want—is for the landlords -to quit the country altogether, and leave -them the entire stock, lock, and barrel of the -estates—the land and all that belongs to it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know," said Mary, quietly, "what the -Land League have been doing; but if there -had not been widespread discontent and distress -they could not have done anything at all. -And surely there was reason for the discontent; -look at the reductions the Crofters' Commission -have made—thirty and forty per cent. in some -places. However, I am not concerned with the -economic question of the Highlands generally; -I am concerned merely with Lochgarra; and I -want to do what is fair by the tenants; I want -to see them satisfied, and as well-to-do and -comfortable as the circumstances will allow. -But what has been puzzling me since I came -here," she continued—for this seemed a frank -and well-wishing kind of man, and she was -glad to have any sort of help or advice—"is -that when I have spoken about lowering the -rent, they have had nothing to say in reply. -They seem rather to look to the Government -for aid. Yet you would imagine that the -lowering of the rent would be the first and -all-important thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Watson smiled, in a condescending way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I think ye might understand why they -would not complain to you about the rent."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" she demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He hesitated—and there was an odd look on his face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do not wish to say anything against -friend Purdie," he observed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I want to know the truth," she insisted. -"How am I to do anything at all unless I know -the exact and literal truth?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, well, let us put it this way," said -Mr. Watson, good-naturedly. "There's some -that would call Mr. Purdie a hard man; and -there's some that would call him an excellent -factor, business-like, thoroughgoing, and skilled -in his work. It's not a nice position to be in -at the best; it's not possible to please -everybody. And there's different ways of dealing -with people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All this sounded very enigmatic. Mary -could not in the least understand what he -meant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish you to speak plainly, Mr. Watson," -said she. "You may be sure it will be in -absolute confidence."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He considered for a moment. Then he said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's of little consequence to me. Friend -Purdie and I get on very well, considering; -and besides I have my lease. But I'll just give -ye an instance of what has happened on this -estate, and you'll judge for yourself whether -it's likely the tenants would come to you for -a reduction of rent, or ask ye to interfere in -any way whatever. It was about four years ago -that one of the crofts over at Cruagan fell -vacant. Very well. Then Mr. Purdie would -have it that the pasture of that croft should be -taken by the other Cruagan crofters, each one -paying his share of the rent; while the arable -land of the croft should be added to the Glen -Sanna farm, which was also vacant just then. -The Cruagan crofters objected to that -arrangement; Mr. Purdie insisted; and at last the -crofters sent a petition to Mr. Stanley, asking -to have the arable land of the croft as well, or -else to be let alone. I am not saying anything -against your uncle, Miss Stanley."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I want to get at the truth of the story, -Mr. Watson," said Mary, firmly. "That is the -main point. What happened?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I may explain that your uncle never -interfered with Mr. Purdie," the farmer -continued, rather apologetically, "and that's no to -be wondered at. Many landlords make it a -rule not to interfere with their factor, for of -course he's doing the best he can for the estate, -and knows about it better than they can know -themselves. Then what happened, do ye say? -What happened was this—at the very next term -every crofter that had signed the petition was -served with a notice to quit; and that was only -withdrawn when they undertook to pay, each -man of them, £3 a year additional rent—that -is 15s. for their share of the added pasture, and -£2 5s. as a fine for having objected to -Mr. Purdie's arrangements. That's just what -happened, Miss Stanley."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary was silent for a second or so—looking -towards Käthchen, her eyes full of indignation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, it is one of the most abominable -pieces of tyranny I ever heard of!" she -exclaimed. And then she turned to Mr. Watson. -"If people are treated like that, can you wonder -if the Land League should find it easy to put -revolutionary ideas into their head?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At all events," said Mr. Watson, with a -shrewd and cautious smile, "ye will understand -that they are not likely to apply to you for any -lowering of rent. They know the consequences."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, do they?" said she quickly. "Well, -I must show them that they are mistaken. I -must convince them they have nothing to fear. -They must learn that they can come to me, -without dread of Mr. Purdie or anyone else. -But," she added, with a bit of a sigh, "I suppose -it will take a long time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Alter some little further conversation, of no -great moment, but marked by much civility on -both sides, the farmer rose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Any time ye're passing Craiglarig, Miss -Stanley, I should be proud if ye'd look in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed I will," said she, going with him -to the door. "But I must tell you now how -deeply I am indebted to you. And of course -what you have said shall be kept in the strictest -confidence."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have told ye the truth," said he, "since -ye asked for it. But just mind this, Miss -Stanley—good factors are no that common; -and friend Purdie understands his business. He -drives a hard bargain; but it's on your behalf."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said she, "and now I am beginning -to see why it is the people hate me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That same evening the two girls, who had -been out for a long walk, were coming down -the Minard road towards Lochgarra. The -twilight was deepening; the solemn inland hills -were growing slowly and slowly darker, and -losing their individual features; the softly lilac -skies overhead were waiting for the coming night. -Silence had fallen over the woods, where the -birches showed their spectral arms in the dusk, -and where the russet bracken and withered grey -grass were now almost indistinguishable. It was -a still and tranquil hour; sleep stealing upon the -tired world; a little while, and the far, wide, -mysteriously-moving sea would be alone with -the stars.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But for Mary Stanley there was no sense of -soothing quiet, even amidst this all-prevailing -repose. On the contrary, her heart was full of -turmoil and perplexity; insomuch that at times -her courage was like to give way; and she was -almost ready to abandon the task she had -undertaken, as something beyond her strength. And -then again a voice seemed to say to her -"Patience—patience—hold on your way—dark as the -present hour may be, the day will dawn at last." And -in Käthchen she had an excellent counsellor; -for Käthchen had an admirable habit of making -light of troubles—especially those that did not -concern herself; and she was practical, and -matter-of-fact, neither over-sanguine nor liable -to fits of black despondency. On the present -occasion this was what she was saying, in her -cool and self-possessed way:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You see, Mamie, I understand the Highland -character better than you do. All that sullenness -and ill-will doesn't arise merely from high -rent and Mr. Purdie's tyranny—though that no -doubt has something to do with it. There are -sentimental influences at work as well. There is -the strong attachment towards the old family—very -unreasoning, perhaps, but there it is; and -there is resentment against those who have -displaced them. Then there may be anger about -your uncle having destroyed the ancient -landmarks; and injuries of that kind are not easily -forgotten or forgiven. But every hour that I -am in this place," continued Käthchen, as they -were making home through the strangely-silent -dusk, "I am more and more convinced that what -Mr. Purdie said was perfectly correct—that -young Donald Ross of Heimra is just everybody -and everything to those people. He is -all-powerful with them. Very well. I cannot -believe that he has stirred up ill-will against -you, or even that he wishes it to continue. -He may do everything he can to thwart and -madden Mr. Purdie—-why not?—I would do -that myself, if I were in his place!—but how -can he have any wish to injure you? Then -what I say is this: if you really mean to go -and see him, put entirely out of your mind what -you may have heard about his private character, -and his poaching and smuggling, and remember -only that his influence over those people could -make everything quite pleasant to you. Don't -go to him as you did this morning, as an enemy -to be challenged and reproached: no, what you -have to do is just to lower your pride a little, -and tell him that you have come to beg for a -favour. In fact, I am convinced that a word -from him would entirely change the situation. -Mamie, are you going to ask for it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary Stanley did not answer: she walked on -in silence.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="face-to-face"><span class="large">CHAPTER VIII.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">FACE TO FACE.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>She was out in the solitude of the woods, and -she was alone. It was early morning, clear, -and calm, and still; the sun lay warm on the -silver-lichened boulders that were dappled with -velvet-green moss; the wandering air that -stirred the pendulous branches of the birches -brought with it a resinous odour, from the -innumerable millions of opening buds. A -profound silence prevailed, save for the hushed -continuous murmur of an unseen rivulet, and -the occasional distant call of a curlew.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A vague restlessness, and something even -akin to despair, had brought her hither. For -of course like other young people of the day -she had coquetted with the modern doctrine -that in times of trouble our great and gentle -Mother Nature is the true consoler and -comforter; she had read Wordsworth; and she had -read Matthew Arnold upon Wordsworth:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"He too upon a wintry clime</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Had fallen—on this iron time</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Of doubts, disputes, distractions, fears.</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>He found us when the age had bound</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Our souls in its benumbing round—</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>He spoke, and loosed our heart in tears.</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>He laid us as we lay at birth</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>On the cool flowery lap of earth;</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Smiles broke from us and we had ease.</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>The hills were round us, and the breeze</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Went o'er the sun-lit fields again;</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Our foreheads felt the wind and rain.</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Our youth return'd; for there was shed</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>On spirits that had long been dead,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Spirits dried up and closely furl'd,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>The freshness of the early world."</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>And now if she wished to forget the untowardness -of human nature—if she wished to escape -from her bitter disappointment on beholding -her large and generous schemes met and -checked on every hand by a sullen ingratitude—surely -here was a seclusion that should have -brought balm to her wounded heart. Moreover -the morning light was cheerful; April as it -was, a quiet warmth prevailed; she tried to -please herself by recollecting that this fairy -paradise actually belonged to her. And if -human beings were so hard and unapproachable, -why, then, she could interest herself in -these harmless living creatures that were all -so busy around her, under the quickening -influences of the spring. From the dusty pathway -in the opener glades the yellow-hammers were -picking up bits of withered grass for their -nest-building; black-caps swung back-downward -from the sprays, to wrench the buds off with -their bills; she stopped here and there to watch -a beautiful beetle—shining bronze, or opaque -green with a touch of scarlet on its legs; a -tiny grey lizard, with its small eye bright as a -diamond, lay basking on a shelf of rock, and -remained absolutely motionless, hoping to be -passed unnoticed. Then she came upon a little -tuft of primroses—so shining pale—so full of -dim suggestions—and of associations with the -poets. Well, she looked at the primroses. -They were very pretty. But somehow she -could not keep thinking of them, nor of the fine -things the poets had said of them. The fact -was, in her present straits her heart was craving -for human sympathy; she wanted to be of some -use in the world; she wished to see eyes -brighten when she appeared at the door, -however poor the cottage might be. Primroses -were pretty, no doubt—the firstlings of the year -awoke pleasant and tender memories—but—but -why were those people so obdurate? No, -there was no solace for her; the sweet and -soothing influences of nature were intruded -upon, were obliterated, by the harsh facts and -problems of human life. With those men and -women almost openly declared her enemies, -and with all her grand schemes gone away, -what good could she get from primroses? And -so, humiliating herself with the conviction that -she was nothing but another Peter Bell, she -passed on through the woods, and eventually -got down to the sheltered little bay where she -had first met Anna Chlannach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And on this occasion also she was destined -to make a new acquaintance. She was idly -walking up and down the lilac and cream-hued -beach—and trying to persuade herself -that she had found a refuge from the -perplexities and mortifications that seemed to -surround her in the busier world she had -left—when a sound she had distantly heard from -time to time now rose in tone until there could -be no doubt about its nature: it was a human -voice, proceeding from the neighbouring bay. -She went as close as she could to the -intervening promontory; then curiosity led her -stealthily to climb the heathery slope; she -made her way between rocks and under -birches; and at last she paused and listened. -It was a man's voice, of an unnaturally high -pitch, and curiously plaintive in its monotonous -sing-song. In the perfect silence she distinctly -heard these words—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, my brethren, I charge you—I charge -you by all that you hold dearest—that you -keep the little children from the ruby wine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What could this mean? She pushed her -way a little further through the thick -underwood, and peered over. There was a small -boat drawn up on the shore. Pacing slowly -backwards and forwards on the shingle was a -man of about twenty-eight or thirty, with a -long and lugubrious face, a shaggy brown -beard, and deep set eyes. Sometimes his head -was bent down, as if in deep thought; and -then again he would raise it, and extend his -arm, as if addressing the opposite side of the -bay, or perhaps Eilean Heimra out at sea; -while ever and anon the curious feminine -falsetto came back to the admonition—"Oh, -my brethren, keep the little children from the -ruby wine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary began to guess. Was this the Minister? -Had he returned home; and had he seized the -first opportunity to come away over to this -solitary place, to rehearse his sermon for the -following Sabbath, with appropriate intonation -and gesture? She listened again:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who -hath contentions? who hath babbling? who -hath wounds without cause? who hath redness -of eyes?' Ah, my friends, now that I have -addressed each section of the community, each -member of the family circle, now we come to -the little babes—those tender flowers—those -blossoms along the rough roadway of life—smiling -upon us like the rainbows of the morning—and -bedewing the earth with their consecrated -tears. When I behold those gems of -purest ray serene," continued the Minister, in -his elevated chant, "my soul is filled with -misgivings and sad prognostications. I observe in -my daily walk the example that is set before -them; the fathers in Israel are a stumbling-block -to their own children; nay, even of the -wisest it has been said, 'The priest and the -prophet have erred through strong drink, they -are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the -way through strong drink; they err in vision, -they stumble in judgment.' My friends, is it -not a terrible thing to think of these blessed -babes—these innocent tendrils sprouting up -into glorious flowers, even as the Rose of -Sharon and the lily of the valley—to think of -them babbling with red mouths curses they -cannot comprehend? Hold them back, I say! -Snatch the fatal goblet from them! Let -pleasure wave her ambrosial locks when and -where she pleases—let mirth and joy prevail—but -when the timbrel sounds and the cymbal -is heard in the hall—then, at all events let -those innocent ones be restrained from the -deadly snare—keep, oh, keep the little children -from the ruby wine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Unluckily this last appeal was addressed to -Mary herself, or at least she thought so in her -fright when she found the Minister's eyes -turned towards her: instantly she bobbed her -head down in the heather, and remained hidden -there until the sermon—or perhaps it was a -temperance lecture?—was ended. It did not -last much longer. After the sonorous sentences -had ceased, there was a moment's silence; then -a grating on the beach; then a measured sound -of oars: she concluded that the Minister, his -flowery harangue rehearsed, was now making -for home again; and she was free to get up -from her concealment and return to Lochgarra -House.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," she said, "the Minister has -come back. I have seen him—though I—I, -didn't speak to him. Now don't you think we -ought to go along and make his acquaintance -at once? He might help us: you say yourself -the Free Church Ministers have an enormous -influence in the Highlands."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Kate Glendinning did not receive this -proposal with any great enthusiasm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is one thing he might do," said she, -"as I told you before, Mamie. It would be -much easier for us to go and see Mr. Ross, -if the Minister would take us under his -escort."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Ross!" said Mary, impatiently. "It -is Mr. Ross, and Mr. Ross, with you from -morning till night, Käthchen! You would -think he owned the whole place!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," said Käthchen, demurely, "that is -just what he seems to do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, the interview to which both the -young ladies had looked forward with so much -anxiety came about in the most natural way in -the world; and that without any intervention -whatever. Mary and Käthchen, being down -in the village, had gone into the post-office to -buy some packets of sweets—bribes for the -children, no doubt; and they were coming out -again from the little general store when, in -broad and full daylight, they met young Ross -of Heimra face to face. There was no escape -possible on either side; he was going into the -post-office; they were coming out; and here -they were, confronted. Well, it must be -admitted that at this crisis Mary Stanley's -presence of mind entirely forsook her. Ten -hundred thousand things seemed to go through -her brain at once; she could not speak; -confusion burned red in her cheeks and on her -forehead. And then he was so pale and calm -and collected; for a second he regarded them -both—and with no furtive glance; he slightly -raised his peaked cap, and would have passed -them without more ado. It was Käthchen -who made bold to detain him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, Mr. Ross," said she, breathlessly, "we -have never had an opportunity of thanking -you—you left the cottage before we -knew—and—and it was so kind of you to send the -carriage——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And here for a moment Käthchen also lost -her head, for she had a horrible consciousness -that when a man has saved your life it is -ridiculous to thank him for sending a carriage. -And then those coal-black eyes were so calmly -observant; they were not generously -sympathetic; they seemed merely to await what -she had to say with a respectful attention. -But Käthchen bravely began again: "You—you -must not think us ungrateful—you see, -you had left the cottage before we knew—and -when we went out to Heimra, we did not find -you at home——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am sorry I was not there," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And—and of course we knew quite well -what a dreadful position we were in—I mean -that night when we wandered into the morass," -continued Käthchen. "But for you we never -should have got out again—we dared not -move—and in the darkness what could we have done?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is a dangerous place," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I—I am going to give Mrs. MacVean a -cow in place of the one that was lost," Mary -now ventured to put in; and here was she—the -bold, the dauntless, the proud-spirited -one!—here was she standing timidly there, -her face still suffused, her eyes downcast. -And this little speech of hers was like a -plea for merciful consideration! He turned to her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The MacVeans have had a bad time of it -since the shepherd died," the young man said, -in a distant sort of way—but he was regarding -her curiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then all of a sudden it occurred to Mary -that she ought not to stand there as a suppliant. -Some sense of her wrongs and her recent trials -came back to her; and here was the one whom -she suspected of being responsible—here was -her secret enemy—the antagonist who had -hitherto concealed himself in the dark.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hope the widow will condescend to accept -it, but who can tell?" said she, with greater -spirit. "Really, they are the most -extraordinary people! They seem to resent your -trying to do them a kindness. I have been -offering them all sorts of things they stand in -need of; I am willing to lower their rents; -I am going to arrange for more pasture; I -propose to give prizes for the best homespun -materials; and I would pay for getting over -some of the Harris people, if instruction were -wanted in dyeing or weaving—but they seem -to suspect it is all for my own interest. I -make them these offers—they will hardly look -at them!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You may teach a dog to love you by -feeding it," said young Donald Ross, coldly; -"but the Highlanders are not dogs."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this she fired up—and there was no more -shamefaced girlish blushing in her cheeks. -Her eyes were as proud as his own.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are human beings, I suppose," said -she, "and a human being might at least say -'Thank you.' But I do not know that I blame -them," she continued—to Käthchen's great -anxiety. "It seems to me there must be secret -influences at work about here. It is not -natural for people to be so ungrateful. -Self-interest would make them a little more—a -little more—amenable—if it were not for some -evil instigation at work among them. And -what can any one gain by stirring up ill-will? -What can be the motive? At any rate, -whatever the motive, and whoever he is, he might -consider this—he might consider the mischief -he is doing these poor people in making them -blind to their own welfare. It seems a strange -thing that in order to gratify envy, or hatred, -or revenge, he should sacrifice the interests of -a number of poor people who don't know any better."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen glanced apprehensively from the -one to the other; but there was no flash of -anger in those dark eyes, nor any tinge of -resentment in the pale, olive-tinted face. The -young man maintained a perfectly impassive -demeanour—respectful enough, but reserved -and distant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish them nothing but good," Mary went -on, in the same indignant way, "but how can -I do anything if they turn away from me? -Why do they not come and tell me what they want?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come and tell you what they want?—when -they daren't call their souls their own!" he -said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of whom are they afraid, then?" she demanded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of your agent, Miss Stanley," said he (and -here indeed Käthchen did notice something -strange in his eyes—a gleam of dark fire in -spite of all his studied restraint). "What do -they care about philanthropic schemes, or how -can you expect them to talk about their wants -and wishes, when what they actually know is -that Purdie has the face of every one of them -at the grindstone?" He altered his tone. "I -beg your pardon. I have no right to interfere—and -no wish to interfere. If you should -think of coming out again to Heimra, Miss -Stanley, to have a look over the island, I hope -I may be at home. Good-morning!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He again raised his cap—and passed on into -the office. Mary stood undecided for a moment; -then moved slowly away, accompanied by -Käthchen. Before them was the wide sweep of the -bay, with Lochgarra House at the point, and -its background of larches. The sea was calm; -the skies clear; it was a peaceful-looking -morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of a sudden Mary Stanley stopped—her eyes -full of disappointment and vexation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Everything is at sixes and sevens—and -worse than before!" she exclaimed to her -companion. "What did I say, Käthchen? What -did he say? Wasn't he very insolent?—well, -not that, exactly—not exactly insolent—but—well, -I am not used to being treated with disdain. -Why did he break off like that—with -everything unsettled? Wasn't he very -insolent?—or, at least, disdainful?—what did I say -that he should treat me like that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know this," said the frivolous Käthchen, -"that he has the most splendid eyes I ever saw -in a human creature. I call him just distressingly -handsome!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is nothing so contemptible as a -beauty man," said Mary, impatiently. "What -has that got to do with it? I want to know -why he treated me like that!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought he behaved with very great -courtesy and self-respect," Käthchen made -answer, "considering that you plainly -intimated to him that it was he who stirred up -all that ill-feeling against you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well: he had nothing to say for -himself!" Mary exclaimed. "He made no defence. -And then, you see, I—I wasn't quite prepared—I -did not expect to see him—and I forgot -about the fishing and shooting, or that might -have made him a little ashamed of himself, and -a little less arrogant." She turned and looked -towards the post-office. "I wonder whether -that was a map that he had rolled up in his -hand or a chart? If he is going on board his -yacht again, he must pass this way. I cannot -have things left as they are—worse than ever!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't see how you are to mend them at -present," said Käthchen. "If you had kept on -as you began, in that friendly way, it might -have been all very well; but then you grew -indignant, and almost charged him with being -the mischief-maker. And I must say I think -he behaved with very great consideration and -courtesy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you really think so?" said Mary, -quickly—with her eyes still fixed on the -post-office. And then she hesitated. And then she -said: "Come, Käthchen, let us go back. I -wish to make an apology to him——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mary!" her friend protested. "How can -you think of such a thing!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, but you do not know. It is not about -anything that has just happened. It is about -the lake and the old castle. I quite forgot. -And perhaps it is that that makes him so -unforgiving. I must tell him that I am sorry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Käthchen shrank back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Make an apology for that?" said she. -"You don't seem to understand, Mary. It is -too serious for an apology. If you murder a -man's father or mother, you can't go to him -and say 'I am very sorry.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you go on to the house, then, -Käthchen?" said Mary, simply. "I must put -myself right with him—and after that he can be -as disdainful as he chooses."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course Käthchen refused to be released; -she went back with her; and just as they -reached the little building, young Ross of -Heimra came out. He had neither chart nor -map in his hand now; whichever it had been, -he had no doubt sent it away by post.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He seemed a little surprised; but was just -as attentive and respectful as before.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There was something I forgot to say," she -began, with obvious embarrassment, "and—and -it is difficult to say it. It was not till I -came here that I knew what my uncle had -done—about—about Loch Heimra—and Castle -Heimra. Well, there are some injuries, my -friend here says, that can never be repaired. -I suppose that is so. But at least you will -allow me to say that I am sorry—more deeply -sorry than you can imagine perhaps——"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And there are some things that are best -not spoken of," he said, calmly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I daresay that is so," she made answer, -with a hopeless feeling at her heart that his -tone and manner were alike implacable. "No -doubt that is so. And yet—yet some little -consideration might be shown towards any one -who wishes to express regret. It was none of -my doing; it never would have been of my -doing. And though you, of course, would -rather hear no apology—would rather not have -the subject mentioned—still, there is another -thing. The people about here—if they have -any resentment against me because of the -pulling down of Castle Heimra—then that is -not fair. And any one having influence with -them—well, it would be ill done of him to stir -up anger against me on that account. I had -nothing to do with it—I am very sorry it ever -happened."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Miss Stanley," said he—for he plainly did -not wish to speak of this thing—"I think you -are mistaken in supposing that any one is -stirring up ill-will against you; and even the -most ignorant of the people must know that -you are not responsible for what happened -before you came here. As regards myself, I -do not wish for any apology or expression of -regret; I wish for only one thing—forgetfulness. -I think in such a case silence is the only amends."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So they parted for the second time; and -when the two girls had gone some way towards -Lochgarra House, Mary said,—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; but all the same I told him I was sorry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And then again she turned and looked. -Donald Ross had passed through the village, -and was now going up to the Free Church -minister's cottage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen," said she, rather absently, "there -are a good many of them about here who seem -to hate me; but I know there is not one of -them who hates me as he does. And what -had I to do with the pulling down of Heimra -Castle?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And that afternoon, as she stood at one of -the windows in the tower, looking away out -to sea, she saw the little white-winged yawl -making for Heimra Island. She knew who -was at the tiller—the man before whom she -had abased herself, craving, and craving in -vain, for some word of consideration and sympathy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Proud and implacable," she said to herself; -and her wounded spirit was sore within her, -and perhaps a trifle indignant, too; but she -would make no further utterance. He had -asked for silence and forgetfulness; and he -had the right to say what was to be.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile the message that Mary had sent -to the Fishery Board in Edinburgh had been -duly received and considered; and when, after -two or three days' interval, the answer came -back to Lochgarra, it was to the effect that the -alien lobster fishermen had either been -misinformed or were making wilful mis-statements: -the Fishery Board had not given them the right -to build huts, and, indeed, had no power to -confer any such right. At once Mary sent for -Hector the head-keeper; and bade him seek out -Archie MacNicol, and convey to him this news.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And tell him from me," she said, "that all -he has to do is to explain to these men that they -have no right to come here and build huts and -use the fishing-grounds that naturally belong -to the crofters in possession; and that they -must go—and go peaceably."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would Miss Stanley be for having a sheriff's-officer -over from Dingwall?" suggested the tall -and handsome keeper, in his serious way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no, not at all!" she said. "The men -must go, when they learn they have no right to -be here. And if they refuse to go, haven't we -got our own policeman?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, mem," said Hector, and he left.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was towards the dusk of evening, and -raining heavily; but all the same Hector found -Big Archie at work in his little bit of a garden. -When Archie heard the news, he struck his -spade in the ground, and stood upright.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, that's the fine news!" he exclaimed, -joyfully, in Gaelic. "And we will soon be -putting an end to the squatters now, Hector! Was -I not saying it myself that they had no right to -come here?—but now there is the message from -the Fishery Board; and we will soon have the -devils away from the lobster-ground. And when -there is good news coming, you will be for -taking a dram with me, Hector?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, it is said there was once a Highland -keeper who refused a glass of whiskey; but his -name and neighbourhood are not known now. -Hector followed Big Archie into the cottage, -and there a black bottle was produced. Thereafter, -the two men, having lit their pipes, set -out through the dark and wet again, for Hector -was returning to his own home, and Archie was -going a certain distance with him in search of -the Gillie Ciotach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The stiff glass of whiskey had warmed Big -Archie's heart; and as he strode along, the huge -and heavy-shouldered giant grew garrulous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The young lady that has come here," said he, -in his native tongue, "you know as well as I do, -Hector, she means very well, but it is not the -place for her at all. I say it is not the place for -her at all. What can a young lady know about -the price of sheep and the price of lobsters? It is -a foolish thing! The place for her, now, Hector, -that place is London, at the court of the Queen, -among the great ladies, in their fine clothes and -jewels. You think I do not know about such -things; but I do know; for I myself have -relations with London; and it is from London I am -hearing every fortnight, from Corstorphine. And -the other day, when she was in my boat, I was -saying to myself 'There is a fine and beautiful -lady to be sitting in a coarse lobster-boat; and it -is at the court of the Queen she ought to be; and -not going about asking people to put in better -chimneys, and the like of that. A woman—a -woman has no right to be at the head of an estate; -and I am not sure that the law allows it; maybe -she is here only through Purdie, and he the -master of the estate. Just think of that, Hector—if -it is only Purdie that keeps out Young Donald -from the estate: would not that be a thing to be -considered? Now you know I am not from this -place myself; I am from much farther south; -but I am a Gael; I have no love for any -Albannach or Sassunnach coming into this country -against the wishes of the people; and if it is -only Purdie, aw, God, it's myself that would -willingly give Purdie a crack on the head. And -think of young Donald of Heimra coming into -the estates, would it not be a grand day that, -Hector?—ay, and many a gun fired off, and the -bagpipes, and flags, and taking the horses out of -the carriage. Sure I am the Gillie Ciotach -would go mad that day."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The mention of the Gillie Ciotach recalled the -keeper to his own immediate affairs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you see Gillie Ciotach, Archie," said he, -"perhaps you will give him a word of caution. -The other evening I heard a shot up by the -Crom-allt; and I did not look. But the next -time I hear a shot, I will look; and if I catch -Gillie Ciotach, I will break his gun over his -head, yes, and I will shoot his thief of a dog, -too; for I am not going to get myself into trouble -on account of the Gillie Ciotach. This you -know, Archie, that when old Mr. Stanley was -here, there was not much goodwill; and perhaps -some of us may have shut our eyes a little; but -things are different now; for here is my sister -Barbara telling me again and again that the -Baintighearna is the kindest lady she has ever -known in the world, and that it is not at all -what Purdie wishes to have done that she means -to have done. Well, well, that is not my -business; but my business is to look after myself; -and I am not going to get into trouble on account -of Gillie Ciotach."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this point the two parted; and Big -Archie went on to the inn. But he did not -enter by the front-door; he passed round by -the stable-yard, and made his way to a small -lighted window that was partly open. He -peeped in and listened at the same time—with -a grin of satisfaction on his face, for he had -found what he sought.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There were three men in this little sanded -parlour, which was a sort of adjunct to the inn. -They were seated round a table on which was -an oil-lamp; and in front of each man stood a -small pewter measure and also a glass. Two -of the men were middle-aged, and of a -sailor-like type; the third was a young fellow of -about four-and-twenty, whose bronzed -complexion, regular features, and short-cropped -curly brown hair made him rather good-looking, -only that in regarding him one did not -notice these things so much as the dare-devil -expression of both eye and mouth. He also -was dressed in something of sailor-like attire; -while his broad Balmoral bonnet, pushed far -back on his brown curls, revealed the fact that -in his earlier youth he must have received a -mighty slash along the side of his forehead. -This was the Gillie Ciotach; and the Gillie -Ciotach was singing—in high and nasal tones, -while his two companions listened solemnly. -Yet this was not really a melancholy song, this -</span><em class="italics">Linn an aigh</em><span>, for it described the happy state -of affairs that existed long ago, when the -heather yielded abundance of honey, and the -pastures abundance of milk, when there was -no rent to pay, when any one could fish or -shoot wherever he pleased, and when there was -neither hatred nor fighting, nor thirst of wealth. -Indeed, there was perhaps a touch of sarcasm -in the verses; for the refrain informed -whosoever might wish to know at what period of the -world's history this golden age existed that it -was </span><em class="italics">An uair bha Gàilig aig na h-eòin</em><span>—that is -to say, </span><em class="italics">When all the birds in Gaelic sang</em><span>. -However, whether the song was or was not -intended to be merry, the audience received it in -precisely the same fashion: when it ended, the -one said 'Ay, ay' in a sad tone; the other sighed -deeply; and then each mechanically proceeded to -pour out a glass of whiskey. The Gillie Ciotach -did likewise; by all three the whiskey was -drank in absolute silence; there was a pause -of internal meditation—and at this point Big -Archie thought fit to open the door and enter, -for he had been long enough out in the rain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And no sooner had he told his story than the -dare-devil leapt to his feet, a wild delight in -his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, </span><em class="italics">Dyeea</em><span>, this is a fine thing!" he cried, -sniffing the battle from afar. "I tell you now -we will make short work of it—we will drive the -squatters into the Minch, and if the devils can -swim across the Minch, let them swim across the -Minch, and if they cannot swim across the Minch, -they can go down to their master below! Come -away, boys, and make the preparation; for there -will be a gay dance to-morrow!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The big giant caught him by both shoulders, -and threw him back into the chair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you hear me?" said he (but there was -an ominous mirth in his eyes too). "Peaceably, -peaceably; the Baintighearna says -peaceably—they are to go peaceably."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, is it peaceably?" the Gillie Ciotach -cried, with a loud laugh. "Well, if they will -go peaceably, that is very good; but if they -will not go peaceably, then we will make them -sing a little song to-morrow—by God, Archie -MacNicol, we will make them sing 'Farewell -to Fiunary,' and maybe it is on the wrong side -of their mouth they will be singing the -'Farewell to Fiunary!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-battle-of-ru-minard"><span class="large">CHAPTER IX.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="medium">THE BATTLE OF RU-MINARD.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>All that night there was marching and -counter-marching, and whipping up of recruits, -and drinking of whiskey, and singing of -</span><em class="italics">Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mòr</em><span>.[#] Big Archie and -his peaceful, or pseudo-peaceful, counsels were -no longer heeded; the movement had been -taken up by the younger fellows, headed by the -mischievous Gillie Ciotach; and the belief -became general that orders had been received from -the Fishery Board in Edinburgh to the effect -that the Ru-Minard squatters were forthwith to -be driven into the sea. And if the aliens should -refuse to be so driven—should stand up in -defence of their little bits of homesteads—what -then?</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] "We will take the highway."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"It is a lesson they will want," said the Gillie -Ciotach, gaily, to his comrades (they were -having a friendly glass together, in a barn lit -up by a solitary candle), "not to come thieving -on other people's lobster-ground, and building -huts wherever they like, and not a penny of -rent to the holder of the croft. It is a lesson -they will want; and it is a lesson they will -get—to take back home with them, and keep the -others from coming here. Well, now, this is -my opinion, that the best thing for giving a -man a rap over the head is a tiller. A tiller with -a handle to it—aw, that is a fine convenient -thing!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am going to take an oar over my shoulder," -said a brawny young Hercules.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the more fool you, then," said the -Gillie Ciotach, who was a blunt-spoken youth. -"For I will tell you this, Feargus: if you strike -at a man with an oar, and he steps aside so that -you miss him, then he has you at his mercy—it -does not need a wise man to show you that. -Aw, God, a tiller is a fine thing, when the wood -is strong—it is a tiller that will be my -</span><em class="italics">orra-an-donais*[#] to-morrow." He broke into a loud laugh. -"We will teach them to be telling lies about the -Fishery Board!—and it is little they are thinking -now that to-morrow they will be singing -*Farewell, farewell to Fiunary</em><span>!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] </span><em class="italics small">Orra-an-donais</em><span class="small">—an amulet for sending one's enemy to -perdition. </span><em class="italics small">Donas</em><span class="small"> is Satan.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>In the morning it was found that the rain had -ceased; but worse than rain was threatening; -for all along the west the skies were of a heavy -and thunderous purple—a louring dark wall, as -it were—while torn shreds of grey cloud were -being blown along in advance, the precursors of -a gale. Mary and Käthchen were both at the -window, looking out at the angry heavens and -the livid sea beneath, when the maid Barbara -came quickly into the room. For the moment -Barbara had lost her pretty shyness of manner; -she was breathless and excited; her eyes were -full of apprehension.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, mem," she said, "do you know what is -happening? They have gone aweh up the road, -a great many of the young lads, and others; -and they have sticks with them; and they are -singing </span><em class="italics">Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mòr</em><span>. Oh, I -am sure there is harm coming of it! They were -saying something of the strange fishermen out -at Ru-Minard—and there will be fighting."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A sudden dismay filled Mary's heart—dismay, -and a curious sense of helplessness. To whom -could she turn for aid in such a crisis—and with -every moment a thing of value?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Barbara," she said quickly, "I must have -some one to go with me. Is Hector there?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, mem, he went up the hill this morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Or Hugh?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, mem, he was going over to Cruagan, -to arrange about the heather-burning, so I was -hearing him say."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Mary turned to her friend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Käthchen, who is there? Shall we ask the -Minister?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course, he is the very person to ask—if -you really mean to go, Mamie. But do you -think you should?" Käthchen asked, with -serious eyes. "It sounds like an open riot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't care—I must try what I can do—for -I fear I am responsible," Mary said, in a kind -of desperation; and then she turned to the -young Highland lass: "Barbara, we shall want -the carriage at once—as soon as ever the horses -can be put to. Tell Sandy we are going over -to find Mr. Pettigrew; he can come along and -meet us. Tell him not to lose a second."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And almost directly afterwards the two girls -were out-of-doors, hurrying along to the other -side of the village, where was the Minister's -cottage. Käthchen was unmistakeably frightened; -but all the same she ventured to say—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, Mamie, your friends in London have -almost given up asking when you are going to -marry your cousin—you have kept him at arm's -length so long. But I think if Mr. Meredyth -were here just now, he would have a very good -chance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" said Mary, with a certain coldness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because you want a man's assistance and -advice," said Käthchen. "Isn't it as clear as -daylight? The moment this news comes, you -look round for some man to help you. Is -the head keeper there? No. Or the under-keeper? -No. Then you think of the Minister—anybody -so long as he is a man. All quite -natural, of course. Only I think if Mr. Frank -Meredyth were here—and you finding yourself -in constant trouble and perplexity—well, I -think he would soon take up a very important -position. He might even persuade you to -let him send in to Inverness for a wedding-ring."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"People don't get married in order to make -peace among their tenantry!" said Mary, a -little proudly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is he coming here in August?" asked the -shrewd Käthchen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fred wants me to ask him," Mary said, -briefly; indeed, at such a time she was not -thinking of any suitor; she was thinking of -what might even now be going forward on the -shores of Minard Bay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Rev. Mr. Pettigrew received the intelligence -of the rising with a calm and gentle -compassion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dear me, dear me!" he said, in his high-pitched, -unnatural voice, and he thoughtfully -stroked his long and straggling beard. "What -a sad thing to think of, when brethren might -be living together in peace and ahmity! The -heart of man is full of dangerous possibeelities—it -is a sad thing to think of—at this season -of the year, when all nature seems to know that -the verdant spring is around us—when all -is harmony and peace—to think that angry -passions should arise in the heart of man—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but won't you come at once, -Mr. Pettigrew?" said Mary, with distress in her -eyes. "We may be able to do something to -prevent bloodshed. The carriage will meet -us—we may be able to overtake them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the Minister paused to consider.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No doubt," said he, reflectively, "to prevent -the shedding of blood is an admirable thing, -a commendable thing, and praiseworthy. But -there are times and seasons when even the -wisest counsel is of no avail—when the heart -of man is as a fiery steed, untameable, not to -be bridled; and in these times and seasons, -what is demanded of us is a judeecious -sympathy, a constant sympathy, a sympathy -that does not take sides, but longs for the -return of peace and good will. Strange, indeed, -that at this time of the year—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But won't you come with us at once, -Mr. Pettigrew!" Mary said, in her despair. "The -carriage will meet us. We must try what we -can do. You see, I am in a measure responsible. -I told them what the Fishery Board had -said—that the stranger fishermen had no right to -build huts—and—and I hoped they would go -away quietly—but if there is to be fighting, -then surely it is the Minister who should come -and try to make peace."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, the carriage?" said Mr. Pettigrew, -thoughtfully, as he took down his hat from a -peg in the lobby. "That is well considered—well -considered. For if in their anger these -misguided craytures should take to throwing -of stons, the carriage could be closed. Ay, -ay, that is very well now; and if their wrath -should be intemperate—for who can gauge the -stubbornness of man?—then the carriage can -be driven away at any moment. But what a -sad thing to think of—sad thing!—when all -might be dwelling in peace and ahmity—in -peace and ahmity."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, it was no consideration of personal -safety that was uppermost in Mary Stanley's -mind at this moment; indeed, so anxious was -she to overtake the rioters that she and her -two companions had very nearly got back to -Lochgarra House before they met the carriage. -Then the horses were turned round; and on -they drove—past the brawling stream—past -the larchwoods—and up to the height -commanding a view of Minard Bay. And here, at -the top, they encountered the first human being -of whom they could ask the news. It was -John the policeman. The plump, roseate, -good-natured Iain was calmly seated on a low wall -by the roadside; and he was unconcernedly -regarding the wide stretch of white sand across -which some small black figures were now seen -to be in motion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are you doing here, John?" said -Mary, indignantly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was just looking," said Iain, with an -amiable smile—and he glanced in the direction -of the people crossing the white sands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but why are you waiting here?" said -she. "Don't you know that there is likely to -be fighting? And it is your duty to prevent that!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They will be telling me," said Iain, slowly -and comfortably, "that the strange fishermen -have no right to be in the place. Very well, -then. And if they are to be put out of the -place, it's not for me to interfere. If they -are wrong, let them go aweh; and if they -will not go aweh, they will have to be put -aweh."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This seemed a sound argument—to John.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But what did the Lochgarra people say to -you as they went by?" Mary demanded. -"Didn't you see they were armed with sticks? -Don't you know there will be fighting and -bloodshed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, there may be a brokken head or two," -said John, with a demure smile.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, it is your duty to prevent that! -These men have no right to take the law into -their own hand. If the strangers will not go -peaceably, they must be removed by the law—not -by beating them with sticks. And you are -standing back here—and letting them do what -they like!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And if they tek to fighting," said John, -"it's not me that can stop them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This also seemed painfully true.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But you can do something," she insisted. -"You can warn them. You can take their -names. You can threaten them with a prosecution. -You can tell them that—that—Mr. Pettigrew, -who is it that prosecutes here?—the -Sheriff at Dingwall?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nay, but I am considering that there is -much of reason in what John says," observed -the Minister, in his lofty sing-song; "and -perhaps we should do well to follow his -example, and remain as spectators and witnesses. -I perceive that this carriage cannot be closed; -and therefore I do not think it would be -prudent—rather would it be rashness, and culpable -rashness—to go forward amid a storm of angry -passions. Surely it would be more prudent for -us to remain here, with the constituted -representative of law and order?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I am not going to remain here. John." -she said, peremptorily, to the young policeman. -"get up in front. Sandy, drive on quickly; -we may get between those people yet, before -the mischief has begun."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so the horses went forward again—rattling -away down the stony hill until they -reached the soft and sandy road skirting the -bay. The little township of Minard was quite -deserted, save for the women, who stood in -small groups in the fields or at the -cottage-doors, watching what was going forward out -there towards the long headland. Not that -they could see very much, once the black figures -had crossed the white breadth of sand; for the -morning was dull and sombre; and the rocks -of Ru-Minard, along which the crofters and -fishermen were now making their way, were -dark. But this much was obvious, that at a -certain point the crowd stopped; while two of -their number went forward—one of these being -of gigantic size.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is Big Archie," said Mary, almost to -herself, "and I warned him that he must get -them to go away peaceably."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And no doubt it was as a deputation carrying -peaceful proposals that Big Archie and his -companion were now going forward to certain -huts scattered just above the rocks, where also -a number of dark figures could be dimly -descried. Peaceful or not peaceful, the -negotiations at all events involved delay; and this -delay enabled the party in the carriage to drive -along the road as far as was practicable; then -the horses were stopped, and Mary got down to -follow the rioters on foot. It was in vain that -the Minister sought to dissuade her with -plaintive remonstrances; she intimated to him that -he could remain in the carriage if he chose. -Käthchen, on the other hand, though she was -thoroughly frightened, had but the one and -sole idea—to remain by Mary Stanley's side, -whithersoever she went. As for the easy-going -Iain, he was distinctly inclined to hang back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What can I do?" said he, with occult -amusement in his eyes. "If they will brek -one another's heads, how can I prevent it? If -it is right that these men should go aweh, and -if they will not go aweh, they cannot complain -if they get their heads brokken for not going aweh."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Iain's humorous indifference did not last -very long. Mary, hurrying forward, and -with eyes anxiously straining, could make out -that the two men were now returning to their -friends; presently the blustering wind blowing -in from the sea brought a sound of confused -and prolonged cheering; and she now perceived -that the scattered assemblage was moving on. -At the same moment there was the sharp report -of a gun; and then it was that the policeman's -face grew grave.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is there going to be murder?" said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She did not answer him; she was running -now—and Käthchen by her side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must—go right into the middle of it," -she said, panting for breath, "and -then—perhaps they will stop."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At first the Lochgarra and Minard fishermen -advanced but slowly and cautiously upon the -huts, not knowing where the enemy might -mass himself. The fact is the aliens had been -taken unawares; for while they were as -determined as men could be to defend their -homesteads, they had no time to seek for arms, -supposing they could have obtained any, while -up here on the rocky knolls there were no -stones. They were running hither and thither -about the huts, picking up any bit of wood or -any broken oar they could find; but when they -made a sort of group of themselves, to await -the onset of their antagonists, it was clear that -timber had failed them, and other weapons -they seemed to have none. But there they -stood, dauntless, sullen, silent—the sea behind -them—their outnumbering foes in front.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now the invaders knew what was -expected of them. It was a shrill cry from the -Gillie Ciotach that led the great hoarse volume -of their cheers; and then, with all kinds of -minatory exclamations, they rushed forward -on the devoted band. Who could resist this -whirling, tempestuous, compacted shock? For -two or three wild seconds there was -inextricable confusion; and snap here, snap there, -cudgel met cudgel, or descended on solid -crown; but it was all over directly; and the -next phase of the battle was that the aliens, -as if by one common impulse, had turned and -fled—fled pell-mell down the rocks and towards -the shore, their foes pursuing with fierce and -joyous cries. And here it was that Mary -Stanley made her appearance—breathless, -dishevelled—trying to throw herself in the way -of Big Archie, who was leading the pursuit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Archie!" she called to him. "How dare -you! Let those men alone! I command you!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But very little indeed did Big Archie care -for her commands; it was another -consideration altogether that at this moment caused -himself and his companions to pause. For the -fugitives, as soon as they gained the beach, had -taken refuge behind two boats drawn up there; -and as the boats, with their spars and sails -astern, and their lobster-creels and barrels at -the bow, offered excellent shelter, while the -beach afforded unlimited ammunition, the battle -was not yet over. In truth, the stones that -were now flying through the air decidedly -checked the ardour of the pursuers; and it -was at this moment that Mary again got up to -Gilleasbuig Mòr.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Archie!" she said, indignantly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An accidental stone struck her on the -shoulder. She did not mind. But another -and a sharper one struck her on the wrist; -and inadvertently she drew up her hand with -a piteous little cry. She had been cut over -the bone; blood was flowing profusely; and -at sight of that, Big Archie—his eyes blazing -with wrath—seemed to go mad altogether.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, </span><em class="italics">Dyeea</em><span>!" he cried; and he ran forward -and leapt into the boat, on to the middle -thwart; he sprang out on the other side; and -began to lay about him with his cudgel as -with the hammer of Thor, smiting and scattering -his enemies in all directions. But she was -after him in a moment—nimbly getting round -the stern of the boat—and before he had -wholly wreaked his vengeance, she had him by -the arm. And here her interposition did save -bloodshed; for the men, finding her between -Big Archie and themselves, refused to throw -the stones they had hastily picked up; quietude -was secured at least in this corner of the -battlefield.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But indeed the general interest had already -been attracted elsewhere. When Mary turned -to see what was going on landwards, she -happened to notice certain small wavering -shreds of pink. It was a very pale pink; on -a clear day, it would hardly have been visible; -but against the lurid sky it was distinct enough.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is that?" she said, with a sudden, -conscious fear, to Big Archie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The huge, heavy-shouldered fisherman (who -was keeping an eye on his discomfited foes as -he led the way round the stern of the boats) -glanced towards the rocky knolls that had -been the scene of the first onslaught, and said -grimly,—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It wass the Gillie Ciotaeh he wass bringing -a can of petroleum with him this morning, and -lobster-creels will be easy to set on fire."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mean to say they are burning down -those poor men's huts?" she demanded, in a -perfect agony of helplessness. "Archie, what -is to be done? Why does not the policeman interfere?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, it is no use now," said Big Archie, -with much composure. "They are ahl on fire -already—and a good job, too!—for we won the -fight, and that is a proper end to it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And this is how you have kept your -promise to me!" Mary said, in accents of -bitter reproach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As sure as death, mem," said the big -good-natured giant, "I wass doing everything Miss -Stanley said—peaceably, peaceably. When I -went to them this morning, I wass saying to -them 'You hef no right here.' They said, 'We -hef the right here.' I said 'It is no use telling -lies; for Miss Stanley she has written to the -Fishery Board; and they hef given you no -right whatever.' And then I says 'It is a fine -thing for you to come here and tek what piece -of land you want, and build your houses on it, -and you not paying a penny of rent to the man -that has the croft.' Then they said 'The land -is not worth anything; it is only rock.' Then -I says 'That is not your business, as you know -very well; and other people hef to pay rent for -it, whether it is rock or good land; and it is -impudent men you are to come and tek things -for nothing. I am from Tarbert on Loch Fyne,' -says I, 'and it's stealing they would be calling -that down there.' Well, mem, they were not -liking that—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I should think not!" said Mary. "Is that -what you call asking them to go away civilly -and quietly?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But they would not go aweh at ahl, mem!" -Archie protested, still looking towards those -pink shreds of flame (and alas! for the poor -discomfited aliens—they had emerged from -their shelter, and gone a few yards up the -beach, and were also regarding, hopelessly -enough, the distant crowd and the work of -destruction). "They were growing more and -more impudent, mem; and they said they -would not go aweh; and I said we would drive -them aweh; and they said we could not do it. -And then says I to them 'Do you see the -carriage yonder?—for if you can mek out -the people, it is the proprietor herself, and the -Minister, and the policeman, and they are come -down to see that you go aweh from this place -ahltogether, and, by God, if you do not go -aweh, we will drive you into the sea, and set -fire to your houses.' 'You cannot do it,' says -they—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But how dared you tell them that we had -come down for any such purpose," said Mary, -indignantly, "when we only came to prevent -violence?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how wass I knowing that, mem?" -said he cunningly. "But I am sure there wass -only the one end to it in any case, when they -began to pick up the sticks. And we were not -going to hef the land stolen, and the lobster-ground -tekken up, and be beaten as well; for a -man cannot stand everything, and we had sticks -as well as they had sticks—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And so you began to fight in spite of all I -told you!" she said. "And I do not know -what harm has been done or how many have -been hurt. You yourself, you would have been -murdered if I had not come round by the boats -and dragged you away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it murdering, mem?" said Big Archie, -with a grin. "Aw, Cosh, there would hef -been some murdering going before they -murdered me!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And now they came upon Käthchen, who -was standing as one paralyzed, gazing upon the -excited crowd who were collected round the -burning huts, and listening to their shouts and -laughter. The moment she turned, she caught -sight of Mary's hand, and uttered a quick cry -of alarm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is nothing, Käthchen," her friend said, -"only I wish you'd tie this handkerchief round -my wrist—and pull it tight; it will hurt less -then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What made you go away down there, -Mamie?" said Käthchen, in her distress. -"I—wanted to stay by your side—but—but I -could not face the stones. It was madness—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They did not intend to strike me," said -Mary (whose shoulder was aching cruelly, as -well as her wrist). "These poor men, they -have nothing left now but their boats." And -then she demanded: "But where was that -booby of a policeman?—why did he not -prevent them setting fire to the huts? And -where is the Minister?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Käthchen did not know; nor did she care -much; all her interests were engrossed by the -strange scene being enacted up there among -the rocky knolls. For, despite the petroleum, -and the heaping-on of lobster-creels and -float-barrels, the huts did not burn well; the rain -of the previous night had soddened the thatch, -and perhaps the interiors were none too dry at -the best of times; so that the incendiaries had -to keep opening up draught-holes, or flinging -on more petroleum, in order to encourage the -flames. And then again that proved too slow -work for their impatience. They got poles -and broken oars to use as battering-rams; they -charged the ineffectual doors, and tore down -the smouldering roofs; and when the -demolition of this or that rude dwelling was -complete, there were loud and triumphant cheers. -Mary did not seek to interpose. It was too -late now. She looked on sadly, wondering -what the poor wretches down by the boats were -thinking, and not without some half-terrified -consciousness that she was answerable for all -this wreck and ruin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is shameful!—it is shameful!" she -said—almost to herself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, mem," said Big Archie, who still -remained with the two young ladies, "I will -ask you this—when you will find a wasps' -nest in your garden, what will you do? You -will not be for going forward and telling -them they were right in tekkin up the place, -and that you will not disturb them; aw, no!—I -think it is a bunch of straw you will be carrying -to the place, and setting a light to it, and -putting the nest on fire. Aw, Cosh, that is -the sure weh to get rid of them—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But these were not wasps—these were men -like yourselves," said she, sharply. "They -have as much right to live as you—"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ay," said Big Archie, scratching his head -in assumed perplexity, "mebbe they hef as -much right to live as we hef—but </span><em class="italics">not there</em><span>. -For it wass Miss Stanley herself that would -be saying that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mary's face flushed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I told you they were wrong in thinking -they had any right to be there; but I did not -tell you to go and break out into lawlessness -and set houses on fire with petroleum. Do you -think that can be allowed? Do you think there -is no government in this country? Do you -think you can do just as you please? I tell -you, the Sheriff from Dingwall will have to -inquire into this matter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Gilleasbuig Mòr did not like the mention -of Dingwall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If it was brekkin the law," said he, rather -gloomily, "it wass not us that wass brekkin -it first. It was them fishermen. And now -they can go aweh hom; and if they ever think -of coming back here, they will remember the -day they sah their houses on fire at Ru-Minard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The work of demolition was now complete. -Smouldering thatch and blackened rafters -strewed the ground; nothing remained erect -but the rude stone walls; the alien colony had -lost its habitation. And then the invaders -formed once more into a sort of irregular -procession; they shouldered their staves and -clubs; three ringing cheers were given—as a -significant message to their vanquished -opponents, who still remained down by the boats; -and then the victors set out on their homeward -march, the Gillie Ciotach's shrill voice leading -off with "</span><em class="italics">Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mòr</em><span>"[#] while -a rough and ready chorus was volunteered by -the straggling ranks. Mary Stanley and -Käthchen, accompanied by Big Archie, slowly -followed, some distance intervening. In truth, -Mary's heart was as lead: all things seemed -to be going so ill—in spite of her most patient -and unselfish endeavours.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] The chorus of this gay ditty has been thus Englished:</span></p> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span class="small">"We will take the good old way,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span class="small">We will take the good old way,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span class="small">We will take the good old way,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span class="small">The way that lies before us;</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span class="small">Climbing stiff the heathery ben,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span class="small">Winding swiftly down the glen,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span class="small">Should we meet with strangers then,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span class="small">Their gear will serve to store us!"</span></div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>And now they came upon Iain the policeman—bland, -benign, complacent as usual. Iain -had remained some little way apart, to let the -rioters go by; his share in the day's proceedings -had been limited to a discreet and not -unamiable observation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are you doing here?" said Mary. -"Why did you not interfere before they had -set the huts on fire? Don't you see the -mischief that has been done?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a whimsical, demure smile in Iain's -eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I could not be tekkin up all them men," -said he.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then what are you put here for at all?" -she demanded. "Why did they send you to -Lochgarra if you have no authority? What -use are you in the place?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Iain was far too smooth-tempered to take any -umbrage. He did not even claim to be of any use.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, well," said he—and he lifted up a bit -of dried seaweed and slowly pulled it to pieces, -"the people about Lochgarra, there is not much -harm in them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you call that no harm—setting fire to -houses?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Iain hesitated—for he wished to be very -respectful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But if the fishermen had no right to build -the houses?" he ventured to say, with -down-cast eyes, and in the most propitiating tones. -"And it was Miss Stanley herself who was -telling them that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did I tell them to set the houses on fire? -Did I tell them to go and fight with sticks and -stones? I told them to go and try to get those -people away peaceably; and instead of that, -here they break out into open riot, and work -all the mischief they can, and you stand by and -look on!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aw, well," said Iain, pulling away at the -seaweed, "there is not much harm done. -There is not more than one or two has got a -knock."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hoarse, triumphant chorus—</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">"Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mòr</em></div> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mòr</em></div> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mòr</em></div> -<div class="line"><em class="italics">Olc air mhath le càch e!"'</em></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>was growing more distant now; the men were -ascending the hill, towards their own -homes—or still more likely they were going on to the -village, to have a good, solid dram after this -great exploit. And here was the waggonette, -and Mr. Pettigrew therein, apparently -confining his attention to certain slips of paper. -When the two young ladies appeared and got -into the carriage, the Minister put away his -MS.; and when the horses had started for -home, he lifted up his high and feminine voice, -and said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is a sad sight we have seen to-day—a -sad sight—angry passions surmounting what -should be the calm of the Christian soul—and -among those who might well be living in peace -and ahmity. And it is well for us who can -keep apart, and view these things as a passing -vision, and comfort ourselves with pious thoats. -'For they that sleep sleep in the night; and -they that be drunken are drunken in the night. -But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting -on the breastplate of faith and love: and for an -helmet, the hope of salvation.' As for those -poor men out at Ru-Minard, I fear they will be -as the beasts of the field and the birds of the -air in the matter of habitation; but they must -seek for higher things; they must say to -themselves 'For here have we no continuing city, -but we seek one to come!'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might have gone and tried to save -their houses for them!" Mary exclaimed, -bitterly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But she would say no more. Indeed, she -was silent all the way home. A sense of -helplessness, of failure, of despair weighed upon -her; all her fine courage and heroic spirit -seemed to have fled. When they got to the top -of the hill at Minard, she turned and looked -towards the long promontory beyond the bay; -and there was still a little smoke showing here -and there amongst the smouldering ruins. In -spite of herself tears rose to her eyes. This -was the climax of all her splendid schemes. -This was what she had been able to do for the -neighbourhood that had been entrusted to her. -Might it not be said of her—</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>'The children born of thee are sword and fire,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Red ruin, and the breaking up of laws'?</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>How long was it since she had come to -Lochgarra?—and this was the end.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But as they drove on, they came in sight of -Lochgarra Bay; and out there was Eilean -Heimra. And no sooner had Mary Stanley's -eyes lit on the distant island than something -seemed to stir her heart with a proud indignation; -and if she had spoken, as she dared not -speak, she would have said—</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, it is you, it is you out there who are -responsible. It is not I. It is you alone who -have control over these people; and yet you go -and shut yourself up in selfish isolation; and -leave me, a woman, to contend, and strive,—and -break down!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">END OF VOL. I.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, -<br />STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line"><span>*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>DONALD ROSS OF HEIMRA (VOLUME I OF 3)</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title"><span>A Word from Project Gutenberg</span></h2> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We will update this book if we find any errors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This book can be found under: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43052"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43052</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg™ concept and -trademark. 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