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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ad33c92 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66873 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66873) diff --git a/old/66873-0.txt b/old/66873-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5145add..0000000 --- a/old/66873-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6630 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Cameronians, Volume 1 (of 3), by James -Grant - -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 Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Cameronians, Volume 1 (of 3) - A Novel - -Author: James Grant - -Release Date: December 3, 2021 [eBook #66873] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CAMERONIANS, VOLUME 1 (OF -3) *** - - - - - - - THE CAMERONIANS. - - A Novel. - - - BY - - JAMES GRANT, - - AUTHOR OF - 'THE ROMANCE OF WAR,' 'OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH, ETC. - - - - IN THREE VOLUMES. - VOL. I. - - - - LONDON: - RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON, - Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen. - - 1881. - - [_All Rights Reserved._] - - - - - TO - GEORGE ROUTLEDGE, ESQ., - MY OLD FRIEND AND PUBLISHER, - I INSCRIBE THIS MILITARY STORY, - AS A TRIBUTE - OF - RESPECT AND ESTEEM. - - - - -PREFACE. - -The old Scottish regiment from which the following story takes its -title, and of which the hero is described as a member, is on the -point of losing its identity, and after the July of this year will be -united with the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry, as 'The Scottish -Cameronian Rifles,' thus losing, of course, its scarlet uniform, -colours, and facings--the royal yellow of Scotland, which, by a -correspondence with Mr. Childers, in March last, the author was -fortunate enough to secure (instead of buff) for all Scottish -infantry, not laced with blue. - -Of the merits of the new regimental system it is difficult to -speculate as yet; but it will too probably create an endless -confusion, and be long a source of regret to the entire army. - - 25, TAVISTOCK ROAD, - WESTBOURNE PARK. - May, 1881. - - - - - CONTENTS OF VOL. I. - - CHAPTER - - I. EAGLESCRAIG - II. HEW'S LOVE-MAKING - III. FIRST IMPRESSIONS - IV. COVER-SHOOTING - V. HEW MAKES A VOW - VI. A REVELATION - VII. HEW'S 'MILD PLAY' - VIII. 'THE LOVE THAT TOOK AN EARLY ROOT' - IX. MRS. GARTH ACTS A FRIENDLY PART - X. A CRISIS - XI. HEW MAKES MISCHIEF - XII. CECIL'S DEPARTURE - XIII. IN SHADOW LAND - XIV. LESLIE FOTHERINGHAME - XV. SEPARATED - XVI. ANNABELLE ERROLL - XVII. HOPES AND FEARS - XVIII. THE CAMERONIANS - XIX. THE PROGRESS OF EVENTS - XX. THE OLD STORY AGAIN - - - - -THE CAMERONIANS. - - - -CHAPTER I. - -EAGLESCRAIG. - -'Twenty-sixth Regiment,' said the old general, raising his voice, as -he rustled the morning paper importantly, after taking it from the -ebony reading-easel (attached to the arm of his large and comfortable -velvet easy-chair), whereon Mr. Tunley, the butler, always laid the -journals, after he had duly aired and cut them. 'Twenty-sixth -Regiment,' he added, coughing and clearing his voice, 'a detachment -of this distinguished corps, says the _Ayr Observer_, has recently -arrived at the castle of Dumbarton, under the command of Lieutenants -Cecil Falconer and Leslie Fotheringhame.' - -'Well, there is nothing remarkable in that, uncle,' said one of his -young lady listeners, who seemed chiefly intent upon her breakfast, -and not much interested by the intelligence. - -'My old regiment--my old regiment still,' said the old man, musingly. -'Gad, I'll have the senior--what's his name? Cecil Falconer--over -here, for a few days' cover-shooting.' - -'And why not the other too?' asked the young lady who had just -spoken, laughingly; 'we might have an admirer each, Annabelle.' - -But Miss Erroll, to whom the name of Fotheringhame seemed not -unknown, coloured and did not reply. - -'Both could not leave their men at the same time,' said the general. - -'Then I hope the senior is a pleasant fellow--he whom you propose to -bring, Sir Piers,' said Mr. Hew Montgomerie, of whom more anon. - -'All the Cameronians were pleasant fellows in my time,' said the -general, tartly, 'and I have no doubt they are so still. And -remember, girls, that the smartest officers are usually selected for -detachment duty,' he added. - -Those remarks passed in the cosy and elegant morning-room of -Eaglescraig, the mansion of Sir Piers Montgomerie, Bart., who--a -retired general officer--was G.C.B. and G.C.S.I. and Colonel of the -Cameronian Regiment, and Governor of the Castle of Dumbarton: and the -party at breakfast consisted only of Sir Piers, his remote kinsman -and heir, Hew Montgomerie, of the Indian Civil Service, home on a -year's leave; his grandniece and orphan ward Mary, also a -Montgomerie; her friend Annabelle Erroll--both very handsome -girls--and an old lady who presided over the silver tea-urn and -Wedgewood breakfast equipage, Mrs. Garth, Mary's governess and -friend, the widow of an old captain of the Cameronians--five -personages, with whom we hope to make the reader fully acquainted in -time. - -Sir Piers was verging now on his seventieth year, but he was fresher -and more hale and hearty than many a man of fifty. His features were -still handsome and regular, though lined and wrinkled; his eyes were -keen as those of a hawk, and his figure, still wonderfully erect, was -clad in a rich maroon-coloured robe-de-chambre, with yellow silk -facings, cord, and tassels, and he was seated near the blazing winter -fire, with his feet on a velvet stool, and encased in slippers of -Mary's handiwork. - -Generous by nature, yet hot-tempered and proud---pride of birth had -been a positive vice with him in early life--Sir Piers was a curious -mixture of the testy old Indian general, accustomed to every luxury, -including tyrannising over 'niggers,' with the country gentleman of -the old school; and having a profound admiration for the service and -everything pertaining thereto, like old Bismarck, he believed that -every man should be a soldier and rejoice in being one. - -In his latter years Sir Piers had not been with the Cameronians, but -had seen a deal of service in India as a general officer, and, while -slowly creeping up the list of his rank, had been appointed, in the -usual courtesy of the army, full colonel of the old regiment in which -he had been a subaltern and field-officer. - -His hunting-days were well-nigh past now; yet, at a meet, all the -field rejoiced to see the fine old man in his saddle, and with all -his pride of bearing--for a wealthy parvenu, however honestly he had -won his wealth, Sir Piers would have treated with chilling -hauteur--he was never above conversing with some sturdy farmer of -Kyle or Cunninghame, kindly and affably, on the price of stock, the -fall of wheat, on breeding, fattening, or draining, and always -winding up by some, often irrelevant, anecdote of his sporting -experiences in India, or when he followed the drums of the -Cameronians. Old as he was, he had never been known to shrink from a -bullfinch, or be fished out of a brook; he was welcome in every -homestead throughout the country-side, and the farmers' wives always -assumed their brightest looks, brought forth their whitest -tablecloths and the best contents of larder and pantry, in honour of -the old Laird of Eaglescraig, when he came their way. - -He was a Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Supply for the -County; he read the _Field_, of course, as what country gentleman -does not? He studied the War Office _Gazette_ regularly, as if he -expected his own name to appear there, once weekly; he was simple in -all his tastes and happy in all his surroundings, yet, for all that, -there was a skeleton in his house and heart, known, perhaps, to -himself alone. - -He was a childless man now--childless by an act of his own--and the -title and estates, which he inherited from a long line of ancestors, -were eventually to pass from him to the heir of entail, whom he -strove hard, but in vain, to like or admire. - -The latter, Hew Caddish Montgomerie, was then about thirty years of -age. He was not ungentlemanly either in manner or bearing; but his -face, like his disposition, was very defective. His eyes were called -grey, and seemed to be grey at times; yet, on closer inspection, it -was but too apparent that those shifty and furtive orbs of his were -of different colours, for one was a species of bilious green. - -They were closely set on each side of a nose that strongly resembled -a shoe-horn, and his mouth, which was both cruel and licentious in -contour, was partly concealed, or altered in expression, by a -luxuriant brown moustache. He had come home, we have said, on leave -from the C.S., a sharp hand at cards and with a billiard-cue, deeply -dipped in debt, and with the current reputation, among his set, of -being 'a bad lot.' His mother, daughter of a Sudder judge, was one -of the old English family of Caddish, a name which Hew was wont to -affirm was a corruption of Cavendish; be that as it may, the -corruption thereof, in some instances, suited his character amazingly -well. - -'This is rather unlike your usual proud exclusiveness, Sir Piers,' -said he, after a pause. - -'What? inviting this young officer to knock over a few birds?' - -'Yes--without an introduction.' - -'Introduction? None was needed in my time; the epaulettes were -introduction enough everywhere. The service is certainly _not_ what -it was in my day, the special school of honour and politeness; but -I'll do the right thing, for all that. Let me see, which is -senior--Falconer or Fotheringhame. Tunley, hand me the "Army List." -Thanks. It _is_ Falconer. I have known what it is to be on -detachment in such a dull hole as Dumbarton, killing time till the -spring drills come on, so I'll invite the senior.' - -'And how about the poor junior?' asked Miss Erroll, colouring -slightly again. - -'Well, even to gratify you, Annabelle, I cannot bring him,' said the -general, laughing. 'I remember once, when we were in cantonments at -Barrackpore----' Hew smiled as the general began thus; but they were -spared the probably prosy reminiscence, for just then Sir Piers' -faded features clouded suddenly, as he put down the 'Army List' and -said, in a changed voice: 'Had my boy Piers lived, he might now have -been at the head of the regiment--five-and-twenty years -ago--five-and-twenty years! My God, how long--how time has rolled -away!' - -His eyes, as he thought this, rather than spoke it all aloud, were -cast for a moment furtively--as if he was ashamed of exhibiting any -sudden emotion--on the full-length portrait of a handsome young -subaltern, in the uniform of the Cameronians, scarlet faced with -yellow, massive gold epaulettes, and the silver sphinx on his -belt-plate. It represented a spirited-looking young fellow with a -proud and joyous expression of face, and a well-knit, well-set-up -figure. - -The shifty, parti-coloured eyes of Hew Montgomerie travelled for a -moment in the same direction, and then he addressed himself to the -grouse-pie, thinking the while that 'things were deucedly well -ordered as they were, so far as he was concerned.' And then the meal -proceeded somewhat silently, Mrs. Garth officiating over the cups, -and Mr. Tunley, a paragon of old rubicund butlers, at the side-board, -where the cold beef and grouse-pie were placed, among Indian jars and -old silver race tankards. - -Mary Montgomerie, the general's grand-niece and ward, and her chief -friend and gossip, Annabelle Enroll, were both attractive and very -handsome girls, each in her twentieth year, but different in their -styles and complexions. - -Of a good stature, and round, firm and graceful in form, Mary -Montgomerie had well-defined eyebrows, eyes, and hair, all of the -darkest brown; long lashes lent a great softness to her white-lidded -eyes, and she had a quiet ease, elegance, and girlish innocence of -manner; yet at times she was full of vivacity, born of the fact or -knowledge that she had been, as an orphan, from her youth, much of a -petted child, and reminded by many around her that she was the -heiress of many a thousand and many an acre, provided that she wedded -with the full approval of one who was not likely to be severe upon -her--old Sir Piers, her grand-uncle and legal guardian; for she was -the only daughter of his favourite younger brother--younger by -several years. - -As such she filled a void in his heart, and ever and anon the old -man's eyes were wont to rest kindly, fondly, and admiringly upon her. - -Her complexion was fair and creamy, her features regular and minute, -yet they were hardly ever in repose, for every variety of expression, -as thought inspired it, flitted over the ever-changing face. - -Though less favoured by fortune, and even by nature, her friend Miss -Erroll was nevertheless a charming girl of the blonde type, with -grey-blue eyes and fair hair shot with gold, as it seemed, in the -sunlight, soft, plentiful, and wavy as the darker tresses of Mary, -and her eyebrows and their lashes were just a shade darker than her -hair. In the tone and tenour of her ways she was less impulsive than -Mary Montgomerie, who at times would come down the house stairs at a -headlong rush, while Annabelle followed with calm step and slow, or -would quietly seek a gate in the hunting-field, while Mary, with her -horse's head uplifted by her light, unerring hand, cleared the -nearest hedge at a flying leap, and with a laugh that rang like a -merry silver bell. - -Both girls were eminently graceful and full of charming manners and -pretty winning words and ways; but the difference of their -temperaments was indicated even by the style of their -morning-dresses, for the robe of Annabelle was pale blue, as became -the character of her beauty, while that of Mary was of warm maize -colour, tied with fluttering scarlet ribbons, with rosettes of the -same to match on her tiny slippers. The loose, wide, falling sleeves -of this garment coquettishly showed her round white arm at times, -from the taper wrist to the dimpled elbow, and then she would smile -and hastily let them fall forward when she caught the quick, shifty -eyes of Hew Montgomerie cast admiringly on her. - -The fifth of our _dramatis personæ_, as yet, is Mrs. Griselda Garth, -or, as she preferred to be called with the old Scoto-French courtesy, -that is now passing away, 'Mrs. Captain Garth.' The widow of a -Cameronian officer who had died on service in the East, a calm, -subdued, and gentle, white-haired old lady, she had found now, for -life, a quiet home at Eaglescraig, and had acted for more than twelve -years as a species of tender mother to Mary; and thus, after her -duties as a governess were past, she remained as her mentor, -companion, and chaperon, honoured, loved, and trusted by Mary and old -Sir Piers, who had been her husband's friend. - -'If Mr. Falconer avails himself of my invitation, and I don't see -very well how he can decline it,' said the latter, returning to his -late idea, and viewing it somewhat in the light of a regimental -order, 'the dog-cart can meet him at the Montgomerie Arms in -Ardrossan; and you, Hew, will do me the favour to drive him here to -Eaglescraig.' - -'Yes; that will be in better taste than sending a servant,' added -Mary. - -'Excuse me, Sir Piers,' said Hew, almost sulkily, as his chronic -jealousy already took the alarm; 'but I don't care for acting as -charioteer to a total stranger.' - -'As you please,' replied Sir Piers haughtily, as he always disliked -to have his wishes thwarted; 'some one else will obey my orders, I -have no doubt.' - -Eaglescraig, in the Bailiwick of Cunninghame, we may describe as a -magnificent modern villa, with plate-glass oriels, a pillared -portico, a stately perron, and balustraded terrace, whereon the -peacocks spread their plumes and strutted to and fro. It had been, -somewhat incongruously we must admit, added to, or engrafted on, the -tall, old, square baronial tower that for ages had been, from the -lofty bluff known as the Eaglescraig, a landmark of the sea, and -which started up gaunt and grim, with grated windows, corbelled -battlements, and tourelles at the angles--a tower the pride of the -general's heart as the cradle of his house, and the home of his -ancestors, all unsuited though it was to modern usages, taste, and -requirements--an edifice so massive and old, that Hardy Knute, when -he dwelt in the adjacent castle of Glengarnock, may have shared in it -the hospitality of that Sir Hew Montgomerie who fought at the battle -of Largs, and whose coat-of-arms, three _fleurs-de-lis_, with three -annulets quarterly, crested by a maiden holding a man's head, may -still be seen above its northern door; and these Sir Piers had now -reproduced upon everything else, from the carriage panels to the -dogs' collars and the salt-spoons. - -On one side the house of Eaglescraig commanded a view which, on a -summer day, was a delightful one, when there was just breeze enough -to swell the passing sails--the glorious Firth of Clyde, with the -dark-blue peaks of Arran in the distance, widening out into the -ocean, with ships homeward bound after many a tedious, rough, or -prosperous voyage; others with their prows turned towards the far -horizon, bearing with them, perhaps, expatriated Highland emigrants, -their hearts filled with sorrow and regret, rather than with the -thoughts of 'high emprise,' so necessary for an exile's success in -the doubtful future. - -Close in shore, below the beetling cliff, when the wind is from the -land, may be seen the many coasting vessels and steamers plying to -and fro, shooting clear, as if by magic, from many a rocky promontory -and bluff, where, thick as gnats, the sea-birds wheel and scream; and -in many a sheltered cove the boats, brown-tarred and clinker-built, -moored or safely beached, for the people there are all hardy and -thrifty fisher-folk. - -But on the landward side the view was different, and there the eye -could wander over the tolerably flat and very fertile acres of Sir -Piers Montgomerie, wood, wold and pasture, the richest part, perhaps, -of the rich dairy-farm producing land in a district of which, as the -old rhyme says: - - 'Kyle for a man, - And Carrick for a coo; - _Cunninghame_ for butter and cheese, - And Galloway for woo'.' - - -So the general's invitation to Lieutenant Cecil Falconer was written -by Mary and despatched, to the great annoyance of Hew, and all in -Eaglescraig knew that in another day or two the recipient thereof, -who had accepted it, was coming. - -Mary Montgomerie and her friend Annabelle Erroll were too much -accustomed to society, and the gaiety of fashionable life, to feel -even any girlish excitement at the prospect of a young sub being -added to their present small circle at Eaglescraig; nevertheless, in -the seclusion of their dressing-closet, it was voted and passed by -them, _nem. con._, that the said addition would not be unacceptable; -and, on lot being laughingly cast as to whom he should fall a victim, -the prize was Mary's. - -And after this they ceased to think upon the subject--certainly, at -least, so far as the latter lady was concerned. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -HEW'S LOVE-MAKING. - -During the few days that passed before the arrival of the expected -guest at Eaglescraig, Hew was more than usually attentive to the -general's wealthy ward; and one forenoon when they were idling in the -long avenue, which led through the Dovecot Park down the woodland -slope towards the highway, he resolved, if possible, to bring matters -to a successful issue with her. - -For fully a month past, since his appearance at Eaglescraig, Mary had -been used to this love-making of his, apparently, as she treated him -half coquettishly, and yet so 'chaffingly,' that--but for his extreme -vanity, or obtuseness--he must have seen that he had no chance of -success. - -Mary valued his attentions at their real worth, and times there were -when he eyed her gloomily--yea, angrily, for he trusted more in Sir -Piers' influence, wishes, and authority, to bend her to his will, -than to any merit of his own. - -Thus his love-making was a curious combination of earnestness, -banter, and sullenness; earnestness caused by the girl's great -beauty, which he certainly valued, and her great wealth, which he -valued much more, on one hand; and on the other, genuine dislike of -India, with his own impecunious circumstances, and a knowledge of Sir -Piers' wishes. The banter came at times, because he was really -incapable of loving any girl truly; and the sullenness was born of -his lack of success, with a chronic jealousy of every other man who -addressed her. - -On this forenoon in the Dovecot Park, Annabelle Erroll did not -accompany them, so Hew proceeded to utilise the occasion. - -Mary looked bewitchingly beautiful and piquante in her rich brown -sealskin, a grey skirt and a coquettish black velvet hat with a -scarlet feather. She kept her hands obstinately in her tiny muff; -thus Hew had no pretence for capturing one of them in any way as a -suggestive preliminary to something more, and could only walk by her -side and utter his soft nothings from time to time, to which she -listened, half amused and half bored the while, and not helping him -in any way. - -The winter day was clear and bright, and the keen gusty breeze that -swept from the sea over Eaglescraig imparted a rosebud tint to Mary's -usually pale cheeks that enhanced her beauty by adding a fresh light -to her eyes. The gusts of wind whirled showers of yellow and brown -leaves across the sward, and drifts of stormy clouds through the sky -over land and Firth, yet Mary's spirits were a high pressure, and -though but little sunshine lit the December landscape, she was full -of merriment and the _espièglerie_ that were natural to her. - -The dovecot they were approaching, like most of the ancient edifices -of that kind in Scotland, was built in the form of an enormous -beehive, some twenty feet high, and full of columbaria for the -pigeons, which were flying in clouds around it, or perched on the -summit thereof. It was, in due conformity to an ancient act of the -Scottish Parliament, placed in the very centre of the Montgomerie -estate, so that the birds should not prey upon the corn of other -proprietors; and the reason why so many of these antique dovecots in -Scotland survive the mansions to which they belonged, is supposed to -be an old superstition, that if the dovecot is destroyed, the lady of -the land dies within the year. - -Near that of Eaglescraig are two large yellow rings or circles -strongly marked in the green-sward (like those on the hill of -Craiganrarie), drawn by the sword of an evil Montgomerie, who had -trafficked in Satanic influence, and thus had formed round him an -orbit of protection, before summoning his sable majesty, and round -which the latter had to keep running, so long as he was visible to -mortal eyes. - -'You do worry me, Hew,' said Mary, with something of a saucy laugh, -'and I have every mind to stand in the conjuror's circle and defy you -to approach me.' - -'Do you deem me, then, so distasteful, so odious, and such an -incarnation of evil?' - -'No; but seriously, what is the aim, the object of all this -attention, Cousin Hew? for though the tie is a remote one certainly, -I may call you cousin, I believe.' - -'Do, dearest Mary.' - -'Well?' she asked, curtly and impatiently. - -'The aim and object, you say?' - -'Yes, yes.' - -'To marry you, of course; that is--that is, if you will have me, and -please Sir Piers,' he replied, with perfect deliberation and more -apparent coolness than he usually felt. - -'I won't consult grand-uncle on _that_ matter, Cousin Hew. Besides, -now that I think of it, I don't want to marry.' - -'Indeed! I thought marriage was the sole aim of every girl's -existence.' - -'In novels more than in real life, perhaps. Besides, marriage is -only to be thought of when the man and the hour come.' - -'It is the end of all anxieties,' urged Hew, who thought no doubt of -his monetary ones. - -'I have none to end; and with many girls it is only the beginning of -a set of troubles which none of them expect. But let us drop this -very funny conversation.' - -'Why?' - -'You surely would not seek a wife with half a heart, or none!' - -'The half of your heart, Mary, is worth the whole of any other -woman's!' replied Hew, with more warmth and gallantry than he had yet -shown; but the provoking Mary only laughed, and as she drew near the -dovecot, some of the pigeons, to whom her figure was familiar, and -whom she was wont to bring food for, came wheeling and fluttering -round her, and one, after nestling in her neck--a pretty -sight--alighted on her left hand, and while she stroked and fed it -with the right, Hew could not but remark that the snow-white pigeon -was not whiter than her slender fingers. - -'I would I were that pigeon,' said he, sentimentally. - -'"Would I were a glove upon that hand!"--now don't be a goose and -attempt to act Romeo, as I cannot be your Juliet,' said Mary, -laughing outright; and now he began to eye her with his gloomiest -expression in his parti-coloured orbs, while she caressed the bird, -and sang, as if to it, part of Lady Anne Lindsay's song: - - '"Why tarries my love? Ah, where does he roam? - My love is long absent from me. - Come hither, sweet dove, I'll write to my love, - And send him a letter by thee. - - '"Her dove she did deck, she drew o'er his neck - A bell and a collar so gay; - She tied to his wing a scroll with a string, - Then kissed him and sent him away."' - - -Suiting the action to the word, she kissed the pigeon and tossed it -from her with a merry ringing laugh, for she had ever a light glad -heart, and was full of pretty, yet haughty and winsome ways. - -Hew, in the vanity of his nature, could not see how hopeless it was -for him to press his suit with a girl who never listened to him -seriously, and who never tried, even in the least degree, to care for -him; for there was something in Hew Caddish Montgomerie that made -Mary totally indifferent to all he could urge, and so she felt -neither regret for, nor gratitude to him: thus she could hear unmoved -the avowal and proposal from his lips, which seldom fail to stir in -one way or another the hearts of most women, and which, whoever -utters them, are seldom or never forgotten. - -'Let us be friends, Hew,' said she, in reply to another appeal; 'I do -not love you--I cannot love you as you wish, and I dare not and would -not marry where I did not love.' - -Hew eyed her still more gloomily and almost revengefully, while she -played with the spray of a wild-rose tree, till a little cry escaped -her, as a thorn entered her delicate hand. - -'Do permit me, Mary,' he urged, and tenderly enough he extracted the -thorn, and bowing over her hand, pressed it to his lips; but Mary -almost angrily snatched it away, just as the sound of wheels was -heard, and there bowled up the winding avenue a dog-cart, the driver -and the occupant of which must have seen, and no doubt misunderstood, -the whole situation. - -'Our new guest with his gun-case and portmanteaus,' said Hew, with -much annoyance. - -'Who?' asked Mary, still more annoyed, as she thought of what Hew had -done. - -'Have you forgotten?' - -'Oh! you mean Mr. Cecil Falconer.' - -'Yes, that fellow from Dumbarton. Now don't, please, run off to the -house, Mary; we shall meet him and his military appetite betimes, no -doubt, when the gong sounds for dinner.' - -Mary had now an undefined sense of provocation, and in silence turned -away towards the house, accompanied by Hew, who found his chance was -gone for that day, and Mary never gave him another if it could be -avoided. - -Thus ere long he began to fear that until Sir Piers' demise, and the -baronetcy and broad acres of Eaglescraig became his by succession, he -might have to face the Indian C.S. again; and seek how to meet his -debts by trying--as he had often done--his fortune at 'the board of -green cloth.' - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -FIRST IMPRESSIONS. - -The sense of having borne a part in a scene--an event which is -dreaded by well-bred folks--prevented Mary from making her appearance -till dinner-time, when, after achieving a most effective toilette, -she entered the lighted drawing-room. - -Though almost totally unembarrassed by any memory of Hew's absurd -love-making, she had nevertheless been provoked that the new guest -should have been cognisant of his gallantry in the avenue. She could -but hope that he had forgotten it, which was certainly not the case, -and ere she had left her dressing-closet, she paused before the -pier-glass to peep at her own sweet face and all her bravery, ere she -swept away down the great staircase to the drawing-room, where -already the general and their visitor were on the best of terms, -laughing and, as Mrs. Garth phrased it, 'talking shop in full swing.' - -'Yes, yes,' she heard Sir Piers saying, 'it was there at the storming -of that hill-fort that the notable dispute took place between Douglas -of "Ours" and Bruce of the Bengal Infantry, as to which was senior -and who should lead the stormers; till Douglas, when the bullets, -egad! were flying like hail down the breach, lowered his sword and -said, "When a Bruce is to lead, a Douglas may be proud to follow; -lead on, and I shall follow you!" He was shot down a minute after, -and the next who was knocked over was your good-man, Mrs. Garth--poor -John! Ah! my niece,' he interrupted himself, on seeing the suddenly -arrested gaze of their guest. 'Mr. Falconer of "Ours," Mary--Miss -Montgomerie.' - -Mary gave him her hand and a smile of welcome, and was at once put at -her ease, as Sir Piers resumed his anecdote, to which, though she had -heard it a hundred times before, Mrs. Garth listened with rapt -attention, as became an 'old campaigner,' while Annabelle Erroll, who -seemed already to have discovered that she and Mr. Falconer had some -friend or friends in common, was conversing away with more than her -usual fluency and animation. - -'Is she already smitten by our new sub?' thought Mary. - -Falconer had certainly a striking face and striking figure, and both -were well calculated to please a woman's eye. In plain but accurate -evening costume, the funereal costume of festive civilisation, he -seemed every inch a gentleman and a handsome fellow; calm, -self-possessed, and in about his twenty-fifth year; soldier-like, -perfectly well-bred, as it eventually proved, was well-read and a -skilful musician. - -His nose was somewhat aquiline; his eyes and close-shaven hair were, -like Mary's, of the darkest brown, and his moustaches, as Annabelle -afterwards whispered to her, were 'the perfection' of such -appendages. He had a placid and perfectly assured manner, very -different from Hew's alternate restlessness and _insouciance_; yet -his eyes bespoke a latent fire of character and a spirit that was -full of courage and energy; and now Hew, who had been preparing for -the coming meal by having either sherry and bitters, or a hideous -compound called a 'cocktail,' which he had taught the butler, Tunley, -to make up, came lounging in, with scrutiny and gloom in his eyes, to -complete the little circle grouped near the fire. - -By nature suspicious and envious, he barely accorded their visitor a -touch of his hand, and from that moment these two young men -felt--they knew not why--an instinctive dislike of each other. - -The dinner-gong cut short another anecdote of the general's, and -recalled his thoughts from pig-sticking and Central India; he gave, -with courtly old-fashioned politeness, his arm to Mrs. Garth; Mary -took that of Cecil Falconer, and smiling Annabelle Erroll fell to the -lot of the amiable Hew, while Mr. Tunley and the servants drew up -rank entire in the vestibule; then, of course, the meal that followed -was like any other in such an establishment, perfect, from the soup -and dry sherry to the coffee and Maraschino. - -'Tunley,' said Sir Piers, 'fill Mr. Falconer's glass. Glad to -welcome you to Eaglescraig,' he added, bowing over a brimming glass -of sherry; 'glad, indeed, to welcome one of my old Cameronians. I -hope that, like me, you are proud of the old corps?' - -'I am indeed, Sir Piers!' responded the young fellow with a kindling -eye, that doubtless, like his heart, brightened under the genial and -charming influences of his surroundings. 'I share, sir, to the full, -the opinion of someone who says that no soldier is worth his salt -unless he feels that he is as good as any man about him, and twice as -good as any opposed to him.' - -'Bravo, Falconer I you are one after my own heart! Gad, but he is a -fine fellow,' he added in a low voice to Mrs. Garth; 'reminds me -powerfully of some one I knew, long ago. _Who_ the deuce can it be?' - -In the extremity of his kindness at that moment, he actually thought -him like his dead son, so the old man's whole heart went out to the -new-comer, in whose favour this fanciful idea operated powerfully. -'His father and mother have long been dead, I understand, and he -joined the Cameronians fresh from school--a mere boy, as I did -myself.' - -He looked almost tenderly on the young man, who was quite unconscious -that he was an object of any particular interest; and his eyes -kindled, but a sigh escaped as he recalled his own hot youth, and - - 'Thought of the days that were long since gone by, - When his limbs were strong and his courage was high,' - -and ere his once firm and stately stride had given place to what he -called 'a species of half-pay shamble.' - -'By the way, Falconer,' said Sir Piers, whose pet weakness was -pedigree, 'there was an old family of your name, who had an estate in -this Bailiwick of Cunninghame--perhaps you are a branch of it?' - -The young man coloured rather perceptibly (as Hew was not slow to -perceive and make a note of), and said with a smile: - -'I was educated out of Scotland; my father died in my youth, and my -mother set no store on such fortuitous things as name or pedigree.' - -'A sad mistake,' said Sir Piers, shaking his white head. 'The -Falconers I speak of were a branch of the Falconers, lords of -Halkertoun, who took their name from their office, being falconers to -our kings of old, as we learn from Douglas--aye, so far back as the -twelfth century.' - -'I know not, general, of what Falconers I come,' replied the young -officer a little curtly; then he added, with a smile: 'I only know -that I was not born with the proverbial silver spoon, but with a -wooden one, of the largest size.' - -Sir Piers felt intuitively that he had touched a delicate subject, -and changed it at once, though for a Scotsman not to know what kith -or kin he came of seemed certainly incomprehensible; but Hew, aware -of the vast value he attached to the most fortuitous circumstances of -birth, family, and position, thought: - -'No pedigree! By Jove! our Cameronian will find but small favour -here now.' - -'Tunley has got some magnificent Marcobruner and Lafitte in the -cellar, Falconer,' said Sir Piers; 'I must have your opinion--but if -I only look at them, I should have a twinge of my old enemy the gout.' - -Falconer bowed his thanks, and was turning again to address Mary, -when Sir Piers took his attention by plunging once more into Central -India, and a stream of anecdotes about 'what the service and the -regiment were in _my_ time,' till the ladies withdrew, and, to Hew's -disgust, there followed, of course, a professional conversation, on -which he was totally unable to enter; thus he could only sip his -wine, toy with the grape-scissors, or crack an occasional nut, while -hearing Sir Piers laughing at jokes that seemed destitute of all fun -to him, and all matters of 'shop' were discussed with the keenest -relish--the new head-dress for the Line, the new pattern musket, and -endless anecdotes of the mess-room and parade, to all of which Hew, -not unnaturally, perhaps, listened with ill-disguised impatience; and -even when the conversation halted irregularly between music and -literature, or art and politics, home and foreign, he could not enter -thereon, as Hew abhorred all books save a betting one, and read no -journal save the _Sporting Times_. - -Cecil Falconer rose to rejoin the ladies, but the general was in no -mood to spare him, and insisted again and again on one more glass of -dry sherry, 'just as a white-washer;' and of course that, 'by the -way,' reminded him of 'how we used to be annoyed at Agra by the -musk-rats running over the wine-bottles, and communicating a -confounded flavour of musk to the sherry, which is no improvement to -the wine, I can tell you; and it is a curious fact that every English -resident in India tastes musk in his wine at some time or other, -though there are some who assert it is a mere superstition. When we -were at Agra and elsewhere up country, we had deuced little money -among us in the Cameronians, yet somehow we always spent a devil of a -lot of it; for every fellow drew a bill on every other fellow, so -there was a regular crossfire of blue paper from right to left.' - -To these and other reminiscences Falconer listened with his mind full -of the bright smile accorded to him by Mary Montgomerie, when he had -adroitly anticipated Hew in opening the door when the ladies departed -to the drawing-room, whither he longed to follow them, and from -whence the notes of the piano seemed to come as an invitation to do -so, but he was compelled to endure anecdotes about India _ad nauseam_. - -'By Jove, Sir Piers,' said Hew, wearily, 'I detest India; I've had -enough of it!' - -'I don't mean you to have any more of it, Hew, and you know that -well,' replied Sir Piers kindly, his heart mellowed with wine; 'but -you are mistaken in your views of it. "India," says a writer, -correctly, I think, "is quite a misrepresented country, and has -nothing objectionable in it, but a tiger or two, and a little heat in -the warm part of the day." - -The night was considerably advanced when they joined the ladies. -Mrs. Garth had already retired; and the jolly old general, who had -fully partaken of more wine than he usually did, stood in -orderly-room fashion, with his feet apart on the rich hearthrug and -his back to the fire, winking, blinking, smiling blandly, and not -sure whether he was expected to take the field at the head of the -Cameronians to-morrow; while at the piano there was performed a -little brilliant singing, which Hew, with growing irritation, -secretly stigmatised as 'the most duffing caterwauling!' and sat -apart sulking (wine had usually this effect upon him), and leaving to -Falconer the inevitable and pleasant task of turning the music -leaves, and his eyes watched alternately the handsome and well-formed -young fellow, who bent with ease and confidence admiringly over the -singers, who, with voices sweetly attuned, were performing a duet, -and the forms of the latter, so different in the character of their -beauty--Mary with her hair of rich dark brown, and Annabelle, the -blonde, with her sunny coils, that shone with a remarkable sheen in -the flood of radiance that fell from the chandelier. - -But the night waned apace, and at last it was necessary to separate, -if any justice was to be done to the cover shooting on the morrow, -now close at hand. - -Hew gave Falconer his hand, which to the latter seemed clammy and -quite like the tail of a fish; but the general insisted on escorting -him to his 'quarters,' as he said, and conducted him, candle in hand, -along one or two stately corridors adorned with fine paintings--two, -that were of Cardinal York and King James VIII., evinced the Jacobite -proclivities of Sir Piers' ancestors--and there, too, were trophies -of the chase, both European and Asiatic. Never had Hew or the girls -known the usually grave and rather stately old baronet 'in such a -merry pin' (Hew suggested 'so screwed'); but as he threaded the -corridors he was heard to sing a scrap of an old Anglo-Indian ditty: - - 'Good-bye to the _batta_!--to lighten - The pangs of each blooming cadet; - And the brows of the captains to brighten, - They've doubled the one epaulette; - They've added some lace to our jackets, - Augmented the price of our caps, - In the hope that the half-batta rackets - Will merge in the glare of our "traps." - Just as any new plaything bewitches - The sulks out of little boys whipped; - And before they've well pulled up their breeches, - They wholly forget they've been stripped.' - - -'Ah, yes, Falconer, my lad, that song was known long before your day, -when the beggars cut down the _batta_. But here you are--no, here; -this is the door. Good-night; hope you'll sleep sound. No need for -a chowree to whisk inside the curtains here, as in India, and after -making them safe all round the mattress, spring in through the hole -you leave (like Harlequin through his hoop), lest a cloud of -mosquitoes follow. I remember, at Dumdum--no, at Dinapore, my son -Piers and Ballachulish of the Cameronians----' Then his voice broke -as he spoke of his son, and he added: 'But I'll tell you about it -to-morrow. Breakfast at nine, and then--hey for the covers!' - -And now Sir Piers, whose voice had become certainly somewhat -'feathery,' betook him to his own room, pausing on the way more than -once, candle in hand, as his aristocratic ideas of family, and that -pride of birth which had been his ruling passion and sin in early -life, occurred to him, and he muttered, pausing in his progress to -bed, and shaking his white head: - -'Doesn't know what Falconers he's of--a strange thing--a pity. My -boy Piers forgot, too, what Montgomeries he was of, once on a time. -A fine fellow, though!' - -As for the latter, he was simply enchanted with Eaglescraig and all -the details thereof: the beauty of the two girls, each so different -in its character, and the _savoir vivre_ of the old general. As for -Hew, he forgot all about him. - -Meanwhile, a few rooms distant, the lady's-maid was sleepily combing -out the dark and luxuriant tresses of Mary Montgomerie, and the light -of a shaded lamp fell softly and tenderly upon the graceful figures -of herself and Annabelle, seated in their _robes de chambre_ -(chatting as young girls will always do when preparing for rest), on -the looped-up lace curtains of their pretty beds, knotted one with -blue and the other with rose-coloured ribbons; on the toilet-tables, -with their glittering trinkets, and crystal bottles with gold or -silver stoppers; on vases of conservatory flowers, and all the pretty -luxuries which are usually to be found in the vicinity of youth, -wealth, and beauty, as each girl sat smilingly contemplating herself -in a long looking-glass, with all her rippling hair floating down -over her white shoulders. - -'And you like him?' said Mary, after the maid had withdrawn. - -'Oh, so much!' exclaimed Annabelle; 'he is quite a dear fellow.' - -'He has a gentle voice and gentle eyes, certainly,' said Mary, -musingly. - -'And to me looks somehow like one who has a history beyond that of -other young men.' - -'A history--what a funny idea! Of course he'll have a history, -which, perhaps, like other young subs, he would rather not have made -patent to everyone. But you and he seemed to have some little -interest in common, Annabelle?' - -'Had we?' said the latter, colouring a little. - -'He spoke to you often of his friend, the other sub--what is his -name?' - -'Leslie Fotheringhame,' replied Annabelle in a low voice. - -'Do you wish Sir Piers had invited him?' - -'Perhaps, Mary,' said Annabelle, with a little forced laugh. 'Yet -better not, better not,' she thought, with a memory of the days when -her hand had thrilled at the touch of Leslie's, even before words of -love had been spoken, and there had only been in her ear those broken -utterances which a woman seldom, perhaps never, forgets. - -So, save in the instance of Hew, all their first impressions of each -other were favourable, and the young girls, as each laid her head on -her pillow, began already to scheme out pleasant little visions, they -scarcely knew of what. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -COVER SHOOTING. - -Jovial and laughing was the party which assembled at breakfast next -day, in the bright morning-room of Eaglescraig, though the December -landscape looked bleak enough without. - -Mary, in all the freshness of her morning beauty, presided at one end -of the loaded table, and Mrs. Garth at the other. Sir Piers was -still in his room; but there was Cecil Falconer, in a shooting-suit -of the best taste, and having of course innumerable pockets; Hew in -rather 'loud'-patterned knickerbockers; a couple of jolly, red-faced -country gentlemen, the village doctor, and old Mr. John Balderstone -(of whom much more anon), the trusted land agent and local factor of -Sir Piers, and deemed one of the best shots in the Bailiwick of -Cunninghame, a hale, hearty, ruddy-faced man, with an ample paunch -and short sturdy legs encased in long brown gaiters. - -'How is Sir Piers this morning, Mr. Hew?' he asked that personage, -who was intent on a pile of grouse pie, for the breakfast was a -genuine Scottish one, a veritable dinner, with the addition of tea -and coffee pots covered with elaborate cosies of Mary's handiwork. -'Well, I hope, and that he goes to shoot with us?' - -'Well?--I should think so; hearty and lively,' replied Hew, with his -mouth full; 'by Jove, he looks as if he was likely to live for ever! -He's got the receipt for old Parr's life pills, and the secret of -Methuselah too,' was the ungenerous--even coarse--response of Hew, -half spoken to himself, and speaking volumes as to his secret -thoughts; a response which made worthy old John Balderstone first -raise and then knit his shaggy grey eyebrows; 'but here he comes, to -answer for himself.' - -Laughing and smiling, he greeted all in rapid succession, Cecil -Falconer perhaps first of all, and then he kissed Mary; and anyone -who saw how old Sir Piers held her hand and gazed into her tender -hazel eyes, might have seen and known that she was the one hope of -his now childless old age, and I doubt if he would have dined or -breakfasted comfortably without her. - -He bowed over the hand of Annabelle Erroll, with something of -stately, old-fashioned courtesy; he patted Hew on the head as if he -had been a boy, and then took a place beside him, after a glance at -the weather without, with reference to the shooting. He wore a suit -of rough grey tweed, with strong shoes and long brown leather -leggings, that had seen service many a time and oft among the beans -and turnip-fields all round Eaglescraig; and yet in this--the -plainest of all costumes--he looked every inch what he was, a -grand-looking and aristocratic old gentleman. - -Shooting anecdotes, the qualities of certain dogs, guns, cartridges, -new shot-belts, and so forth, were being discussed on all sides, -together with eggs, ham, cold pie and steaming coffee; amid all of -which Cecil Falconer strove in vain, even by the offer of a -chicken-bone, to win the favour of Mary's pet terrier Snarley, which -he was disposed for her sake to view and approach tenderly; but in -return her favourite showed a whole set of sharp white teeth, and -retreating under his mistress's chair, snarled and repelled the least -attempt at familiarity, even when she caught the little brute up in -her arms and bestowed upon it kisses, which to Cecil's eye seemed a -great waste of something very charming. - -'My pet, my own pet!' she called it, Snarley the while eyeing -Falconer as if he was his natural enemy or future rival. - -'Hope you slept well, Falconer?' said Sir Piers. - -'Thanks--like a veritable top,' replied Cecil. - -'Right! a regular soldier should be able to sleep anywhere, and never -be surprised on awakening in new quarters.' - -'Been ever in this part of the world before, sir?' asked Mr. John -Balderstone, with his mouth full. - -'Never,' replied Cecil. - -'Ah, you'll soon learn to like Eaglescraig,' added the factor. - -'I am enchanted with it already,' said Cecil, as his eye -involuntarily wandered in Mary's direction; 'and believe that I shall -like it more and more, till it will be quite a wrench when the time -comes to tear myself away.' - -'Then come back, Falconer, for some rod-fishing after Candlemas,' -suggested his host, with a bright smile. - -'Duty, I fear, may clash with your great hospitality; but I thank -you, Sir Piers.' - -'Call me general; I like it better.' - -'To be always called so is my uncle's pet fancy, Mr. Falconer,' said -Mary. - -'All great men have their weaknesses, and I always respect them,' -remarked Hew, with one of his scarcely perceptible sneers, for now -Sir Piers, to his irritation, had plunged into some reminiscences of -snipe-shooting at Dumdum, where he was wont to be for some hours up -to the waist in water under a burning Bengal sun, necessitating -frequent libations of brandy-pawnee; then, by some rapid transition -of thought, he found himself detailing a march of the Cameronians -through the jungles of Arcot, with the rain pouring in torrents, the -road knee-deep in mud and mire, the men drenched, the tents soaked -through, the mess and baggage animals miles in the rear, the column -having to cross a nullah where the water ran like a mill-race, and -there was the devil to pay! - -Other anecdotes would have followed, but Hew, who had seen enough of -India in reality too, proposed a move to the gun-room and thence to -the covers. - -'Time indeed to be off, gentlemen,' said the general, looking at his -watch. 'Tunley, fill those flasks.' - -'And have more sandwiches cut,' added Mrs. Garth. - -'I shall cut them for Mr. Falconer; he is the only stranger here,' -said Mary Montgomerie, hurrying to the sideboard, and proceeding -deftly with her pretty hands to do so; while Cecil murmured his -thanks, and tendered his silver case, or sandwich-box. - -'Can't the cook do this?' growled Hew in her ear. - -'Yes, but not half so well as I,' replied the girl, laughingly. 'I -can be so expert when I choose, Hew.' - -In the hall, where hung all manner of hats and greatcoats, plaids, -whips, salmon-listers, whips and walking-sticks, Sir Piers assumed an -old and well-worn wideawake, the band of which was usually garnished -with hooks and flies, for he was as keen a sportsman with his rod and -line as with his double-barrelled gun. And now the whole party set -forth from the house, Cecil looking more than once to the soft faces -of the two smiling girls, who, from the breakfast-room window, -watched their departure. - -His mind _already_ was full of sweet Mary Montgomerie, and he would -rather, a thousand times, have remained, to sun himself in the light -of her winning eyes, than to toil through the damp covers to knock -over a few rabbits or a brace of harmless birds; and he could but -console himself by counting the hours that must inevitably elapse ere -he could meet her again, and strive to endure them as best he might. - -Hew detected one of these glances thrown back to 'the face at the -window,' and remembering his ramble with Mary in the Dovecot Park, -bit his nether lip; and before the day's shooting was over, Falconer -had a specimen of what the amiable Hew might be capable of doing if -provoked. - -Preoccupied thus, Cecil Falconer thought that on this particular -morning 'the Land of Burns' seemed uncommonly dreary. Mist was -rolling along the valleys, and the landscape looked dank and moist -through its medium. - -Hew, who, though not ungentlemanlike in bearing, was, as we have -said, naturally coarse in mind, and sometimes blunt in manner, the -result of association with billiard-markers and stablemen, on seeing -Falconer give another glance towards the house, said abruptly, and -with what he meant to be a laugh: - -'I don't think you can see her now.' - -'Her--who?' asked Falconer, with surprise. - -'Well, my cousin; for I think you evidently admire her.' - -'An odd remark!' thought Cecil, looking a little annoyed; but he -said, cordially: - -'I do indeed admire her; who could fail to do so? But what leads you -to infer that I do so more particularly?' - -'By Jove! I saw that your eyes were seldom off her; but it is no -use, Mr. Falconer,' said Hew, with a pretended genial laugh, 'as she -has no eyes in reality--save for one fellow.' - -'What the deuce can he mean?' thought Falconer, a little annoyed by -the speaker's manner, which seemed to indicate advice or warning, or -impertinence. - -'You are cousins, then?' he merely said coldly. - -'Well, of course, in a manner of way--rather remote, you know,' -replied Hew, his closely-set eyes looking more shifty than ever, as -he scraped a match and lighted a huge cigar; 'but blood is thicker -than water, and it goes a long way in Scotch reckonings; and thus she -naturally looks to _me_ as the future head of the house,' he added -complacently, 'as the heir of entail. And Mary is indeed handsome! -There was no girl handsomer out last season, or when she was -presented--I mean in the quiet and thoroughbred style.' - -'What a cad this fellow is!' thought Falconer. - -'Ah, you have looked admiringly back at the house,' said Sir Piers, -who had another theory on the subject; 'the old tower is the part of -it that is most to my taste. The cliff was called Eaglescraig, -because ages ago a couple of gigantic eagles built a nest there every -summer--a nest of branches and great sticks on the giddy verge of the -cliff--and the vicinity of it was always found strewed with the bones -of muirfowl, ptarmigan, rabbits, and even lambs. A poor man who -lived near it made quite a subsistence for himself and his family, -during a famine consequent on an English invasion, by robbing the -eaglets of the food brought by the parents; and one day he found a -little fair-skinned and golden-haired child therein, brought no one -knew from where, by the male bird, but safe and sound. It grew to be -a man of vast strength and stature, and he carried the banner of the -Bailiwick at the battle of Largs--and certainly that field was not -fought and won yesterday.' - -The day was unquestionably a bleak one. The last few leaves were -fluttering down from the bare trees, the branches and twigs of which -stood blankly and darkly up against the dull grey sky; elsewhere the -red and brown remnant of rustling foliage that still lingered on the -oaks and ashes was thinned by every passing breeze; and even the gay -cock pheasant, as he skimmed over the gorse to seek his food in the -untilled land, might be heard to croak as he went. - -Grim old Sandy Swanshot, the head-keeper, and his staff, had already -traversed the covers; the muzzled ferrets had been down in the rabbit -burrows, scaring forth the occupants; firm, stealthy, and quick-eyed, -they drove them into the gorse or elsewhere, and now the earth had -been stopped everywhere, barring all return to their well-known -holes, which they would never find again. - -The cottage of the keeper, old Sandy, a veteran sportsman, -silver-haired and wrinkled, who had often carried the general's -game-bag when they were both 'school laddies,' was a busy scene that -morning. It was a thatched edifice, garlanded round with dead -wild-cats, weasels, foumarts, hawks, and 'other vermin,' which in -their decay tainted the winter air, and its occupant was old enough -to remember when the system of shooting with muzzle-loaders was very -different from what it is to-day; when a cover was beaten with a -precision quite military, and when the order 'Halt! reload!' went -down the line, every man, be he shooter or beater, had to stop where -he was, until the last barrel had been charged anew; and the old man -had a supreme contempt for the perilous style of blazing away that -had come in with arms of precision and the slaughter of battues. - -All the dogs around him seemed to know instinctively that they were -about to take the field, and kept up a chorus of mingled whining and -barking; and all the beaters were there, somewhat motley in aspect -and appearance, but all doffing their bonnets respectfully, as Sir -Piers came up with his 'guns' from the manor-house; and each of the -latter underwent, unknown to himself, a critical scrutiny under the -keen eyes of these practised fellows--his dress, his gun, his -gaiters, his shot-belt, every buckle and strap being duly noticed and -commented on. - -We may hope that Cecil Falconer's bearing and equipment carried him -through this unknown ordeal; but the old keeper, who had an -instinctive dislike of Hew Montgomerie, whispered to him as a -stranger, though Sandy was, in Scottish parlance, a _dour carl_: - -'Gie him a wide berth in the cover, sir! Shooting? _he_ might as -well be ballooning!' - -Sandy knew some of Hew's vagaries when at cover, such as shooting -down the line of the beaters and his companions, letting fly at a -bird whose flight was no higher than a man's head, fingering his -trigger, heedless of whether the muzzle was pointed to the sky or the -earth, and as careless of his friends as if they were clad in Milan -mail; for he was one of those awkward fellows who had not even the -simple prudence which Charles Dickens ascribes to the obese Mr. Tracy -Tupman, when that personage discovered that his chief object was to -fire his gun without danger to his friends, himself, or the dogs. - -The covers of Eaglescraig were of considerable extent, and were well -preserved and carefully looked after; and though Sir Piers, as he -said, thought it very slow work compared with pig-sticking in -six-foot-high jungle-grass, or potting a man-eater from a howdah, it -was what suited him now, and in less than five minutes he had all his -'guns' in 'order of battle,' marshalled apart in a line of about a -hundred and forty yards or so, the beaters being chequered in the -gaps between the sportsmen. - -Advancing thus, like skirmishers in extended order, on the right -flank of the line, were masses of whin-bush (or gorse as it is called -in England), displaying still here and there a golden flower; and -away on the left the cover went deep into the dark recesses of a -copse, under the tall red stems of Scottish firs, larch, and -ash-trees. - -Hew and Cecil were in this quarter, and a little in the rear was the -keeper, the latter scanning the whole, as far as he well could, from -flank to flank, rebuking from time to time, in his deep, broad -Ayrshire Doric, any stupid beater who lagged behind, while the sharp -crack of the guns woke the echoes of the dingles, which occasionally -seemed to reply to quite an irregular volley. - -Among the gorse the chief victims were ground game, but amid the -coppice the ruddy golden-hued pheasants were momentarily flurried up, -and arrested in their whirring flight by the crack of the fatal -breechloader. - -Ever and anon, the voice of the keeper was heard, with the -prohibitory cry of-- - -''Ware hen--'ware hen, Master Hew!' - -Among much other spoil, Cecil knocked over a fine cock-pheasant, -which fell crashing down among the underwood in the agonies of -death--a charge of shot in his gold-speckled breast. - -'Why the deuce did you shoot my bird, sir?' demanded Hew with un -courteous abruptness of Falconer. - -'He thocht, perhaps, ye war gaun to miss it, as ye did the last twa, -and the hare,' said the old keeper, drily. - -'I beg your pardon,' replied Cecil quietly, as he reloaded; 'but that -bird was mine.' - -'It was not!' was the blunt and rude rejoinder. - -Falconer coloured and bit his lip; but thought of his courtly old -host, and desirous of avoiding a scene, simply said: - -'Let us keep further apart, Mr. Montgomerie.' - -'As far off as you please,' added Hew ungraciously, and moving -further away to his left. - -Cecil continued to work his way between the crowded fir and larch -stems, which, by receiving many a charge of shot, saved the birds -that hovered beyond them, the voice of the keeper crying ever and -anon: 'Mark cock!' 'Hare forward!' ''Ware hen.' 'A hare for you, -Master Hew--a miss again!' 'Come to heel, Countess--come to heel!' -the latter, with the vicious whack of a whip, was directed to one of -the pointers. - -While Cecil was inwardly laughing at Hew's wild shooting, a charge of -shot from the right whizzed past his face and tore away the rim of -his hat. - -A natural exclamation of rage and alarm escaped him, as he had so -narrowly escaped having his sight destroyed or his face disfigured -for life, and looking whence the shot came, he saw Hew gently -slipping another cartridge into the breech of his gun, under cover of -a great Scottish fir with a red gnarled stem. - -'I shall thank you, sir, to keep your muzzle up, or quit the ground!' -said Falconer, angrily. - -'It was a devil of a mistake--and I beg your pardon,' replied Hew, -giving his cold damp hand to Cecil, who saw--or thought he saw--a -quiet twinkle of mingled malice and amusement in the speaker's -bilious eye. - -'Blundering fool! Could he have meant it? Looks deuced like it--but -why?' thought the young officer more angrily, as he thought over the -matter. - -'He weel-nigh shot Sir Piers in the same unco fashion, sir,' grumbled -the old keeper; while Cecil now changed his ground again, and for -actual safety kept closer to Hew than ever. - -Four long beats through the covers brought luncheon-time, and while -flasks and sandwiches were produced, the slain were counted as they -were laid in long rows on the side of a grassy bank, each keeper, as -he came up in succession, adding his quota to the general stock, all -furred and feathered victims from the covers of Eaglescraig, and so -numerous, that the sportsmen thought enough had been done for one day. - -'I may deem myself lucky that I was not added to _your_ bag to-day, -Mr. Montgomerie,' said Cecil, laughing, but not with genuine hilarity. - -'What! has Hew been at his old tricks again?' asked Sir Piers, with -an air of annoyance. - -'E'en sae, sir,' said Sandy, taking a flask from his mouth, 'firing -doon the line as before.' - -'My gun exploded unexpectedly, sir,' said Hugh, with a sullen look; -'I explained to Mr. Falconer, and he has accepted my apology.' - -Something in his manner caused this episode to rankle in the memory -of Cecil. - -'By Jove, I think the cad _had_ intended to pot me, after all!' was -his occasional thought, and he never precisely forgot or forgave the -suspicion--one too grave in its diabolical spirit of mischief and -cruelty to be dismissed lightly; and though he laughed at some jokes -made by old Mr. Balderstone on the matter, he really saw nothing to -laugh at in it, and was very well pleased when the whole party bent -their steps homeward--all the more pleased when he thought of the -pleasant society that awaited him. - -Falconer began to wonder whether he was actually falling in love -already with the beautiful grand-niece of his host. He had never -believed much in 'that sort of thing,' at first sight especially; but -he was young and impressionable; he possessed a keen imagination, and -he already caught himself weaving mental conversations with -her--conversations in which tender little speeches came -involuntarily, though unuttered, to his lips, and soft smiles hovered -on hers, when she seemed to hear them; but when--after changing his -muddy shooting-costume for another--he joined the ladies in the -drawing-room, remembering the almost rude remarks of Hew Montgomerie, -Cecil, in approaching Mary, or conversing with her, had an angry -sense of being watched, or observed, by that personage; though a time -came when he ceased to think or care on the subject. - -And who was 'the one fellow' for whom she had only eyes, as Hew had -vulgarly phrased it? Most probably Hew meant himself! If so, Cecil -thought that she cloaked or concealed her partiality with wonderful -discretion. - -To avoid interfering with that gentleman's views or wishes, Cecil -gave much of his attention to Annabelle Erroll, and even to 'the old -soldier,' as Hew called Mrs. Garth; but Mary summoned him to her side -to see Snarley put through all his performances, such as leaping over -her interlaced hands as through a ring, walking erect round the room -for a lump of sugar, tossing another high off his sharp nose at the -word of command, to catch it with a snap in its descent, and so -forth, all the while he did so eyeing Cecil with undisguised -hostility. - -And eventually the evening closed in like the preceding one (save -that old Sir Piers, worn out with his day's sport, had fallen asleep -in an easy-chair, with a handkerchief spread over his face), with -music and duet-singing, and pleasant conversation, ere some of the -visitors rose to depart. - -That there should be so much duet-singing, and Mary's occupation with -the stranger, and that the general conversation was of a kind in -which he could bear no prominent part, disgusted Hew, who was in a -detestable humour; yet he had the policy to conceal it pretty well -(though his bilious eye was more bilious than ever) till once, he -drew near Mary, while Cecil, in another part of the room, was -occupied with old Mrs. Garth, who was relating with great unction -some memory of the Cameronians in _her_ day; and now Hew's ready -jealousy became painfully apparent. - -'Good heavens, Hew!' said Mary, in a low voice, her dark eyes -dilating as she spoke; 'what is this Mr. Balderstone has told us?' - -'Can't say, for the life of me; the old pump!' - -'That you nearly shot Mr. Falconer to-day in the Fir Wood.' - -'Did I? Well, the blundering fellow was out of his proper place, I -suppose,' was the sulky rejoinder. - -'What a dreadful thing if you had injured him! Hew! you are -positively dangerous.' - -'My dear Mary, you deem him an Admirable Crichton, I doubt not,' said -he, smilingly, in her ear. - -'What do _you_ deem him?' - -'Slow and deuced ugly.' - -'Ugly--oh, come, Hew!' said Mary, laughing very merrily at such -undisguised jealousy, which somehow did not flatter her in the -least--it was too comical. - -'I have no doubt our "old soldier" here deems him a very eligible -_parti_ for anyone; a subaltern, with two shirts a week and a few -dickies, by Jove!' he continued. - -'How--how coarse you are!' said Mary, with her silvery laugh again; -'but don't let grand-uncle hear you sneering thus. He, too, was a -subaltern once.' - -'Yes, but with the rent-roll of Eaglescraig! I wish him well out of -our neighbourhood anyway,' he added threateningly. - -'Why, what harm has he done you?' - -'None as yet,' replied Hew, getting more sulky than ever; 'but I may -harm him!' - -'How?' - -'If he comes in my way with you, Mary, or anyone else--understand -that clearly, cousin.' - -Mary's brow darkened, and a haughty expression, not unmixed with -alarm, stole into her hazel eyes and soft face, as she said, while -quickly using her fan: - -'Hew, you forget yourself, and me too! How dare you adopt this tone?' - -'Don't think to make a fool of me, Mary.' - -'Impossible, sir!' - -'You think so?' - -'Yes. Nature has been before me,' she replied, as she rose and swept -across the room to the side of old Mr. Balderstone. - -The eyes of Hew, like those of Uriah Heep, 'seemed to take any shade -of colour that could make eyes ugly,' as they followed her beautiful -figure, and a savage emotion gathered in his avaricious heart as he -felt that the chances of his wooing with success--a wooing that was -without pure love--were receding further away than ever; but whatever -were his thoughts, to show that there was no bad feeling between -Cecil Falconer and himself, after all had retired to rest that night, -he invited the former to have a quiet little game of écarté in the -smoking-room--a game from which the Cameronian did _not_, somehow, -come away a winner. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -HEW MAKES A VOW. - -For the next few days Cecil Falconer continued to give Hew a 'gey -wide berth,' as the old keeper phrased it, at the covers, where each -day's shooting was precisely like that which preceded it. If Hew, -thought Falconer, were capable of such mad jealousy and dastardly -cruelty after a few hours' acquaintance, of what might he not be -capable and guilty in the time to come? - -Was it his blundering stupidity which, as the gamekeeper said, had -nearly cost Sir Piers his life once before, or a spirit of infernal -malevolence to revenge the petty dispute about the cock-pheasant, -that made him fire his gun in the way he had done? - -At times Cecil was inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, and -as he was not of a resentful temperament, he gradually either forgot -the event, or remembered it only as a mistake, that might have proved -more serious than it did. So each day's shooting passed pleasantly -over, and the evenings were devoted to music in the drawing-room, -where Mrs. Garth dispensed tea at a pretty little oval -table--fragrant orange Pekoe, out of tiny eggshell cups, without -handles--and where Sir Piers fell fast asleep over his _Scotsman_; -and the night wound up by Hew luring Falconer into what he termed 'a -little mild play' in the smoking-room--play from which the latter -always rose a loser, without being able precisely to know how. - -Save for this kind of thing, which he could ill afford, Falconer -thought the brief term of his leave would be delightfully spent at -Eaglescraig. A 'green yule' had come and gone, without skating or -curling, and the owl whooped nightly on the old tower-head, where the -winter wind shook the masses of ivy on the time-worn walls; and the -New Year was ushered in with well-bred joviality, rather than the -hearty old-fashioned uproariousness of the olden time, though in the -drawing-room the chorus could be heard from the servant's hall, where -Mr. Tunley led it with joyous vociferation, singing, - - 'Here's a health to the year that's awa'!' - -And precisely as the house-clocks struck twelve--midnight--the -house-door was unbarred with great formality, and thrown open to let -the Old Year _out_, and the New Year _in_; and rising from his -elbow-chair, Sir Piers kissed his niece Mary, and then old Mrs. Garth -in a courtly fashion, an example Hew Montgomerie was not slow to -follow on the soft cheek of the former, while Falconer looked -laughingly, yet perhaps enviously, on, and dared only press her hand -as he did that of Miss Erroll; and then there was a general -handshaking with Mr. Balderstone and other old friends who had been -invited to join the social circle. - -The rubicund Mr. Tunley offered, in the name of all the servants, to -drink their old master's good health, and the health of all the -family; and Sir Piers, natheless all his pride, cordially shook the -old butler's hand, and each wished the other many happy years to -come; and he went through the same ceremony with all in the servants' -hall. - -In all this homely warmth, mutual kindness and goodwill, there was -much that charmed Falconer; for though belonging to a Scottish -regiment, and one famous in history, educated as he had been far away -from his native country, and under peculiar circumstances, he knew -little or nothing of the ways and customs of the latter. - -He had been much a wanderer, and never knew a home, save such as he -had found with his regiment; so there was much in the little circle -at Eaglescraig to delight him. Save with Hew, he won golden opinions -from all there; his genial manner, spirited good-humour, handsome -bearing, and facile mode of adapting himself to those among whom -chance threw him--a mode that came, perhaps, of his having been -educated abroad--all seemed to make him a prime favourite. - -He could speak much, and pleasantly, of what he had seen and where he -had been; he was a reader, too, and the fruit of his reading cropped -up pleasantly from time to time in the course of conversations that -Hew could take little or no part in, greatly to his own wrath. - -'What a place this is for gammon and spinach!' thought Hew, who -viewed all this with extreme distaste, and still more the intimacy -that progressed between this 'interloper,' as he deemed him, and Mary -Montgomerie; for they nightly played together the mazurkas of Chopin -and selections from the songs of Mendelssohn and the operas of Verdi, -while Hew looked darkly and dubiously on, thinking there was in all -this far more than met the eye; and Sir Piers thought, with a smile, -that a Cameronian of _his_ time would certainly not have shone much -as a pianist. - -Mary was always so happy in herself, that she usually made all others -equally so; thus, in her society, the hours, with Falconer, seemed to -fly like minutes. - -Hew had--unknown to Sir Piers--become so seriously involved in -monetary matters during his sojourn in India, that it was next to -impossible for him to return there; and his chief hope for retrieving -himself and doing well for the future lay in a marriage with Mary -Montgomerie, rather than the prospective succession to the baronetcy -and to the acres of Eaglescraig, for Sir Piers was a hale old fellow -and might live for twenty years yet. Indeed, everyone said so. - -Thus he viewed with extreme bitterness and jealousy the visit of -Falconer and some of the details attendant on that visit, and his -closely-set and parti-coloured eyes twinkled dangerously as he -muttered: - -'Devil take me if I don't bowl that fellow out yet!' - -If Hew had been tender and true, less brusque and coarse--had really -loved Mary with a loving heart--she might have felt some compunction -for her laughing indifference to his suit; but she knew well his -avarice, his monetary hopes, and suspected some of his vices; and, -more than all, her proud spirit revolted at the idea of being made by -her father's will the mere puppet of a family compact, and -_compelled_ to marry any man. - -'I heard you arranging a riding-party to-morrow, Mary,' said he, -during a pause (or while Falconer was being accompanied in an Italian -song by Miss Erroll), and bending over Mary till his moustache nearly -touched the white and close division in her rich dark-brown hair, -while she idled over an album of Indian photographs. - -'Yes--you will go, of course, Hew?' said she, looking up at him with -her sunny hazel eyes bright with a smile. - -'I would rather be excused,' he replied, sulkily. - -'Why?' - -'Why? because I should be only in the way.' - -'Please yourself, Hew; but I do not understand you,' said Mary, -colouring with annoyance; '_what_ do you mean?' - -'I mean,' said he bluntly, and in a low, concentrated voice, 'that -before this Cameronian fellow came, you and I were--were----' - -'Were what?' asked Mary, sharply. - -'Well, friends, at least.' - -'And are we not friends now?' she said, laying her hand on his arm. -He looked lingeringly at it--a lovely hand it was, round and white, -with a golden bangle clasping the dimpled wrist--and he said in a low -voice: - -'I had hoped we should in time be something dearer----' - -'Oh, stuff! Dear Hew, don't begin that sort of thing here,' replied -Mary, laughing to conceal her annoyance; 'you will forget all about -it when you go back to India again.' - -Hew's face darkened ominously. - -'But you don't like India?' added Mary, somewhat teasingly, while a -roguish smile dimpled her cheeks. - -'I hate it, as you know well; yet I may have to return there, for all -that you care about it, or me.' - -'There are tigers there, and snakes, and all those sort of things, -Hew?' - -'Yes, and perhaps you would like them to eat me?' he asked, viciously. - -'Oh, Hew! how can you speak thus!' she exclaimed, laughing. 'I never -said so.' - -'But you thought it, all the same.' - -She laughed louder at this, for Hew's peculiar love-making, if it -annoyed, always excessively amused her at the same time--a fatal -element for him. - -The morning of the proposed ride proved a beautiful one, clear, -bracing, and sunny, and the horses were betimes brought round from -the stables to the stately perron in front of the house, where Hew -was smoking a cigar, when the girls came forth in their -riding-habits, attended by Cecil Falconer. - -'And you are resolved not to accompany us, Hew?' asked Mary, -coaxingly, desirous to please him. - -'Yes,' he replied, bluntly. - -'What a pity the season is not summer,' she said to Falconer, 'we -could have such pleasant sketching expeditions, picnics, afternoon -tea on the lawn, croquet-matches and lawn-tennis; but our picnics are -so jolly, and we always use the big omnibus, in which the servants -drive on Sundays to the kirk of Eaglescraig.' - -'Croquet is only good for one thing,' muttered Hew; 'it enables a -fellow to loaf with some girl he is soft upon; otherwise I never -could see anything in it,' he added in his growling tone. - -Slender and willowy looked the figure of Mary in her tight, -well-fitted habit, even more so than that of Miss Erroll, who was -undoubtedly a very handsome girl. - -Hew, having been in India, had been compelled to learn riding; but he -was a timid and indifferent cavalier, afraid of a horse, indeed, and -he could never have done what he saw Mary doing, tickling, patting, -and kissing the nose of her favourite pad, ere she was swung into her -saddle so deftly by Cecil, to whose care and companionship, together -with those of Annabelle Erroll, he was now compelled to relinquish -her, as the three departed, merrily and laughingly, to visit the -ruined castle of Kilbirnie, amid its stately parks and beautiful -gardens. - -Down the long avenue they went under oaks and elms that had been -growing since the field of Pinkecleugh was fought and lost; and -between a pair of grand old carved iron gates, surmounted by a -coat-of-arms and supported by massive stone pillars covered with grey -lichen and green moss, and past the lodge, the occupant of which, an -old wooden-legged Cameronian, stood at 'attention' as they issued out -upon the roadway, watched by the evil eyes of Hew, to begin a two -hours' 'spin' through a rich and pastoral country. - -Conversation of the stereotyped kind, concerning the weather and so -forth, had been long ignored by Falconer and Miss Montgomerie. - -'I shall show you some beautiful scenery,' said she, as they -shortened their horses' pace to a walk; 'it is of the pastoral kind, -of course--for this is the land of dairy-farms and Dunlop -cheeses--all hill and dale; and though there are no mountains, we are -very proud of Cunninghame,' she added, laughing. 'Do you draw?' - -'Yes.' - -'And paint?' - -'A little, in water-colours.' - -'What a pity it is winter-time! Were the season open, we might -sketch together, and how delightful that would be!' - -Cecil Falconer cordially agreed with her. - -'You must know that I love all this place dearly, wood, wold, and -water,' exclaimed the girl, with a bright smile, as she looked around -her with eyes the greatest beauty of which was their happy -expression, girlish truthfulness, and the innocence of a nature that -had never sought either to simulate or conceal an emotion; 'but I -fear you will deem me very provincial.' - -'Why--for loving your native place?' - -'Ah! but this is _not_ my native place. I was born far away from -here; but since poor papa followed mamma to her grave, I have lived -at Eaglescraig, and all the happiest memories of my childhood, and -girlhood too, are connected with it; so I love the bold rocky -scenery, the great bluffs that overhang the Firth of Clyde, and the -green pastoral valleys of Cunninghame. I know every farm and -cottage, every coppice and wimpling burn, in the bailiwick.' - -'Is it long since your parents died, Miss Montgomerie?' asked -Falconer, as their conversation began to take a personal turn. - -'Yes; oh, so long ago that I can only remember them as if in a dream!' - -'That is sad.' - -'And yours--was your father in the Cameronians?' - -'He died when I was in infancy; and where, I scarcely know.' - -'But he, too, was a soldier, of course?' - -'I think not,' said Falconer, evasively. - -'I am too curious--pardon me; but I am a terrible talker,' she added, -and changed the subject, which Annabelle Erroll perceived had brought -an unwonted colour to the young man's cheeks. - -Falconer had often thought that, had his father lived, there would -have been a great difference in his own life somehow, though he could -not distinctly define the nature of it. - -'How I wish your friend had been here with you,' Mary Montgomerie -said, after a pause. - -'Leslie Fotheringhame?' - -'Yes; but Sir Piers said it was impossible.' - -'He, too, could not leave our detachment.' - -'How lonely he must be, shut up in that dull castle of Dumbarton. -His name is a scarce one; is he one of the old Fotheringhames of -Angus?' - -'I believe so,' said Miss Erroll, colouring after she spoke. - -'We should have made quite a pleasant quartette!' said Miss -Montgomerie. 'Does he sing?' - -'Oh yes--so well!' replied Annabelle, ere Falconer could speak. - -'How do _you_ know?' asked her friend, laughing. - -Annabelle, usually taciturn and silent, now changed colour more -perceptibly, and replied: - -'Surely Mr. Falconer must have said so! How should _I_ know, -otherwise?' - -Cecil was perfectly aware that he had never done so, but was puzzled -to think how Miss Erroll was aware of his friend's talent. - -'You have met, perhaps?' he began. - -'In society--yes; people meet each other everywhere nowadays,' she -replied, and looked another way. - -The three riders were still in view of the loftily-situated house and -tall old tower of Eaglescraig, and Hew's eyes, from the terrace, were -following them. - -He seemed still to see the skill and grace with which--as if he -caressed her--Cecil Falconer had swung Mary Montgomerie into her -saddle, and the care and tenderness with which he adjusted her -stirrup, her habit, and reins. He seemed to see, too, the light in -the eyes of both as they scampered down the long avenue, ere he -turned away to get a foaming beaker of soda-and-brandy, in Mr. -Tunley's pantry, as a panacea for his bitter thoughts. - -He watched the trio disappear over a slope, or braehead, where the -road dipped downward, and he registered a vow of vengeance on Cecil -Falconer if the latter crossed his purposes--a vow all the deeper for -being unspoken--and he achieved it terribly when the time came, and -it was ultimately to assume a form and force beyond even what he -himself could have conceived! - -Nature had cursed Hew with a suspicious and jealous disposition; -inherent doubt of everyone was a part of that very disposition. -Thus, his own total want of success with Mary Montgomerie, on one -hand, led him, on the other, to conceive the most exaggerated ideas -of the progress Cecil Falconer must already have made with her. - -Hew Montgomerie, when he chose, could be 'a good hater,' and, as -such, would have been decidedly after the heart of the 'great' -English lexicographer, whose hateful addendum was, 'I never forgive -an injury;' but Cecil had in no way injured Hew. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -A REVELATION. - -Of Cecil Falconer's mood of mind and views of the whole situation at -this time, we can be best informed by a letter which he despatched to -his friend and chum, Leslie Fotheringhame, on the day subsequent to -the little riding expedition: - - -'Eaglescraig, Cunninghame. - -'MY DEAR LESLIE, - -'Hannibal has found his Capua! After our limited cuisine at -Dumbarton, it seems to me that--so far as luxury is concerned--daily -Lucullus dines with Apicius; by which preamble you will think, old -fellow, that I have gone out of my mind, or betaken me to cramming -again, as we did at Sandhurst. I am freely quartered in a -magnificent house, with delightful society, and an old host, the -general, who is hospitality's own self, and possesses a well-filled -stable and a rare cellar--not that I care for it much--but any way, -in its binns are some curious old Madeira that has been thrice round -the Cape, white and red Constantia, Tokay with tints of gold, -Chateau-Yquem, and Malmsey in which maudlin Clarence might have been -drowned. - -'We have had some excellent cover shooting, and, though the birds -were a little wild, a good many brace fell to my bag. Nothing is -stiff or formal here, though the old gentleman has some stately, -eccentric, and rather extravagant notions about family, pedigree, -blood, and all that sort of thing, and laments much the loss of a son -who was once one of "Ours." There are two charming girls here, and -after one's bachelor and barrack experiences, it is delightful to -meet them each day at breakfast, with their fresh morning costumes -and complexions; and charming, too, is the morning-room--quite like -that described in "Coningsby": "Such a profusion of flowers; such a -multitude of books; such a prodigality of writing materials; so many -easychairs too, of so many shapes, each in itself a comfortable home; -yet nothing crowded." And then the girls! Don't you envy me, old -fellow! But I have no doubt they will have you over here when -I--alas!--leave, for the old double Dun in the Clyde. - -'There is one blot in my picture--a member of the family circle, -named Hew Caddish Montgomerie, to whom I am obliged to do the civil, -the general's heir--whom I simply detest and view in the light of a -noxious reptile, why or how I cannot precisely say; but we have our -likings and dislikings in this world, our attractions and repulsions, -and _certes_, this fellow repels me! - -'He is jowly in face, with full, red lips, heavy, stealthy, and -shifty eyes, set close to his nose, and he inherits rather reddish -hair and freckles from the family who gave him his middle name, -which, curiously enough, is Caddish; and in spite, jealousy, or by a -blunder, he nearly potted me one day in the covers! - -'I think he already views me as a species of rival; he is a sort of -cousin of Miss Montgomerie (would that I were so! but I am only one -of those poor devils who exist in the world on sufferance), and -whether they are engaged or not I cannot tell. He has half led me to -infer as much, and assumes a disgusting air of proprietary and so -forth, which certainly is not endorsed by Miss Montgomerie.' - -(Falconer had written 'by _Mary_,' but had dashed through the -Christian name, which had escaped his pen, and Fotheringhame remarked -this.) - -'Anyhow, I was cognisant of a rather tender scene between them in the -avenue on the day I arrived here. He is deuced sharp at cards, and I -have already lost to him much more than I can afford to lose. - -'The general is an enthusiast on all that pertains to the regiment, -and quite a detachment of it, in the shape of old pensioners, is -quartered on his property. His Indian anecdotes are a little prosy, -as he lugs them in on every conceivable occasion; but he is such a -dear old fellow, that one can't help listening to his yarns about -curry and rice; and a curious one he told me, last night, may -interest you, as it referred to his son and a detachment of "Ours." - -'When they were in Central India, Piers Montgomerie, with forty -Cameronians and some natives, invested a fort named the Ghurry of -Kittoor, a square edifice with towers at the corners, armed with -heavy gingals and a few small cannon. The Potail commanding it was a -resolute fellow, believing himself shot-proof, by an amulet he wore, -and he was custodian of a great amount of treasure in gold mohurs, of -which Piers had orders to deprive him. The fort was stormed, the -Potail slain, and the treasure-chest was found, but totally -empty--verifying the last words of the Potail, who, when dying, swore -upon the Koran that there was not even an anna in the place, and that -all the slaughter had been for nothing. - -'Before the gate of the Ghurry there grew a tree of vast size and -age, which Captain Montgomerie ordered his men to cut down for fuel. -The soldier who hewed down the first branch brought away with it a -literal shower of gold--gold that flashed in the sunshine and studded -all the green sward like yellow buttercups; and there, sure enough, -in the hollow trunk of the tree, was found treasure to the value of -fifty thousand golden mohurs, to the bewilderment and joy of the -Cameronians, who had been on such short rations for some time past, -that they were ready to share the repast of Count Ugolino. - -'I listen patiently to such yarns, because I am anxious to remain in -his good graces; would that I could also be in those of his ward and -niece! - -'I believe, Leslie, that you are nearer to my heart than any other -friend I ever had, so I don't mind owning to you that I am in for -it--about to fall in love! I have always been at the same old game, -you will say; but this time I fear that I am in terrible earnest, and -have met my fate! But the deuce is, that she is a great heiress, -while I have only my pay, or little more, and dare not lift my eyes -so high; besides, what would be the use, as I strongly suspect that, -with the general's wish and consent, she is the _fiancée_ of his -heir--the most unamiable, yet enviable, Cousin Hew! - -'She is more than handsome--she is downright beautiful! Somewhat of -a brunette, only a very pale and colourless one, with a small -straight nose, dark hazel eyes, and dark brown hair, and her mouth is -the sweetest in expression I ever saw; but I think I see you laughing -at all this, you unbelieving villain! - -'Even now, as I write in the library, she makes a delicious picture, -with her beautiful slender throat and shapely head, as she stands in -an oriel, whispering to a canary which flutters its golden wings -against the bars of its cage, and takes from her rosy lips a crumb of -sugar in its bill. - -'She is frank and open-hearted, and somehow seems to sympathise with -all my thoughts and fancies, and we have already gone some length in -a mixture of confidential jest and earnest, which, though it may only -amuse her, is perilous work to me. She is, perhaps, a little proud -of her beauty; but what pretty girl is not? She seems a creature -that draws brightness from all around her, while dispensing it in -return, and to have been made only to be petted, admired, and -caressed. - -'You will think that I am hit hard. Well, old fellow, I grant to you -that I am, and already a remoteness seems to have come over my -past--our old barrack-room life at Dumbarton and elsewhere. - -'To be hourly in the society of such a girl--to have her daily to -walk, to ride, to sing with--is sure to have but one end. Her voice, -by the way, is a clear and thrilling soprano--her touch upon the keys -is full of tenderness; but a distrust of myself besets me sorely, and -leaves unspoken the words that--despite the existence of Cousin -Hew--hover on my lips. - -'Why? you will ask. - -'Because it is difficult for a man that is poor, and has not even -high family to recommend him, to be deemed other than a -fortune-hunter, when he aspires to an undoubted heiress; but I shall -tell you all about this when I rejoin, and Fate has dropped its pall -between her and me. - -'I have lost at écarté to Hew Montgomerie, and have given him my -I.O.U. for a hundred and eighty pounds. Please lend me the money, -like a dear old fellow, and I shall square it up somehow, ere we go -back to head-quarters, as we are sure to do when the spring drills -commence, as I loathe to be in this fellow's debt, and the sum is -rather a crusher to me. - -'I hope all is right with our detachment, and that you grant no -passes for more than twenty-four hours, and look sharp after our -fellows. I must close now, as we are about to have a spin through -the country, as far as Kilwinning, to see the company of archers -practise, for old Sir Piers has more than once been captain of the -popinjay in June, and a winner of the silver arrow.' - - -He had closed and despatched his letter ere he remembered that he had -omitted all mention, even by name, of Annabelle Erroll. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -HEW'S 'MILD PLAY.' - -Fotheringhame wrote promptly back to Falconer; his letter contained -the 'needful,' and some bantering advice with reference to his love -affair. - -'For a man in full possession of his senses,' he wrote, 'you are -evidently far gone indeed; and if matrimony alone will cure you, and -cause thereby the loss of a thorough good fellow to the corps and the -service, why the deuce don't you propose, and turn the flank of the -cub named Hew, of whose "mild play" I would advise you to beware, -especially as écarté is a very rooking kind of game. Cut in for the -girl, if you are determined to chuck yourself away; and, if you play -your cards in love as well as the cousin does at écarté, she will -soon be nestling her blushing cheek on your waistcoat, and scratching -her dainty nose on your diamond studs.' - -'How can he write thus of such a creature as Mary Montgomerie!' -muttered Falconer, indignantly. - -'If she has wealth, it is all the better, as you have none,' -continued the epistle. 'And as far as name is required, a Falconer -is just as good as a Montgomerie, I suppose.' - -'I am doubtful if Sir Piers shares this opinion,' thought Falconer; -but, for the future, he resolved to write no more to Fotheringhame on -the subject now growing daily nearer his heart. - -'When I put on my first red coat,' continued Fotheringhame, 'I -resolved, if I married at all, to condescend to nothing less than a -young dowager duchess, a peeress in her own right, or an heiress, -beautiful as a houri; but none of these have, as yet, come in my way.' - -Falconer lost no time in paying Hew, who gave back the I.O.U., and -invited him to have his revenge in a little 'mild play' that night in -his own room; and the former promised to take it if he could, -resolving the while to keep a sharp watch upon his adversary's play. - -Falconer had not been without a hint concerning it from Mrs. Garth, -who took a motherly interest in him, as a young officer--more than -all, as one of her 'own Cameronians,' as she was wont to call the -corps. - -'You and Hew sit up very late at night, I fear,' she remarked -incidentally; 'smoking, I suppose?' - -'Yes.' - -'Any play?' - -'A little.' - -'Take care,' she resumed softly; 'those who play with Hew often lose -and seldom win. He is such a--such a very good player; and young -men, I know, are so foolish at times.' - -Had she hinted aught of this to the general? - -Falconer was almost inclined to think so, as before Fotheringhame's -inclosure came, his somewhat disturbed and preoccupied air was noted -by his host, who, drawing him aside, said kindly: - -'Look here, Falconer, you seem rather distrait this morning. I was -once a sub myself, and not always a jolly one; are you in want of -ammunition? If so, say the word and my purse is at your service to -any amount; and as for repayment, take your time; "it may be for -years, and it may be for ever," so far as I care, when obliging a -brother officer of my own corps.' - -Thanking the kind old man from his heart, Falconer waived the -subject; and ere the small hours of the night came, he found himself -in Hew Montgomerie's room seated at a table on which were several -packs of new cards. - -The guest of Sir Piers, and the secret admirer of Mary, poor Falconer -felt himself constrained to be victimised nightly in his desire to -'stand well,' as the phrase is, even with Hew: thus he veiled his -growing suspicions and dislike of the latter, who, when quite sober, -for his own purpose, and to win as much as he could from the luckless -sub--a fact and system that would have roused the wrath of Sir -Piers--also veiled, so far as he could, _his_ dislike and jealousy of -Cecil; and thus held over, _pro tem._, his intended vengeance, if his -path or purpose were crossed, though he never forgot the wicked oath -by which he had bound himself. - -To lose again, as he had lost before, Falconer knew might prove his -ruin now; but he resolved to be wary, and to watch well, and though -Hew was a player accustomed to deep and sharp play for years, in -whiling away the lonely hours in an Indian bungalow far up-country, -he was destined to have his _modus operandi_ thoroughly laid bare on -this occasion. - -Personally, Hew was disposed to be offensive to Falconer; but -dissembled, as he was anxious to 'rook' him a little further, and -also to mislead him with reference to his own views concerning Sir -Piers' ward. Cunning hints did much to achieve this with Cecil, and -to curb and perplex the latter, who never forgot the scene in the -avenue on the day of his arrival. - -Hew began by pressing Falconer to partake of a tall and foaming glass -of brandy and soda, of which Tunley had left a supply for them on a -side-table, together with a box of havanas. - -Hew's room was hung with coloured prints of the hunting field, the -paddock, and other horsey subjects, for though no horseman, as we -have said, he made up his book upon coming events and betted freely, -while his knowledge of whist and écarté was only excelled by that -which he possessed of zoology, so far as referred to rats and -badgers. But he loved to affect a 'horsey' style; thus his -mantelpiece was littered by spurs, whips, riding-gloves, and rusty -bits, and pipes, long, short, clay and briar-root; and in one corner -stood a row of boots, the leather tops of which obtained 'their -creamy tint,' as he said, 'from being rubbed with champagne and -apricot juice--a hint given him by a gentleman-jock of the Royal -Hussars.' - -'As usual?' said Hew; 'écarté, I suppose?' - -'Yes,' replied Falconer, as they lit their cigars; 'écarté be it.' - -'By Jove! one would require four eyes to play that game.' - -Falconer thought that in the present instance eight might be -advantageous. - -'Five points, and two packs to facilitate the deal,' said Hew, as he -quickly shuffled the cards; Falconer cut them, and the play began. - -Falconer affected what he did not feel--but very far from it--an -unusually free, easy, and careless manner; looked at the hunting -pictures hung round the room, chatted on indifferent subjects, to -lull the suspicions of Hew, and intent on verifying his own, in which -he found a very unexpected assistant in the form of Mary -Montgomerie's pet terrier Snarley, which had already become -reconciled to him--had taken even a capricious fancy for him (for -which it had been privately kicked more than once by the amiable -Hew); and now it lay coiled up at his feet, and it was while stooping -from time to time to pat the dog, that he perceived the latter come -from under the table with a card in his teeth. - -All this while, Hew had been deeply intent on the points and -counters. He had, however, allowed Falconer, as a lure, no doubt, to -win four games successively, and as many sovereigns, when he suddenly -proposed to increase the stakes to five pounds. - -'Agreed,' said Falconer, almost to the other's surprise, he did it so -readily; and the play went briskly on, while he continued to chat on -irrelevant subjects. - -'Who was that good-looking young fellow who took Miss Montgomerie in -to dinner this evening?' he asked. - -'Good looking? _I_ don't think so, but tastes differ. As to who he -is, I may say that he comes of a good old county stock--nay, is _the_ -stock himself--Bickerton of that ilk. You don't set much store on -that sort of thing, as I remember,' added Hew, who could never resist -saying a disagreeable thing, 'as you didn't seem to care what -Falconers you came of, when Sir Piers--a great man for -pedigree--spoke about it.' - -Cecil Falconer coloured perceptibly at this remark. Hew saw that it -was a sore subject, and thought to himself: - -'Hit him on the raw there, somehow!' - -Meanwhile, Falconer looked curiously at him from time to time. Was -it the growing regard for Mary Montgomerie that induced him, Cecil -Falconer, to dissemble in his bearing towards this fellow, and affect -to forget that, but for a chance next to a miracle, by his hands, on -that day at the covers, he might now have been a mutilated, hideous, -and blind creature--blighted in existence and profession for ever? - -Yes, the influence of Mary alone could make him act the double part -he felt himself to be acting now. - -Hew was dealing, and while Falconer was stooping to pat Snarley, gave -himself--as he had done before--eight cards instead of _five_, some -of which he seemed to drop as if by a blunder, and in mistake only -took up one, leaving the remainder on the carpet till the hand was -played out, when he skilfully, but not unnoticed, contrived to -replace them in the pack. - -'When we are married,' said he, with a nervous chuckle, 'I'll have to -drop all this sort of thing, I suppose.' - -'Well, don't _drop_ your cards as yet,' replied Falconer, coldly. -'Married--you, and who?' - -'Mary and I; it's all arranged, don't you know? Oh, by Jove, here is -luck!' he added, looking for a king, and of course _getting_ one, -while the score was growing heavy against his adversary, and was -close on a hundred now. - -'Hallo, Mr. Montgomerie!' exclaimed Falconer angrily, as Hew stooped -to fish for a dropped card, 'what's the matter?' - -'I have dropped a card, by Jove! and that d----d terrier has collared -it. Here, Snarley, you brute!' - -'You have dropped half-a-dozen, sir!' said Falconer sternly, as he -rose from his chair with menace in his eyes. - -'I have not!' - -'Look for yourself, then.' - -'Where?' - -'Under the table.' - -'By Jove, there _are_ cards there!' said Hew, with well simulated -surprise, as he hastily picked them up; 'but they were never dropped -by me.' - -'By who, then?' - -To gain time, or avoid reply, Hew addressed himself to his brandy and -soda, of which he had imbibed more than enough already. - -'Never again shall I play with you' ('you scoundrel,' Cecil was on -the point of adding); 'and if I do not expose your play to Sir Piers -and the public, it is only because I have a sincere respect for your -family. This is my score,' he continued, taking up a memorandum, -'more than one hundred pounds, which I must have paid you, but for -this most fortunate discovery, which cancels everything!' - -With these words, Falconer tore up the paper and scattered the -fragments, while Hew, unsteady in his movements now, clutched the -back of his chair with both hands, grew very pale in the face, and -literally glared at him with his shifty green eyes. - -'You are mistaken, Mr. Falconer,' he said thickly. - -'I am _not_ mistaken, sir!' - -'Come, come; don't make a d----d row about nothing,' said Hew, -coarsely and bluntly; but as he had no wish, as yet, to push matters -to an extremity with Falconer, or drive him to report the occurrence -to Sir Piers, he alternately sought to explain, temporise with, and -even to bully him, seeking at the same time to retain him in the room -for a little space, and unwired another bottle for his benefit; and -Cecil at first thought he was _acting_ intoxication as a cover, or -excuse, for his recent trickery. - -'We mustn't appear to quarrel, you know,' said he, inarticulately, -while glaring viciously at Falconer. 'Won't do--bad style of -thing--bad form. Keep it dark with Sir Piers,' he added, swaying -about as if his heels were on a pivot; 'a bloated old aristocrat--man -likely to hop his twig! Ah! you thought to draw me like a badger -about Mary, but won't be drawn by you or any man.' - -'Good-night!' cried Cecil, making his escape. - -'Goor-right--goor-right!' said Hew, lunging right and left, and -nearly knocking over the card-table, while sending after his guest a -savage malediction, with an unlit havana in his mouth. - -Thus, at first, through the appearance of Mary's terrier Snarley with -a card in his mouth, Falconer had obtained an insight into the cause -of his own continued losses, and the steady success of Hew -Montgomerie, with whom, of course, he could never play again; and the -knowledge of this, together with the disgrace of being unmasked as a -gambler and cheat, added to the growing hatred that possessed the -other, who did not appear next morning at breakfast, but left a -message with Tunley for Sir Piers, to the effect, that he had gone to -fulfil an engagement, for a few days' shooting at Bickerton's place, -in the adjacent bailiwick of Kyle, and there, doubtless, he would -plot mischief for the time to come. - -'A jolly good riddance!' thought Falconer, as he recalled with -disgust the episode of the last night. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -'THE LOVE THAT TOOK AN EARLY ROOT.' - -Several days had passed now since Cecil Falconer found himself fairly -installed as a guest at Eaglescraig. - -Hew was still absent, and Falconer thought it strange, if he and Mary -were engaged, or lovers in fact, as many a casual remark from Hew had -led him to infer, to the great repression of his own secret hopes, -that the handsome Russia leather despatch-box, which was stamped with -the three _fleurs-de-lis_, and the three annulets of Montgomerie, and -which, with the regularity of clockwork, was brought in at -breakfast-time by Mr. Tunley, never contained an epistle from him to -her. - -Cecil naturally supposed that lovers wrote each other daily; but here -was a pair who never wrote to each other at all! Cecil gathered a -little hope and confidence from the circumstance, till a tormenting -doubt suggested that they might have had a lovers' temporary quarrel. - -The days passed, we say, and in all that time, while almost hourly -enjoying the society of Mary Montgomerie, Falconer had in no way -betrayed the growing emotions of his heart; and though markedly -attentive, there was nothing approaching loverhood in his conduct or -bearing; but it would have been very difficult to convince the absent -and vindictive Hew of that fact, as it was a fixed conviction of his, -that there was more in everything in this world than met the eye, and -that all still waters run deep. - -Cecil's face brightened, and his tone softened more, when addressing -Mary Montgomerie than they did when he was with Miss Erroll, or other -ladies. There were no other signs; but her keener perception and -more subtle instinct told her intuitively that he felt a deeper -interest in her than he had yet avowed; and, though she had many -admirers, the consciousness of this made her heart beat happily, and -gave a little coquetry to her manner, that, when other men were -present, scarcely pleased Falconer, who thought that perhaps she was -only _amusing_ herself with him in the absence of her ungracious -_fiancé_. - -She was quite a sister of charity, Mary Montgomerie, in that part of -the country, and sometimes Cecil drove her pony-carriage on her -missions--a tiny basket carriage, full of gifts for the poor, all of -which were bestowed upon them in a friendly rather than a charitable -way by the softly-eyed chatelaine of Eaglescraig, who loved to -cultivate thus a link, a bond, between the cottage and the great -house; and Falconer, no doubt to please her, never forgot the various -relationships and names of the recipients of her bounty, and -contrived to have always for each man or woman a packet of that -peculiar tobacco which they specially affected; thus he too became a -favourite with them all. He never forgot the joy of these little -drives, in the deep old lanes of Cunninghame, with such a companion -as Mary Montgomerie, nestled together in the tiny pony-carriage, -covered by the ample skin of a dreadful man-eater, whom the general's -gun had brought down in the swampy Terrai of Nepaul, and the -inevitable Snarley coiled up at her pretty feet; drives in the clear, -frosty winter afternoons, when the skies were blue and bright, or -flecked by golden cloud, when the distant hills were capped with -snow, and the smoke of the steamers in the Firth of Clyde towered -straight upward till lost in the pure and ambient air. - -Already they felt quite like old friends, these two; they had a -thousand topics and views in common, and they became perfectly -unconstrained, familiar, and easy with each other--familiar with a -rapidity that surprised themselves. - -Little by little Mary wound her way quickly round the heart of Cecil -Falconer; but dread of her relations with Hew Montgomerie tied up the -tongue of the former more than even the crushing knowledge of his own -meagre exchequer did. - -She soon discovered that sentiment which every young officer -possesses--a pride in his regiment, and drew him out to talk -enthusiastically of its achievements and ancient history, and watched -with pleasure his animated face while he expatiated on a topic so -congenial; though, to her, in reality, the glories of Her Majesty's -Cameronians had been rendered long ago a worn-out household theme by -Sir Piers. - -When Cecil touched her hand, ever so gently, she felt every nerve in -her body thrill with that exquisite sensibility which was a part of -her nature. She saw how his colour changed at times, and _he_ saw -how hers did so too; she felt in her own heart the hesitation that -was in _his_ voice, and, with the quick perception of a young girl, -thought to herself: - -'Can it be that--that he loves me--loves me, and yet dare not say -so?' and then she would think of the sweet love song of Montrose, -about one who 'feared his fate too much.' - -'I know that Cecil Falconer loves me!' she would whisper to Annabelle -Erroll, in the seclusion of their own particular sanctum; 'his eyes, -his voice, and his manner all begin to tell me so. Why does he not -speak out? I wish he had half the fluency and confidence of that oaf -Hew.' - -'But Hew knows the wishes, and is backed by the authority of your -kinsman and guardian, Sir Piers,' replied Annabelle; 'and if any -contretemps occurs--you know----' - -'Well--what then?' - -'It will only be a thousand pities that young Falconer ever found his -way to Eaglescraig at all!' - -There were more of this opinion than the soft, pretty blonde -Annabelle. A curious and subtle change had come over Mary--a change -detected only by Mrs. Garth; as for Hew, he had been too obtuse to -notice it; and over her fair, soft face, when she was alone, or sunk -in reverie, there shone a brighter light than of yore--a happier and -yet more thoughtful expression. - -Whence was this? thought Mrs. Garth. - -'Take care, Mary,' said the old lady one day, when caressingly -folding her to her motherly heart, as she was often wont to do; 'my -little pet-bird, be wary, for your own sake, and all our sakes.' - -'Wary of what?' asked Mary, growing pale as she knew intuitively what -was coming. - -'Need I tell you--of this young Cameronian.' - -'Why, how? fiddlestick! dearest Mrs. Garth; what do you fear?' - -'Only this, you seem to forget the intentions of your grand-uncle, -and the hope that your cousin Hew--for so we may call him--has for -the future.' - -These injunctions and remarks alarmed and irritated Mary; but they -had the effect of rendering her somewhat shy or constrained when with -Falconer. The duets at the piano nearly ceased, then a cold, or a -headache, or some such reason was urged why the drives in the -pony-carriage should also cease, and they were abruptly relinquished. -There was a little change; Falconer felt it and was a little piqued; -he remembered her wealth, and the scene in the avenue, and strove to -crush out of his heart the thoughts he had been cherishing there. -His short term of leave would soon be at an end; but could he go back -to the dull routine of duty with this new secret of his soul untold? - -Even if he won her love, his immediate idea of the future was vague -and shadowy. It seemed to be chiefly the desire to know that she was -his own, and would be so irrevocably; to have the sole right of -caressing, doting upon, and worshipping her; but when marriage and -fortune came to be considered, the deep gulf yawned again between -them, and the cold hardness of practical everyday life jarred -terribly with the soft suggestions of love, tenderness, and romance. - -Should he consult Mrs. Garth, who seemed so kindly disposed towards -him, or should he first seek the consent of Sir Piers? No; he felt -very timid somehow, and shrunk from the too probable crushing -refusal, or biting inquiry as to the settlements he could make, his -family, and so forth; he thought that he would rather try his fate -with Mary herself, and 'put it to the touch to win or lose it all!' - -He was already 'so far gone,' as Fotheringhame would have phrased it, -that his happiness or misery was now simply the question. He made up -his mind, or thought he did so, to declare his love to Mary, and he -passed several hours in flattering, and anon in torturing himself by -putting every imaginable construction on all that had ever passed -between him and her, and between her and Hew, and all that the latter -had said to him, suggested to him, and artfully led him to infer. - -Luncheon--or 'tiffin' as the general always named it--was over, when -one day Cecil, his soul fraught with a declaration, rose to follow -Mary, who had gone into the library to look after the last parcel of -books from Edinburgh; but ere he could join her he was button-holed -by the inevitable general, and the opportunity was lost--perhaps -luckily so--who knows? - -'One glass more of Lafitte ere you leave me, Falconer,' said Sir -Piers; 'are you going to take your gun?' - -'No; I walked too far after the birds yesterday, and have rather -knocked myself up.' - -'You are too young a soldier to say this, Falconer. Knocked up--by -Jove, sir!' exclaimed Sir Piers. 'Precisely this day twenty years -ago I too was knocked up, but it was not by tramping through covers. -It happened thus, you see. We were on the march from the banks of -the Chumbul in Malwah, and the rain was incessant--yes, as if the -windows of heaven were opened again. I was escorting prisoners, with -some native infantry, and had to push on without food or natural -rest, and exposed the while to incessant attacks from the Bheels, a -savage mountain banditti, who practise human sacrifices in secret, -and who were artfully incited to mischief by Holkar; and there was -the very devil to pay when we came to the Chumbul Nullah, a terrible -torrent, swollen by the rains--no rice for the men, no grain for the -horses, which left their shoes, when the nails declined to remain, in -the mud. Heavy firing on all hands, the infernal Bheels with their -matchlocks and jingals, and the elephants, under it all, trying to -carry over the troops; when wounded the brutes became furious, shook -prisoners and escort, soldiers' wives and soldiers' children, -baggage, treasure, and everything out of the howdahs into the foaming -torrent, and a horrible scene ensued--all who got ashore were -massacred, save myself, and I only escaped by a perfect miracle. It -happened this way, you see----' - -How Sir Piers was saved Falconer never learned, for just then he -contrived to make his escape, as Mr. John Balderstone, with a bundle -of legal-looking documents, was announced on important business, and -arrested the attention of the narrator. - -Partly worried by the general's prosy interruption, and thus partly -thwarted in his purpose, Cecil entered the library, unheard by its -occupant; its floor was covered by rare tiger skins, sent home from -India by the general, who had been a mighty hunter there, and had -transmitted home enough of them to stock a bazaar, with their claws -set in gold, as necklaces, ear-rings, and brooches to all the ladies -of his acquaintance. - -After one brief glance at the stately room, with its curtained bay -windows, its walls covered by glittering volumes in splendid oak -cases, its marble busts, easy chairs, and reading tables littered -with papers, periodicals, prints, and drawing materials, Falconer's -eye rested upon Mary Montgomerie, and his heart, full of love though -it was, sank as he gazed--gazed on her in all her rare beauty. - -She stood before the stately fireplace, looking intently into the -bright flame, seeing castles in the embers perhaps, and a sense, -momentarily akin to despair, stole over him; her graceful figure was -so elegantly and richly attired in a costume so perfect in all its -details and ornaments, from the tiny pearl comb that held up the -close silky coils of her dark-brown hair, to the beautifully -embroidered little slipper that rested on the fender--all indicated -the gulf, that, though love might span it, too surely lay between -them--a gulf formed by great wealth, by family and high position on -her side, and by the utter lack of these three important elements on -his own. - -He had followed her here, fraught with a proposal, and now he could -but ask himself, Why had Fate brought him to Eaglescraig? - -She turned suddenly, and welcomed him by a smile, a book in one white -hand, the other resting on the mantelpiece, and he was half -relieved--so unstable was he of purpose--when Annabelle Erroll issued -from the recess of a window, saying: - -'Oh, Mr. Falconer, you are just come here when I wanted you--so -particularly, too.' - -'I am glad of that--in what can I serve you?' - -'By writing your autograph in my "Birthday Book,"' she replied, -producing one of the records with which young ladies are wont to bore -their friends--a handsomely bound little volume--a bijou freak of the -time, wherein a motto from a poet, or a text from Scripture, was -appended to each day of the twelve months. 'What is your birthday?' - -'The fifth of November.' - -'Gunpowder-plot day!' she exclaimed, laughing, as her quick little -hand selected the page. 'Here it is--November 5--St. Bertille's day; -and the motto is, "Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full -of trouble."' - -'Scriptural--but rather uncomfortable,' said Falconer, smiling, as he -assumed a pen. - -'Your days have not been days of trouble surely?' said Miss -Montgomerie to him softly. - -'My past days have not been without it,' replied Falconer, as a shade -crossed his handsome face. - -'And your future?' - -'Heaven alone knows that--it depends upon another--not myself,' said -he, with a brief soft glance that made her colour deepen and her -eyelids droop, while he wrote his autograph immediately under that of -Sir Piers, whose natal day was also the 5th--dedicated to the memory -of Guy Fawkes and Inkermann. - -'Cecil!' said Annabelle; 'such a pretty name it is--was it your -father's name too?' - -'No--I am named from my mother, in a way; her name was Cecilia.' - -'How strange?' - -'There is nothing strange in it at all,' rejoined Falconer gravely, -and Mary could perceive that he coloured almost painfully, and the -subject was instantly changed by her; yet it impressed her so much, -that she mentioned the incident to her confidante and constant guide, -old Mrs. Garth. - -'Named from his mother, and he has never been known to mention his -father,' thought Mrs. Garth; 'there is some painful mystery here--and -all mysteries are decidedly unpleasant! I must endeavour to arrest -the progress of this _affair_, for the sake of both, ere it is too -late! But how to do it, with sufficient tact and delicacy?' - -And in this intention she had been further armed by the advice and -opinion of Mr. John Balderstone, an old and valued friend and -adherent of the Eaglescraig family, who had not been unobservant of -the matter in question. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -MRS. GARTH ACTS A FRIENDLY PART. - -Nor was the opportunity she wished for long in coming, in the many -chances afforded by propinquity, and a residence in the same house; -though, in one full of guests, it was difficult to get the object of -her solicitude alone. - -That afternoon, in the drawing-room, Cecil Falconer and Mary were at -the piano; the general preparing for a visit to his stables, as it -was rainy, and none could go far abroad; Annabelle Erroll and a few -other visitors were idling over books of prints, albums, and other -trifles; and Mrs. Garth, observant of the two first-named, with -something of sadness and impatience in her heart, was in her usual -seat near the fireplace, sheltered from the heat by a plate-glass -screen, and knitting busily, for she was always knitting as if her -livelihood depended upon it--but her industry was all devoted to the -comforts of the poor, for she had a kind heart, having known much -suffering 'in her time,' as she was wont to say, and thus was ever -ready, so far as her slender means went, to aid those who were -necessitous, or troubled in any way. - -She was tall and thin in figure, and not without dignity in her -bearing, with a look of calm and patient waiting in her soft and -gentle eyes, which were clear and bright as those of a young girl, -albeit her face was wrinkled and her silky hair was grey. Sometimes -their expression seemed cold and sad, when her thoughts travelled -backward into the past; yet no eyes could laugh in expression more -merrily than hers, at times. - -Like Sir Piers, and most old people, she lived more in the past than -the present, and he, just then, with his feet planted on the -hearthrug, while listening with a pleasant smile to an Italian duet, -of which he did not understand one word, was busy with that most -tantalising of all mental exercises, groping amid vanished years for -some fugitive reminiscence that the face and voice of Cecil Falconer -had summoned up. - -Was it his old comrade Garth he resembled, or who? But Sir Piers had -seen and known so many men in his time, that day-dreams of them were -no cause for marvel. - -'How the time passes!' said he, looking smilingly down on the old -lady; 'yet I can remember you a charming girl, when you joined the -Cameronians, Mrs. Garth; and that was not yesterday!' - -'Well, general,' replied the widow, with a gratified smile on her old -face, 'there were worse-looking girls, I dare say, and I had more -than one offer before I was twenty; but I preferred poor John Garth -to all the world.' - -'And right you were--right you were!' said Sir Piers, emphatically. -'Poor John Garth! I shall never forget his fine conduct on the -morning we stormed the hill-fort of the Nabob All Nazir-jung (or the -victorious in war), as he boasted himself, in the Doab between the -Jhelum and the Chenab. It was a strange affair,' he continued, -relating an anecdote as well known to Mrs. Garth as to himself, yet -to which she listened with a kindling eye, 'we sunk our half-sap by -degrees and pushed it close to the outworks, covering our men by -gabions, sand-bags, and mantelets, and the assault was to take place -an hour before gunfire, or daybreak. I remember how lovely the night -was! A breeze stole up the hillside and stirred the golden bells of -the scented baubul-trees; the moon in her silver glory, like a round -shield, was mirrored in the bosom of the Jhelum, and the stormers -were beginning to creep into the advanced trench, where we could see -their bayonets glittering and their white puggarees behind the shade -of the gabions. Just as Jack Garth and I were having a farewell -cheroot and drain of brandy-pawnee, Drake, of the Bengal Infantry, -who had been detailed to lead the assault, came into our tent looking -pale as a sheeted ghost. - -'Now Drake was no coward, he had been under fire many times in open -ground; but somehow he felt that to lead a forlorn hope was a very -different thing; in short, almost certain death; and having led a -wild, terrible, irregular, and most irreligious life, his whole soul -had suddenly become filled with an uncontrollable dread and dismay of -the impending future. - -'He told us of the strange emotion that possessed him--he seemed -somehow not to care of making a secret of it, to us at least--and -Garth instantly and cheerfully offered to take his place, and Drake -was to join the covering force. The brigadier commanding permitted -the exchange; the place was carried by storm at a wild and headlong -rush; Jack Garth, leading the escalade like a hero, reached the heart -of the fort untouched, while poor Drake, after the affair was deemed -entirely over, and the firing had ceased, was killed by a random shot -that came no one knew precisely from where.' - -By the time the general had ended his anecdote, and betaken him to -the stables to inspect the hock sinews of Mary's favourite pad, of -which Pastern, the groom, had made some evil report, the duet was -over. - -Mrs. Garth had detected the mutual tenderness in tone and expression -of eye as it ended, and when the singers left the piano, she resolved -to lose no time in seeking to avert, if she could, the trouble which -she feared was impending. Not that she loved Hew Montgomerie, but -she thought alone of Mary's interests and the wishes of Sir Piers, -her oldest, kindest, and best of friends. - -But now, when Cecil Falconer approached her, she thought, as Sir -Piers had done more than once: - -'What is there in this young fellow's face that touches, that -interests me? Where have I seen that look before? In India, I doubt -not.' - -'I heard the general's anecdote of your husband, Mrs. Garth, even -while we were singing,' said he, bending over the old lady's chair; -'he must have been a fine old officer, and I can assure you that his -memory is still fresh in the regiment.' - -Her face brightened with genuine pleasure as he said this, and her -eyes filled with tears. - -'You see the relic I wear of him,' said the widow, placing her hand -affectionately upon a brooch she wore on her heart, a silver sphinx, -which had whilom been a regimental ornament, but which she would not -have exchanged for the regal brooch of Lorne; 'and now, if you will -come with me, I shall show you his portrait.' - -'Thanks,' replied Cecil, and a parting glance was exchanged between -him and Mary as he left the room and followed Mrs. Garth across a -corridor, hung, like many other parts of the house, with Indian -trophies of war and the chase. - -Falconer thought he was only to hear about her past and pet memories -of the corps; but he did not foresee that he must hear much more that -he would rather not have heard at all. Nor could he suspect that her -primary object was to get him alone for her own well-meant purpose, -or, as she deemed it, his future peace of mind and the welfare of -Mary Montgomerie. - -'This is my peculiar sanctum, Mr. Falconer,' said she, when ushering -him into a cosily and handsomely-furnished parlour, 'and here I keep -all my relics of the dead and of other times, and have done so since -I found a happy and contented home in Eaglescraig,' she added, -glancing at an old iron-bound baggage-trunk that had been at Bengal, -China, Bermuda, and all round the world with the Cameronians, and at -two regimental swords crossed upon the wall: one the weapon of her -husband, the other that of her son, a joyous boyish ensign, who had -fallen in a vile skirmish with a hill-tribe; shot under the colours, -on a day when match-lock balls were flying thick, and 'human lives -were lavished everywhere.' - -And there now hung the sword that had failed him in the hot hour of -trial. - -Over the old but handsome face of Mrs. Garth, there spread an -expression of sweetness and sadness mingled, as she showed Falconer -the miniatures of her husband and their dead soldier-son; the latter -as an infant, with a lock of his golden hair, which she had worn at -her heart for twenty years and more, treasured, like all his -school-boy letters, in the sad but loving superstition of the heart, -in memory of him and of that day when the troops fell in and he went -with the Cameronians 'to the front,' to be brought back to her across -six muskets, mortally wounded, to die, while calling on her name, -thanking her for her love, and dying with his head upon her breast, -as calmly as he had fallen asleep there when an infant. And so he -died thus, as his father had died but a few weeks before him. - -'The will of God be done!' said Mrs. Garth, in a sorely broken voice; -'for it was His will that I was to lose them, and that they were to -precede me. But Heaven is just, and teaches us that there is a -brighter and a better world than this!' - -Borne away by her own private or personal sympathies, she almost -forgot the purpose for which she had invited Falconer to visit her -little sanctum, till he unwillingly recalled it to her memory; as, -with all his commiseration for her loneliness, he began to tire of -the great many stories she told him of the excellencies of her only -daughter--a girl so amiable and so handsome--who had married a curate -in the West Indies, a good young fellow, who was so and so, and so -and so; of the noble qualities of her son, the poor ensign, and those -of the defunct Captain John Garth, who, 'poor dear soul, had been -dead and gone--dead and gone--deary me, however so many years ago.' -Thus Cecil--though there was certainly a cheerful gossipy quality in -Mrs. Garth, that rendered her a very attractive old lady--ventured to -say: - -'And now, Mrs. Garth, you must excuse me. Miss Montgomerie is -expecting me to attempt that duet over once more with her, ere we -duly perform it for some guests that come this evening. How sweetly -she sings, and with exquisite taste! But, indeed, how perfect she is -in all things!' - -'A dear child! I think you admire her?' began the widow, now -remembering her task, and suddenly making a leading remark. - -'Admire! ah, who could fail to admire her?' exclaimed Falconer -warmly, and with kindling eye. - -'She is a charming girl--ever was a sweet child--and I am so happy -about her future, Mr. Falconer,' said Mrs. Garth, resuming her -knitting, without however raising her eyes to him she addressed. - -'Her future?' - -'With Hew--I mean--you understand me, of course?' - -'Hew?' - -'Yes,' she continued softly and gently, reluctantly, too, for she was -loth to give him pain, 'Hew Montgomerie. In her circumstances, and -with her wealth and its consequent and contingent responsibilities, -it has been with us all an anxious matter, that she should choose -well and wisely in the world of marriage; and thus, with Sir Piers' -heir of entail, she will be the tenth Lady Montgomerie, without -changing her name! Curious that, is it not? It cannot fail to be a -most fortunate alliance; but I shall not intrude upon you, whom we -have only had the pleasure of knowing so recently, these private -family matters.' - -Cecil's heart grew cold as a stone, while he listened and heard Hew's -remarks thus corroborated, by what, Mrs. Garth felt with regret, must -pain him, but deemed it for his future good to hear. - -In reply to some half-muttered inquiry (he could not fashion it as a -congratulation) she, by way of explanation and intended advice, said -distinctly much more than even Hew had done. She told him, in -detail, of Mary's large fortune; and how entirely Mary and it -were--by the tenor of her father's will--at the behest of Sir Piers -Montgomerie, whose great and sole object was to consolidate the -wealth of the family in the person of Hew Caddish Montgomerie, his -heir of entail, who, even with ancient Eaglescraig alone, would not -be rich, and who would be the tenth baronet in succession from Sir -Hew, who had been made one for his loyalty and valour in the battles -of Montrose, particularly at Tippermuir, in 1644; and thus, that even -a duke might lay, in vain, his coronet at the feet of Mary -Montgomerie! - -Pride of birth, and in his own family, of the old line of -Eaglescraig, almost a collateral one with the House of Eglinton, had -been, from youth, a passion with Sir Piers--a passion that had caused -the ruin of his only son--and so on, with an earnest tone, a sad, yet -gentle smile, she continued, for his own good as she supposed, to -plant (warningly) certain daggers in the heart of her hearer. - -'They do not seem much suited to each other, Miss Montgomerie and her -intended,' suggested Falconer in a low voice, after a pause. - -'Ah, so you think--so you think; but when "Love's young dream" and -the honeymoon are over, they will settle down, I have no doubt, into -a very happy, loving, and jog-trot couple.' - -'It is well that you have told me all this in time,' said Falconer, -preserving his calmness of voice and feature by an incredible effort, -for if he had mistrusted Hew he could not mistrust Mrs. Garth, who -could have no selfish or sinister object in view; 'and I am--most -grateful to you.' - -'To me--for what?' asked Mrs. Garth, as if she knew not his meaning, -though she never looked up, but continued to knit nervously and fast, -with tremulous fingers. - -'I was, in fact, beginning to admire the general's ward perhaps too -much,' he replied, with a sickly attempt at a laugh; 'but now I must -think of her only as the intended bride of another.' - -'And learn to laugh over the country-house flirtation.' - -'Does she love Mr. Hew Montgomerie?' - -'I cannot doubt it; though her ways of showing it are certainly shy -and peculiar; but then I see, and have seen, more of him and her than -you have done, Mr. Falconer.' - -'You are sure she will consent to this marriage?' said Cecil, -scarcely knowing what he said. - -'Yes, most assuredly; if not now, at a later period, for there is no -precise reason for haste, unless it be Hew's Indian appointment.' - -A silence ensued for a minute or so, during which Cecil heard only -the click of the knitting-needles and the beating of his heart. - -'Of what are you thinking?' asked Mrs. Garth, looking up with a -smile, and then lowering her eyes again, as the pain she read in his -face distressed her. - -'I am thinking how to collect my ideas,' said he, in a broken voice; -'to reflect on my position, and the information you have given me, -with the useful warning contained in it. In two or three days more -my leave will be up, and I shall have, inexorably, to depart from a -house in which the happiest moments of my life have been spent; yet, -which I would to Heaven I had never entered!' - -Then, as he left her, Mrs. Garth felt that all her suspicions had -been justified; yet, with him, she approached the subject no more. - -'I have done the deed! as Macbeth says,' thought she, looking after -him; 'poor fellow--poor dear fellow! He seems sorely cut up; but it -is all for the best--all for the best! How sad his handsome face -looked: and of _whom_ does that face remind me? My own dear boy's -surely!' - -Cecil Falconer was full of jealous anger and deep mortification. He -could not, in his present mood of mind, rejoin Mary Montgomerie, and -so he took himself to the loneliest part of the garden to smoke and -think--to have that universal panacea to all men in trouble, doubt, -or difficulties--a mild 'weed.' Moreover, there is a solitude we are -prone to seek at times, even amid our fondest affections. - -A tender love for Mary had grown in his heart; but--apart from a -meagre exchequer--his lack of family rank was painfully thrust upon -him now by every word Mrs. Garth had, he thought, unconsciously -uttered. - -In his lonely hours, like most young men of imagination and of those -given to day-dreaming, he had been wont--though well-nigh -nameless--to identify himself with the 'Ivanhoes' of romance and -history--the disinherited and disguised princes of boyish tales, and -so forth, weaving out a brilliant future for himself! But now! - -Now, like Alnaschar in the Arabian tale, his basket of crystal was -smashed; and yet he could have no future in which Mary Montgomerie -was not to bear an imaginary part. - -He was aware that his family pretensions, when judged by the lofty -heraldic and genealogical standards of Sir Piers Montgomerie, were as -meagre as his monetary could be, and the double consciousness -thereof, though failing to influence his heart, had almost utterly -fettered his tongue. - -These were the reasons why Cecil Falconer did not declare himself as -yet, or try conclusions with Hew Montgomerie, but now he had -others--more solid and more cruel. It was, however, the old story of -the moth and the candle. Mrs. Garth had done much to crush and damp -all hope in the heart of Cecil, but could not prevent him from -indulging in the perilous charm of Mary's society to the last hours -of his now-expiring leave of absence--leave granted 'between -returns,' as the technical phrase is. - -So that night the duet was not sung, greatly to Mrs. Garth's -satisfaction, and somewhat to the surprise and disappointment of Mary -Montgomerie, to whom Cecil urged that he was afflicted by a sudden -cold, a hoarseness and so forth; so to his seductive tenor she was -unable to make the usually tender soprano replies. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -A CRISIS. - -Hew returned suddenly from Bickerton--Hew of the shifty eyes and -cold, fish-like hands--more indignant than ever with 'Old Pipeclay,' -as he irreverently called Sir Piers. - -Old Mr. John Balderstone, the family factor, who had been enjoying -some shooting at the Bickerton covers, had incidentally and -laughingly mentioned having seen Cecil Falconer and Mary Montgomerie -twice in her pony-carriage at a considerable distance from home; and -thus Hew had returned full of ire at the folly of Sir Piers in having -'invited that fellow to Eaglescraig,' at the presumption of the -latter, and with his heart full of secret rage, jealousy, and no -little rancour for the result of the last game at écarté. - -Before this time, Cecil perhaps cared little what Hew said or thought -of his manner with Mary Montgomerie, so far as friendly intercourse -went. Thus Hew had more than once seen him bending caressingly over -Mary as he addressed her, bending till his dark-brown moustache -almost touched her darker glossy hair. But then, his whole manner to -her might be described as one long caress, though he was ever -courteous to all women, even the old and plain-looking; while Mary -thought it new and charming, and something that even in society she -was unused to. - -But now there was a sudden change. The result of Mrs. Garth's -friendly advice was, that doubt, reserve, and smothered -irritation--born of a suspicion that he had been trifled with, or -played with--tinged the manner of Cecil Falconer, infusing therein a -peculiar strangeness that piqued Mary Montgomerie, and made their -intercourse more perilous, for, being somewhat of a little coquette, -it was one of her idiosyncrasies, when so piqued, to avoid a -reconciliation that was too openly affected, and shyly, or slyly, to -take refuge in those which were merely, and silently, implied. - -The communications of the old lady had forced upon him the necessity -for sedulously seeking to forget, as soon as possible, the existence -of Mary; and how far such an effort was consistent with spending the -hours of every day in her society, may be imagined. - -In the first fever of his spirit he felt inclined to quit Eaglescraig -at once, ere his leave was up, and to get Fotheringhame to telegraph -for him; but anon he resolved to linger till the last moment, and sun -himself in the eyes of Mary; and in the midst of all this Hew now -returned, like the shadow of evil, to Eaglescraig, suddenly, and not -finding either Mary or Cecil in the house, had his spleen further -roused on being told by the watchful Mrs. Garth, that they were -rambling somewhere in the grounds together. - -'In the grounds,' said Hew, viciously; 'where?' - -'I know not,' replied Mrs. Garth; 'but if you will absent yourself -shooting here and there, Mary must avail herself of the courtesy of -others.' - -'Of course--to help her to water her ferns, which she does -indefatigably, although a staff of gardeners are kept here at -Eaglescraig.' - -'And to feed her favourite pigeons at the dovecot.' - -'How touchingly domestic; how d----d Arcadian!' said Hew, more -viciously than ever. 'Are they on the lawn?' - -'No; I think they took the path that leads to the grotto,' replied -Mrs. Garth, not unwilling to pique the jealousy of Hew, who muttered -an ugly word, and at once left the house to seek them in their ramble. - -For this circumstance Sir Piers was in some measure to blame, as he -had desired Mary to show Falconer a curious grotto, or cavern, partly -natural and partly artificial, under the old tower of Eaglescraig, in -which tradition said some centuries ago, when the wall which had -concealed it fell, a so-called magic lamp had been discovered hanging -from a chain in the rocky roof. The flame, when first seen, was -thought to be a Jack-o'-lantern, but was found to proceed from what -was supposed to be an ancient sepulchral lamp, prepared with matter -spontaneously combustible on the accession of air, and which, instead -of burning for centuries, had only taken light when the grotto was -opened. - -Be all that as it may, neither Cecil nor Mary troubled themselves -much about the archæology of the place, though they certainly -lingered there, they scarcely knew why, and she clung to his arm, for -the mouth of the grotto opened inwards from the rock on which the -mansion stood, and overlooked the Firth of Clyde, three hundred feet -below. - -Alone with Mary there, Cecil felt that he was becoming more devoted -and _empressé_ every moment, in spite of his recent resolutions and -the warnings of Mrs. Garth. - -Their conversation was somewhat disjointed and desultory, especially -so far as Cecil was concerned; for the eve of his departure was -drawing near; he knew not when, or if ever, he might see Mary -Montgomerie again, and the great secret of his heart loaded his -tongue. But the faltering accents and broken language of love are -generally expressions of the fullest eloquence to her who hears them; -and now, filled by all the charm her presence inspired, while gazing -into her face which had all the soul-like beauty that radiates from -_within_, Cecil Falconer felt his heart flying to his head, and while -pressing to his side the little hand that leant upon his arm, he said: - -'Another day--only one short day more--and this time of joy, so sweet -to me, will have become a thing of the past--a dream--but a past -never to be forgotten!' - -'I am glad that you have been happy with us--we live so quietly here -at Eaglescraig,' she replied, affecting to misunderstand what he so -evidently referred to. - -'Happy indeed! But who could fail to be happy here? I am much of a -day-dreamer, Miss Montgomerie, and often it has seemed to me, in my -solitary moments and thoughtful moods, that some mysterious sympathy -or bond was linking my existence with that of another, but who that -other was I knew not.' - -'A strange idea!' - -'You will smile at my folly, as you no doubt deem it. So, too, have -I thought there was something singularly sweet in the idea, but -sweeter still now that I know, the soul that I dreamed of was you.' - -Mary's hand trembled on his arm, but she made no reply, and stood -with half-averted face. - -'My lips have been silent,' he resumed, bending over her, as she -still further averted her face and looked down; 'yet you must have -guessed the cherished hope of my heart, and learned, even from my -glance--that I--that--that I love you!' - -So Mrs. Garth's friendly warnings all came to nothing, and even Hew's -existence was forgotten! - -'I saw from the first,' said Mary, in a low and agitated voice, 'from -the first, that you admired me, but--but, I never thought that----' - -'That I loved you?' - -'I know not what I thought.' - -'Oh, Mary--may I call you so?--I have no words to tell you, Mary, -darling, how fondly, how deeply and tenderly I love you!' - -Her hands were in his now, and her long lashes were cast down, during -a little pause that ensued, and he could see her soft bosom heaving -under her dress. - -Then she looked up with a coy, shy smile of great brightness, as she -asked: - -'Am I the first you have loved--the very first?' - -'Fancies I have had--as what lad has not--but I never loved till now, -Mary,' he replied, with great tenderness, 'unless it was the love I -bore my poor mother, who is now in her grave.' - -'I am so confused--so startled, Mr. Falconer.' - -'Do say "Cecil," I implore you!' - -'Well, then--Cecil.' - -No need to say more just then, as their lips met, passionately for an -instant, and Cecil felt that she was his own. Then Mary shrank back -a little, and blushing deeply, said: - -'Oh, what would Sir Piers say if he knew of this?' - -There was something of terror in her tone--alarm, at least, as Cecil -thought. - -'When I tell him of my love for you----' he began. - -'Oh, that you must not--must not do--yet awhile, at least!' she -exclaimed earnestly. - -'Why, my darling?' - -'Don't ask me--do not ask me! Be content that--that----' - -'You love me?' - -'Oh, Cecil--yes. But your love for me--when did it first begin?' she -asked, looking up with the same fond yet shy smile again on her soft -face. - -'Heaven only knows--when I first saw you, without a doubt,' replied -Falconer, drawing her towards him. 'But now tell me, darling----' - -Ere he could say more, she shrank from him. A step was heard on the -gravelled path, Snarley growled and showed his teeth, and Hew -appeared close by them, at the mouth of the grotto--Hew, with a very -dubious and mingled expression on his face. - -'Have you not heard the gong sound for luncheon?' he asked, curtly -and sulkily. - -'Hew--returned already!' said Mary, blushing deeply. - -'So soon--yes,' said he. - -'Had good shooting at Bickerton?' asked Cecil Falconer, feeling that -it required a double effort to be complaisant to Hew just then, and -to slide into the commonplaces required by society. - -'Pretty fairish--knocked over a few rocketters or so. There were ten -guns out. But how do you two come to be here?' he asked bluntly and -almost rudely. - -'Sir Piers requested Miss Montgomerie to show me where an ancient -lamp had been found,' replied Cecil, with some annoyance of manner. - -Hew muttered something unpleasant under his moustache, as he thought -that the 'ancient lamp' had thrown more light on their proceedings -than he anticipated, and drawing Mary's arm through his own, he said -sharply and curtly: - -'Let us go back to the house, or we shall be late.' - -Cecil's handsome mouth was compressed with sternness at the -abruptness of Hew's bearing, tone, and words. His small and well-cut -nostrils quivered, and his eyes flashed with the anger which, despite -his recent joy, he felt a difficulty in restraining. - -Hew was sharp enough to see this; but feeling himself somewhat master -of the situation, and a species of marplot, he gave one of his -strange smiles, and said something that might mean anything or -nothing, as he appropriated Mary and marched off with her towards the -house. - -How long he might have been eavesdropping, and how much or how little -of their conversation he might have overheard, or what he might have -overseen, it was impossible for them to conjecture; but extreme -annoyance clouded the fair face of Mary, and bitter chagrin was but -ill concealed in that of Falconer. - -'Pray do not quarrel with Hew,' Mary found opportunity to say in a -rapid whisper; 'you know not his power in the art of scheming, -manÅ“uvring, and mischief.' - -Cecil felt his heart beat lightly again at the interest in him -implied by her words, and the secret understanding they suggested and -created. - -Though we doubt very much if Mr. Hew Caddish Montgomerie ever heard -of the Bard of Twickenhem, yet we are certain that he believed with -him, that 'every woman is at heart a rake;' and thus he was the more -irate with Mary, as he was prone to take the worst view of every one -and everything. - -As they pursued the circuitous path that led from the grotto to the -house, Hew maintained a somewhat sulky silence, as he had neither the -good feeling nor the good taste to conceal his annoyance. He, -perhaps, loved Mary; but if so, it was after a selfish fashion of his -own, and as much as it was in him to love anyone. He knew her -fortune to a shilling; he had a passionate, an inherited, and -avaricious love of wealth, and he knew right well the vast importance -that attached to the possession of it; thus he took Mary to task, the -moment Falconer left them--with a glance, which Mary read, though to -Hew it was all unseen, or misunderstood. - -'Were you and that fellow long in the grounds to-day?' he asked -bluntly, and with anger in his eyes. - -'What if we were?' was the defiant reply. - -'I asked you a question, cousin.' - -'One you have no right to ask.' - -'No right?' - -'None!' said she, with decision. - -'Come, I like that! I am your cousin.' - -'Nothing more, thank goodness!--and scarcely even that, save by name; -and you are not my mentor.' - -'If I were so----' - -'Well, sir; if you were?' - -'I should say that I was extremely sorry to meet you and Falconer -together, as I met you just now. I consider it most unseemly!' - -'Are you my guardian, Hew?' asked the little beauty, with growing -irritation. - -'Would that I were so, legally!' - -'I cannot agree with you,' responded Mary, with a merry laugh. - -'I regret to see how this intimacy has grown between you and an utter -stranger.' - -'Pray what can it matter to you who my gentlemen friends are?' - -'How can you adopt this tone to me, knowing what you do of Sir Piers' -intentions, Mary? As for this fellow----' - -'Fellow? What has he done to offend you, Hew Montgomerie, that you -speak of him in this style?' - -'I was only about to remark that, like Oliver Twist, I have no doubt -that he can trace his genealogy all the way back to his parents--to -his mother, at least, for I suppose he has, or had, such a relative,' -was the coarse and bitter sneer of Hew; 'but that measure of ancestry -will scarcely suit the standard of Sir Piers Montgomerie.' - -Mary remembered the little episode of the 'Birthday Book,' and her -heart for a moment sank, and her countenance fell. - -'What _do_ you mean?' she asked. - -'I know--what I know--that is all,' replied Hew, malevolently. - -'And I know that you are extremely rude and ill-bred,' said Mary, as -she swept away from him, and with difficulty restrained her tears, -while Hew looked after her with a scowl that was strangely mingled -with a triumphant smile. - -He did not knit his eyebrows, for he had little or nothing in that -way to knit; but his closely-set eyes twinkled viciously and -furtively, as he began to feel that the power he once possessed, or -hoped to possess, over Mary, and more especially over her fortune, -was slipping away; and the emotions of wounded pride, disappointment, -avarice, and an odious passion for her that was not love, grew keenly -and stingingly in his heart. - -Next day Cecil's leave would be up, and in the interval, so -sedulously did Hew keep guard, that never again had Cecil a chance of -addressing Mary alone; but the rival, while thus employed, could see -with growing rancour that they looked suspiciously amiable and happy, -and could talk confidentially enough with their eyes, if prevented -from doing so with their tongues; and now, to preclude any fresh -invitations on the general's part, or any further extension of the -hospitality of Eaglescraig, Hew resolved, ere their guest departed, -to do him all the mischief he could with his host. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -HEW MAKES MISCHIEF. - -Finding, as we have shown, that any appeal to Mary Montgomerie was -vain, Hew determined, as he muttered, to give the general 'an -eye-opener on the subject.' - -He knew that 'a jilted suitor is hopelessly and irreparably -ridiculous, and that the jilt is apt to score the honours.' Without -an engagement existing between them, there could be no jilting in the -case of him and Mary, but in his blind, unmeaning hate of Falconer, -his jealousy and avarice, he never thought of that; and only -considered that the wishes of Sir Piers and himself, and the object -for which he had been deliberately brought home from India, were on -the point of being baffled, or set utterly aside, by the intervention -of an unexpected interloper, to blacken and defeat whom was but just -and right, he deemed on his own part, and in his own behalf. - -Without a just cause he had been from the first instinctively the foe -of Cecil Falconer; and ill-founded enmities, it is said, are ever the -most obstinate and bitter. - -He found Sir Piers in the library, lounging in an easy-chair, smoking -a beautiful hookah which he had brought with him from India, and deep -in the pages of the _Field_. - -'Can I have your attention for a little time, Sir Piers?' he asked. - -'Yes, my boy; fire away. About what do you wish to speak?' - -'A subject very near my heart, as you know,' replied Hew, leaning on -the back of the old baronet's chair: 'Mary Montgomerie.' - -'God bless the dear girl!' exclaimed Sir Piers, as his brightening -eyes were raised inquiringly to Hew's face. 'It is time some -arrangement were made by you and her; for Mary deserves the purest -and best love the heart of man can offer her.' - -'Such love is mine, dear Sir Piers,' whined Hew. - -'I hope so.' - -'But I come not to speak of that.' - -'Of what, then?' - -'Of Mary and your new friend, Falconer.' - -'Falconer!' exclaimed Sir Piers, staring blankly at Hew through his -gold eyeglasses. - -'Seriously, sir, it seems to me that, thanks to the propinquity your -unwise hospitality has afforded them, Mary is drifting, with that -fellow Falconer, the way that many other young ladies have drifted -before her.' - -'What does this mean?' exclaimed Sir Piers, wheeling his chair -sharply round. 'Worry, of course; and, d--n it! I am getting too -old to have any worry--had enough of it in my time, up country! Has -propinquity not helped you? Gad, sir, in my day, I should like to -have seen the biped that could turn my flank with any girl; but why -the devil don't you push the trenches yourself?' - -'But don't you think they have become too intimate?' asked Hew, with -growing irritation. - -'Why? How?' - -'With all this singing, music, and philandering.' - -'Pooh! not at all. Let them amuse themselves. I was once their age. -It is no use making a fuss; but why the deuce don't you cut in, and -sing, play, and philander too, as you call it? Besides, Falconer in -a few hours now returns to Dumbarton, or to headquarters, and there -is an end of it all! To me, Hew, it seems natural enough that young -Falconer should be attracted by our Mary; but aware of her position, -of my views and your wishes, and more than all, your prospects and -rank when I am gone,' he added, glancing at a portrait of his dead -son, 'I should very much doubt if she encouraged any particular -attention on his part.' - -'There I don't agree with you; and when once a girl's heart becomes -warped, or interested in a fellow, she cares little what his rank or -position may be; and of this Falconer's family or antecedents we know -nothing.' - -'True, by Jove!' said Sir Piers, whose pet weakness was now -interested. 'He seemed not to know, himself, which I thought odd. I -wonder what arms he uses? The Halkertoun family carried azure, a -falcon _argent_ crowned with a ducal crown.' - -'Arms!' said Hew, with a mocking laugh. 'If all I suspect be true, -his have been quartered and attested by the Blue Bottle Herald and -Pimlico Pursuivant. But apart from his dangling after Mary, I have -my own reasons for feeling glad that Eaglescraig will soon be rid of -him.' - -'He is a presentable young fellow--a Cameronian too, and bears her -Majesty's commission,' urged Sir Piers in favour of Falconer, whom he -really liked; 'but what are the personal reasons you refer to?' - -'Because in a little time he would have rooked--ruined me!' - -'How?' - -'At écarté.' - -'At écarté?' - -'Yes. Before I went to Bickerton--to keep out of his way, in -fact--he inveigled me to play, night after night, when all others had -retired. My play is always mild--but his was _wild_! His constant -phrase was that it was so _ennuyant_ to play for low stakes, so we -always doubled, and even trebled, them--I always losing.' - -'Why?' - -'Because,' replied Hew, deliberately, while a malevolent gleam shot -from his parti-coloured eyes, 'it is seldom safe to play écarté, or -piquet either, after dinner, and when drinking brandy-and-soda with a -fellow who takes nothing--is too wary to do so.' - -'And so you have lost?' said Sir Piers, flushing with indignation. - -'Fearfully; and I suspect the scoundrel was in the habit of dropping -his cards.' - -'What!' roared Sir Piers, aghast. 'The devil! Do you say so?' He -pinched his gold eyeglasses tighter on his high aristocratic nose, -and absolutely glared through them at Hew, as he turned his keen face -full round to await what he had to say, and with a face expressive of -intense chagrin, disappointment, and dismay. - -'I do not say so--I only suspect,' said Hew, afraid that he, in the -extremity of his malice, had roused a storm it might be difficult to -quell, or see the end of. - -'And he is one of the Cameronians!' exclaimed Sir Piers, in an -agitated voice. 'Gad! in my time, he would have had his hands tied -behind his back, and been drummed to the barrack-gate. Do you -actually tell me this? Gambling, in camp or quarters, _I_ never -permitted for a moment--they are strictly forbidden by the -thirty-fourth paragraph of the sixth section of the Queen's -Regulations. But the idea of gambling and cheating at Eaglescraig! -D--me, I'll explode! I remember that, when we were cantoned at -Jubbulpore, before we were relieved by the Seventy-Eighth, with bag, -baggage, and twelve bagpipes----' - -'But our play is ended now, Sir Piers--once and for ever!' -interrupted Hew, as he shivered at the idea of an Indian anecdote, -which was certain to follow whenever Sir Piers mounted his Oriental -hobby-horse. - -'Ended; I should think so! But, as we used to say in India, beware -of a black Brahmin and a white pariah!' - -The point of this aphorism was not very apparent; but Hew, satisfied -that he had now completely ruined Cecil Falconer so far as Sir Piers -was concerned, was so well pleased that he listened to a sudden -Bengal narrative of a thirty days' march, amid the horrors of Dacoits -and Thugs, swamps and jungles, tigers and snakes, dismounted guns and -broken bones, dead bullocks and swollen rivers; and then, after a -pause, during which the baronet had been reflecting with knitted -brows, he said: - -'But to return to the first subject, Hew. Do you mean to tell me, -and do you seriously think, that this--a--a--person, has made any -undue impression upon her--upon Mary?' - -'From my soul I do, sir, and know it to my bitter cost!' - -Another angry malediction escaped the general. - -'I cannot desire him to leave my house, though right well disposed to -do so,' said he; 'but a little time will see him gone now, thank -Heaven! I am deeply concerned by what you tell me, my dear Hew; all -the more so, that I have been the unwitting means of bringing all -this unforeseen mischief to pass.' - -'Only an hour ago I interrupted a little scene in the grotto there -could be no mistaking! He was bending tenderly over her, and -uttering sighs that would have softened the heart of a pawnbroker.' - -'Don't use such odious similes, Hew!' exclaimed Sir Piers. 'Whatever -may be the personal merits or demerits of this young man,' he -continued, with an angry laugh, 'apart from my firm intentions, your -wishes, and Mary's own future welfare, it would never do for her to -make a _mésalliance_--to throw herself away upon an ambitious -adventurer, on whose name there too evidently rests the stain of -obscurity, at least. It is well that he is going, Hew! I want no -other catastrophe, no second fiasco, to occur to a Montgomerie of -Eaglescraig!' he added, with deep and sorrowful frown, as he referred -to a family episode we shall have to relate ere long. 'But here -comes Mary, most opportunely. Leave us, Hew, and I shall talk with -her alone.' - -As Hew retired, with disappointed passion and gratified revenge -curiously mingled in his face, the thought flashed upon the mind of -Sir Piers that expostulation or advice might only prove futile, and, -by exciting opposition, make the matter worse (as he had bitterly -experienced once before in his life), though he knew not how far the -matter had gone, or how deeply love had taken root in the hearts of -both Mary and Falconer. Moreover, he thought that as separation, -which he deemed a safe cure, was so close at hand, it might be better -to ignore the communications of Hew, and let matters, after -Falconer's departure, fall into their old routine, yet having the -intended marriage of Mary and his heir pressed forward, in spite of -all opposition; but now, the sudden and apparently opportune entrance -of the fair culprit herself overset his calmer calculations. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -CECIL'S DEPARTURE. - -Though indignant at Falconer, Sir Piers could scarcely find it in his -heart to be angry with Mary, she was so sweet and winning--his dead -kinsman's one ewe lamb, committed to his care. She had been to him -as the child of his old age, taking the place of that only son whose -death he had never ceased to lament; she, who by her affection, in -the thousand nameless little recurring trifles of life, as a tender -and loving daughter rather than a grand-niece, had made herself so -useful and necessary to him. - -Mary had come in search of a book, a passage in which she meant to -show Cecil, whom she had left with Annabelle Erroll, when Sir Piers -summoned her to his side; and though she saw a gloom on his fine old -face, the cause of which she dreaded and suspected to have been Hew, -who had just quitted the room, she seated herself on a velvet -tabouret, near her guardian's own chair, and nestling at his knee as -she had been wont to do when a little girl, she drew one of his -shrivelled hands caressingly over her handsome head, and, looking up -smilingly, said: - -'Well, grand-uncle darling, what have you to say to me?' - -'Much, Mary--yet a few words may suffice,' he replied, as the lines -faded out of his face. He had at first resolved to be very stern and -irate with her; but he reserved all his bitterness for Falconer. 'Am -I right when I say that I have been given to understand that Mr. -Falconer has forgotten his place as a guest in my house, and dared to -address you surreptitiously in language other than a mere friend or -guest may do?' - -At this question, so sententiously put, Mary blushed painfully, and -then grew very pale indeed, for her heart was yet vibrating with its -new-found joy, and the memory of that kiss, the first that was ever -given her by any man save old Sir Piers himself. - -'Has he attempted to win for himself that affection which should -belong to another?' - -'Oh, grand-uncle, what do you mean?' asked Mary piteously, and -feeling quite overwhelmed. - -'What I ask, Mary; and I wish you to know, further, that he is every -way unworthy the consideration of any girl--wholly unworthy the -kindness I have wasted on him.' - -'Unworthy!' repeated Mary, faintly; and yet her heart rebelled, for -she now recognised the malevolent influence of Hew. - -'I have other views for your future, as you know, dear Mary--views -long cherished and most dear to me, and I am not going to have my -plans and prospects marred by a fortune-hunting subaltern and a -romantic girl's folly. Understand me, Mary, and the power your -father's will has given me over you and your fortune.' - -Mary remained silent, but tears welled up in her eyes--tears that -sprang from emotions of anger as much as annoyance and intense -mortification. - -'I don't object to the fellow because he is a subaltern, with little, -if anything, more than his pay,' said Sir Piers, as if ashamed of -using the military rank as an adjective; 'but I do object to this, -Mary, as your guardian and only kinsman, in whose hands the whole of -your fortune is vested, to bestow, so far as possible, on my heir of -entail, who is to share it with you. But here, if all I am told is -true, you have been tempted--you, with beauty and attractions that -might win a coronet--you, with an inheritance, and certainly with a -name, second to none in Scotland--to cast your lot, perhaps, with one -destitute of position, save that which a commission gives him--one -without family or friends either, so far as we know,' continued the -general, musing, or talking himself into a fit of anger; 'as Hew has -hinted, the first of his race--a gambler, too----' - -'A gambler, grand-uncle?' - -'A gambler--and worse--who has sorely fleeced poor Hew! But I shall -amply reimburse him, as it was by my old-fashioned folly our unlucky -guest came here. How I shall be able to receive him at dinner to-day -I scarcely know, for now I consider his presence in Eaglescraig an -insult. You may have been foolish--girlish, Mary; but I know that -you won't further vex your old grand-uncle, who loves you so, but -will sedulously avoid or shun this person, Falconer, during the few -hours he is under our roof: and when he leaves it let his existence -be to you as a thing of the past--as that of the dead--but the dead -who are forgotten!' - -And with this cruel advice, which was all the more cruel and -impressive from being coolly, calmly, and deliberately given, the -general rose and quitted the library, leaving Mary in a flood of -tears and quite overwhelmed with dismay; not at the invectives -bestowed upon Falconer, as she knew their source and true value, but -at the hostility so suddenly developed by Sir Piers, and the long -term of domestic misery she saw before her in the future. - -But, as indignation swelled in her heart against Hew, she dried her -tears and gathered a courage from her growing anger. Yet she drew -her breath with difficulty, and pressed a hand upon her side as if a -pang of pain was there. - -Unaware of all this scene, Falconer, even in the face of his -approaching departure, was chatting away gaily with Annabelle Erroll, -and having the full assurance of Mary's love, seemed to tread on air, -and feel emotions only of gratitude and joy. He was as sure that -Mary was not a girl to love lightly as he was sure that she had given -her whole heart to him, despite the fiat, the 'general order' of Sir -Piers, that was to assign her as a bride to Hew Montgomerie. - -When the little circle assembled for dinner, the last of which he was -to partake in Eaglescraig, Cecil became suddenly and painfully -sensible that some change had come over all present, save Miss Erroll. - -Though all were scrupulously polite, their old cordiality seemed to -have evaporated! - -Hew was colder than ever; not that Cecil Falconer cared much for -that, but he felt that the usually chatty and genial Sir Piers was -cold in manner too, and haughty and monosyllabic, for a time; and -Cecil recalled the cordial welcome of his first night in that -hospitable mansion, when his old host insisted on escorting him to -'his quarters,' as he called his room, singing his old Indian song -about 'half-batta' as they went. He felt the change keenly, and -angrily too, all the more that he failed to understand it. - -'What the deuce does the general suspect--what does he know?' thought -Cecil, whose own suspicions certainly pointed towards Hew; but he and -Mary were without the means of comparing notes together, or even of -taking of each other the tender farewell they would have wished. - -At table--with the memory of all that had passed in the library--she -was nervous, silent and reserved, while she kept listening to the -voice and looking furtively in the eyes that as secretly sought -hers--the voice and eyes she had been bidden to forget as those of -'the forgotten dead.' - -When the ladies withdrew, the general, who was the soul of -hospitality, when pushing the decanters round--for he was vain of his -clarets, Chateau Lafitte, Haut Brion, and Margaux--felt half inclined -to relax and relent at times. Could Hew have been mistaken in that -diabolical story about the cards? But if so, he was not mistaken on -the subject of Falconer's admiration of his intended wife: and though -such was utterly adverse to the wish of Sir Piers, he felt that he -could forgive it, especially as, like Mrs. Garth, he felt that in the -look and air, the expression of face, and bearing of Cecil Falconer, -there were an undefinable something that brought painfully back to -memory the face of another; and yet, between the two faces, that of -his dead son--for his it was--and the face of Falconer, there was no -especial likeness. - -'Had poor Piers been living now, thought the general, 'he would have -been nearly fifty years of age, which reminds me that I am getting -too old to harbour thoughts of anger now.' - -In the drawing-room, Cecil found the piano closed; there was -evidently to be no music that evening, nor was he in the mood for it, -except in so far that it might have served to cloak a few farewell -words to Mary, whom he found occupied at chess with Mrs. Garth, and -save that she trembled a little and changed colour at his entrance, -she seemed unconscious of his presence, as the slow and silent game -proceeded in its tedium: and leaving Sir Piers and Hew deep in some -matter of local improvements to be made on a certain farm, he seated -himself beside Miss Erroll, on an ottoman, a little way apart. - -'And so you indeed go to-morrow?' she observed, for lack of something -else to say apparently. - -'Inexorably, Miss Erroll,' he replied, with a smile that was no smile -at all; 'and after all the happiness I have enjoyed here I shall feel -doubly lonely at Dumbarton, as it is most probable that the general -may invite my brother officer here, to take my place.' - -'Mr. Leslie Fotheringhame?' she said in a low voice, while her eyes -drooped. - -'Yes.' - -'What leads you to think so?' she asked, with a little agitation of -manner that Cecil could not fail to detect. - -'He has once or twice said such was his intention.' - -Such, indeed, had been the general's wish, but recent events had made -him change his mind. - -Miss Erroll was a singularly attractive and bright-looking -girl--bright in her manner and blonde beauty. Her fair, golden hair -rippled back from her broad, low, snowy forehead; and she had a -tender, rosebud-like mouth, and very lovely eyes. In the full -preoccupation of his thoughts with Mary, Cecil Falconer had not been -quite conscious that on several occasions Miss Erroll had led him to -talk of his solitary friend at Dumbarton, Leslie Fotheringhame, as if -she had some interest in him; and also, that if he attempted to -question her on the subject, she skilfully or nervously changed it, -or evaded it. - -'You know Fotheringhame, it would seem?' he asked. - -'I do--or _did_, rather,' she replied, in a low voice. - -This implied that there had been a coolness, a quarrel, or a dropping -of acquaintance somehow. - -'He was not always in the Cameronians,' said Falconer. - -'I am aware of that.' - -'Perhaps you knew him when in his former regiment?' - -'When in his former regiment--yes,' she replied, repeating his words, -as if afraid to trust herself to any of her own. 'How long will Mary -puzzle over her king?--she is quite checkmated!' she said with a -forced laugh, as she moved towards the chess-table, to conceal from -Falconer an expression of genuine pain that shot over her soft, fair -face. - -He noticed now an unmistakable agitation of manner and sudden sadness -of eye and tone in Annabelle Erroll; and though he almost immediately -forgot this amid the anxiety of his own love affair, he remembered it -all at a future time. - -The brief evening that followed the late and fashionable dinner-hour -passed rapidly--too rapidly for Cecil; yet heavily withal. The -evening was so unlike its predecessors, for the once pleasant circle -seemed entirely changed. How Falconer's heart would have swollen -with just rage had he known the reason why! - -And this was his last night at Eaglescraig; it seemed as if he was -looking on everything there for the last time, Mary's pale face -included, and the time came at last when he had to say to her: - -'Good-night, and good-bye, Miss Montgomerie. - -Yet Fate was not so cruel as to make them part thus, for through a -skilful manÅ“uvre executed by Miss Erroll--in compelling Hew to -hold a folio book of Indian photographs while the general explained -to her something therein--as Mary gave Cecil her hand, 'her soft, -white virgin hand, that had never touched aught to soil or harden -it,' he whispered hurriedly, and unheard by all save her: - -'Good-bye. Oh, my darling, my own Mary! How am I to live without -you, how make the time pass till we meet again--if ever?' - -And eye conveyed to eye and heart, a world that was alike unsaid and -unseen. - -Courtesy compelled him to shake the damp, limp hand of Hew, and the -shifty eyes of the latter looked radiant with malevolence and triumph. - - -Grey dawn was breaking, and save Mr. Tunley, the butler, and a sleepy -valet, all the household were sunk in slumber, when Falconer, after -an almost sleepless night, and feeling as if it must be some other -person and not himself that was about to depart, got into the -dog-cart with his portmanteaus and gun-case. - -A cold, chilly morning, the last day of January. The crocus formed a -golden band along the parterres of the terrace; a few snow-flakes -came aslant the dull grey sky, and the robin redbreast, his little -heart filled at least with hope, twittered and sung on the bare -spray, where the first buds of spring would soon be bursting. All -around the landscape looked dank and barren and dreary--unusually so -it seemed to Cecil's eye. - -Pate Pastern, a groom, drove the dog-cart. Hew had again flatly -declined to do so, saying overnight to Sir Piers that he 'didn't care -to drive a fellow like Falconer, a fellow so devilish sharp at cards, -and all that sort of thing, you know;' and the general had said -approvingly: - -'Of course not, of course not, my dear boy.' - -Cecil's mind was a prey to great bitterness in the conviction that he -was leaving Eaglescraig, as it seemed, for ever, and with no definite -plans, views, or hopes for the future. Was all this new love, this -new joy, to pass out of his life and out of hers as suddenly as it -had come to them? - -It seemed so! - -He had, he thought, done wrong in winning the heart of Mary -Montgomerie without the permission of her proud old guardian and -kinsman; but now he had little compunction for having done so, as -that permission would never have been accorded to him, and he felt -that his departure seemed a welcome move to all but her--a departure -permitted to pass coldly, and without even a well-bred expression of -regret. - -A farewell glance at the stately modern villa, and the grim old keep -that towered behind it, showed him their walls all reddened in the -early morning sun; the window-blinds close drawn, all closed as yet, -save one. His heart told him it was that of Mary's room. The sash -remained, of course, unlifted, but the blue silk curtain was -festooned back, and every pulse vibrated within him when he saw the -wave of a white handkerchief, just as the dog-cart went bowling down -the wooded avenue towards the highway. - -It was Mary's farewell to him. - -Would the strains of the sweet old story, that never tires, come to -their ears again? How would it all end between him and Mary -Montgomerie, or was it ended now? - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -IN SHADOW LAND. - -'I am truly glad for Hew's sake, and for Mary's sake, that he has -gone--gone ere it was too late!' thought Sir Piers, as he sat in his -easy-chair in the library that afternoon, when nothing remained of -Cecil Falconer at Eaglescraig but an aching pain in Mary's heart, and -in the avenue the ruts of the wheels that had borne him away. - -His recent conversation with Hew about the dread of a _mésalliance_ -made the old baronet's mind revert--as it too often did, bitterly and -unavailingly--to another _mésalliance_ in his family, which nearly -brought ruin--for such in the vanity of his soul he deemed -disgrace--upon the Montgomeries of Eaglescraig, who had for ages been -a power in the bailiwick of Cunninghame. - -'It seems a pity that we should disturb the stagnant waters of that -Dead Lake which men call the Past,' says Miss Braddon; but Sir Piers -was rather prone to do so; and now, as he sat gazing into the red, -clear, burning embers, they seemed to take divers shapes and forms, -quaint and curious pictures, of which, in reality, he saw little, for -his thoughts were treading upon each other fast, and in his dreamy -yet steadfast gaze there was a fixed, a far-off look--a look in -Shadowland. - -A childless old man, he was thinking of what was now, and all that -might have been, but for his own stubborn will and pride of heart. - -Some five-and-twenty years before this time, he had a son who had -been the pride of that heart, and valued all the more as being the -only child of a young and beautiful wife, after whose death he had -never married again, but sought relief from thought amid the wars of -British India. - -From his infancy young Piers had been petted in every way, and was in -some respects the spoiled child of the household. He grew up a -bright and handsome lad, full of intelligence and enthusiasm for -music and painting; but to dabble in these, even as an amateur, Sir -Piers deemed unworthy of his family, so in due time he had his son -gazetted to the Cameronians, then in garrison at Gibraltar. - -During the unhealthy season, which lasts there from July to November, -when the east winds come surcharged with moisture, young Piers was -seized with fever, and obtaining leave of absence, went to travel in -Italy, and his letters that came from thence to Eaglescraig, -detailing his adventures and journeys up Calabrian mountains and -through defiles in the Abruzzi, all indicative of returning health -and strength, filled the heart of his father with joy, as his son, -the heir of his house and name, was the veritable apple of his eye. - -His letters from Rome teemed with his enthusiasm about the objects of -history, the ruins of the past, and his ecstasies over the treasures -of the innumerable _studii_ of painting and sculpture; and then came -much about a painter whose acquaintance he had made at the Academy of -San Luca, and whose daughter was one of the most beautiful girls and -accomplished musicians in that city of pilgrimage to all lovers of -art. - -After this Sir Piers grew painfully and suspiciously conscious of the -fact that his son's correspondence became irregular, his epistles -constrained and brief, while more than one incidental reference to -the artist's handsome daughter caused alarm in the parental heart, -all the more as young Piers had said that her father, 'though a man -of humble origin, was an emperor among artists.' - -'Piers,' said the baronet to his confidential friend and local -factotum, John Balderstone, 'refers to this girl oftener than I quite -relish or like; and his letters are vague and odd as--if--as if--he -had something to conceal. I wish he were back to his regiment at -Gibraltar.' - -'Young men _will_ be young men,' replied the other; 'the girl may -have picked up some pretty tricks of foreign manners, and thus -interested him.' - -'There are four months of his leave to run; surely he will not spend -them all among these painter-fellows in Rome?' said the baronet, -grimly. - -For one moment, however, an idea of what was really the case never -entered the haughty mind of Sir Piers Montgomerie. He only feared an -entanglement--as a subaltern, he had often been in such scrapes -himself--but nothing _more_! - -And now a month elapsed without any letter from Rome, and genuine -anxiety filled the mind of Sir Piers, whom a temporary illness -confined at Eaglescraig, and prevented from coming swoop down upon -his son in the Eternal City, and seeing how 'matters were' for -himself. - -At that very time there arrived at a country hotel, within a few -miles of Eaglescraig, a young married pair, with a valet and a little -French soubrette. Both were singularly handsome--the lady, indeed, -was a very beautiful girl with minute and delicate features, dark -eyes and rich brown hair; and in her husband, whose face and figure -were alike striking, but for the ample beard he now wore, the people -of the hotel would have had little trouble in recognising young Piers -Montgomerie, for he it was, with his bride, the penniless daughter of -'the emperor among artists!' - -He was one who could scarcely fail to make himself agreeable to all -women, as he excelled in that half-flirting manner which some young -men can cultivate with skill; and borne away by a great love for the -girl on one hand, and dreading his father's opposition on the other, -he had married her clandestinely, and had now brought her with him to -Scotland, trusting that her beauty, sweetness, grace and virtue would -open the heart of his father to them both, and pardon the fact of his -having had, as he would have phrased it, a 'stolen march made upon -him.' - -The homeward journey had been but a portion of their honeymoon tour, -and safe in her young husband's love, the girl seemed to see only a -brilliant and happy, if somewhat vague, future. Aware of his -father's temper, spirit, and infatuated pride of family, young Piers -was not without some genuine anxiety as to the result, when the issue -of his rashness seemed so close at hand. - -'If your father is so proud as you say, Piers,' said the young -wife--still a bride--as she nestled her sweet face in his neck, and -his arm went caressingly round her, 'and if he will not forgive the -_mésalliance_ you have made with poor me----' - -'Well, my darling, what then?' - -'You may repent it,' said she, her dark eyes filling with tears, and -her voice trembling with anxiety. - -'Never, my own little wife--never! and by this time to-morrow I hope -to see you taking your place at his table, as the future mistress of -Eaglescraig; though long may the time be ere you are so, for my -father is a dear old fellow--twice my age, at all events!' - -The girl sighed softly, and hoped that all might be as they wished it. - -'Welcome back, my boy!' exclaimed Sir Piers next day, when his son -appeared (but alone) at Eaglescraig; 'why have you been so long in -writing me? Why do you come thus suddenly? and where is your -baggage? But how well you are looking; and, by Jove, you have a -beard like a Brahmin!' - -'I have a long story to tell you, sir, about all my adventures: one -in particular, that may take some time to tell----' - -'Then keep it till after dinner: let us have it with the Chateau -Margaux,' said Sir Piers, laughing; and being timidly willing to -delay till the last moment the revelation that was _inevitable_, his -son--even with the sweet face of her who, at that moment, was alone -in his memory--was glad of the little reprieve. - -Anxious to make a good impression, he made a more than usually -careful toilette in his own old and familiar room; but when he took -his seat at table, the presence of Tunley and the servants, and also -of John Balderstone, who had dropped in on business, and whom the -baronet had pressed to remain, precluded all reference to his secret -for a time, till the cloth was removed, the dessert laid, the -decanters ranged in rank-entire before the host, and Tunley was told -he might withdraw till rung for. - -'And now for your story, Piers,' said the elder Montgomerie: 'the -claret stands with you.' - -'I must first drink to you, and congratulate you on your promotion,' -replied his son. - -'Yes, I am full colonel now, Piers, and may fairly hope to be a -lieutenant-general some of these days. But now for the story,' he -repeated uneasily; 'I suppose John Balderstone may hear it?' - -'Of course, sir,' said Piers, coughing nervously, and twice draining -his large green claret-glass to gain time, while he felt that his -colour came and went, and his father's keen eyes were fixed upon him -with equal scrutiny and affection. - -Young Piers glanced at the stately table, with its massive plate, -glittering crystal, rich wines and luxuriant fruit, and thinking with -joy of her who would be the presiding goddess there to-morrow, told -his narrative in a manly and honest manner, yet not without some -trepidation of tone, while his father sat bolt upright in his chair, -staring at him with a face expressive of rage, incredulity, and -absolute grief, as if he felt that his only son and heir had gone -mad. Worthy John Balderstone also looked scared and bewildered. - -'And now, sir,' continued the son, despite the terrible frown that -deepened on his father's face, 'I have told you all, except my -darling's name.' - -'Her name be----! what is her name to me? Zounds, sir! I don't want -to hear it--the daughter of a beggarly painter--an adventuress--to -become in time Lady Montgomerie of Eaglescraig! No, sir, no; damme, -I'll break the entail; I'll--I'll----' - -Sir Piers for a few moments was literally choking with rage. - -'That my wife is poor and nameless, according to your mode of -thinking, father, is no fault of hers; her beauty is great, her -goodness and accomplishments are rarely surpassed, and surely you -will forgive us, we love each other so?' urged young Piers; and as he -spoke his heart was in his voice, and his very soul seemed welling -out of his fine dark eyes. - -'May the moment that I forgive you and her be my last on earth!' -thundered Sir Piers, smiting the table with his clenched hand; -'forgive you--not if I lived for a thousand years! Away--away! quit -my sight and never let me see your face again!' - -And literally he began to tutor himself to hate his son as much as he -had idolised him before. - -The latter rose from his chair; his handsome face seemed as if -petrified--turned to stone, and with the colour of stone, his nether -lip began to quiver painfully, for he too had a heart of fiery pride. - -Sir Piers rang the bell so furiously that he nearly rent the wires. - -'What are you about to do, sir?' asked his son. - -'I am about to expel you from this house for ever!' replied Sir -Piers. 'Order the waggonette which brought Mr. Montgomerie from his -hotel round from the stables instantly,' he added to the astonished -Tunley, whom the fierce summons--the bell was vibrating still--had -brought up like a genius of the lamp; 'never again is he to set foot -in the house which he has disgraced!' - -In vain did worthy John Balderstone attempt to act the peace-maker; -he was silenced by an imperious wave of the hand. - -'This vile adventuress, for I am sure she is such, shall not quite -gain her ends. I shall break the entail, if I can!' exclaimed Sir -Piers, with growing exasperation; 'by the God that hears me, I will!' - -'Father, see her once--only once--ere you judge of her so cruelly! -And, oh! let us not part thus! One day you may repent it,' urged his -son piteously, and yet not without some anger in his heart. - -'Repent it? never!' replied his father, with a wild and bitter laugh. -'Now then, Tunley, is that waggonette at the door?' - -'Yes, sir,' replied the butler, again appearing, and very much scared. - -'Go!' said Sir Piers to his son; 'as God is our judge, here for ever -ends all between us!' - -He turned and left the room by one door, while his son quitted it by -another, and from that moment the father and son met no more. The -latter's allowance was cut off; he got into debt, sold his -commission, and with his young wife eventually disappeared. Mr. -Balderstone was supposed to be cognisant of his movements for a time -under a false name; however, the general never inquired, and after a -year or so all traces of him were lost. - -Proud of his ancient race, incapable personally of a dishonourable -thought or guilty plan, his son's rash marriage, without his consent, -and with an obscure girl, filled his heart with a species of black -fury, and gave his face a look of repellent pride that was long its -settled expression. - -The fate of Piers became a kind of mystery--hidden; though it is the -fate of things in this world that, as a general rule, nothing is hid -for ever. - -There came a night which the general never forgot! It was the night -of an event which he related only to John Balderstone and one or two -others, confidential friends, who were now no longer in the land of -the living. - -On the night referred to, the lonely general, then creeping up the -vale of years, was seated in the library, lingering over his last -glass of grog, and gazing, as we last left him, into the glowing -embers; his thoughts wandered away from present things to the past in -spite of himself. He reviewed the things of old--forgotten sayings -and doings in camp and quarters, in the field and the Indian jungle; -the faces and the voices of the distant and the dead came back to -him, and among them, more powerfully than usual, the face and voice -of his lost son, Piers. - -There was no sound in the room but the steady and monotonous ticking -of a great antique clock on the black marble mantel-piece, and the -snoring of a Highland stag-hound stretched upon a deerskin before the -fire, unless we add that the night wind moaned shudderingly through a -coppice of red-stemmed Scottish firs, and the beech-trees swayed -drearily in the passing blast. - -A sudden sense of some one being near him--something intangible, -too--came over him; he seemed to hear a sigh, and brave though he -was, his heart felt as if dying within him, and the hair of his head -stood up, or a prickly sensation pervaded all his scalp. - -Beside his chair a kind of shadow seemed to form itself, and become, -with each pulsation of his pulses, more distinct in outline, till the -face and form of his son were before him--the former wasted and -pallid, his eyes full of sorrow and reproach. His hands seemed -unusually white, wan, and the articulations of the fingers were -painfully distinct, as those of one who had been wasted by fever, -toil, and want. - -A thousand maddening and terrifying thoughts seemed to whirl through -the general's brain. He strove to start from his chair, but remained -in it as if spellbound; he strove to cry aloud, but his voice failed -him, or the faint sound he did utter seemed unnatural, and filled him -with greater fear. - -For a moment or two the upbraiding spirit, if spirit it was, or a -creation of his own fevered fancy, stood before him, and then slowly -melted away. - -Sir Piers started to his feet. - -'I have been dreaming,' he said, with a kind of gasping sigh. 'A -plague on such dreams and fancies!' - -But something seemed to tell him it was _not_ a dream, and not a -fancy, and he remembered that in the pale and wasted hands of the -figure were a sheaf of small brushes such as artists use, and a -mahl-stick. Had Piers in his dire necessity betaken himself to art -to gain a livelihood? - -He sat for some time waiting and watching, in a state of awe, terror, -and intense anxiety, for the appearance to return, but it came no -more; but from that moment an assurance stole into his heart that his -son must be dead--that he perhaps died at that particular moment: and -then he began to think, and think, and think again, how hard and -pitiless he had been; and his handsome face grew older and more -lined, and wrinkles seemed to come where none were formed as yet. He -might have said with Balder: - - 'I have lived in the past, - As by a deathbed, with unwonted love, - And much forgiveness as we bring to those - Who can offend no more.' - - -So time passed on, and old age came upon him--a childless old age. - -His son was gone--he had no doubt of that! He had no nephew, no -cousin, or cousin's son, to succeed him in the lands that had been in -his family since the wars of Bruce and Wallace--yea, since Norwegian -Haco's banner fell on the field of Largs; and he began to fear that -his title would become extinct, when, in the 'Landed Gentry of Grat -Britain and Ireland,' he found that Sir Bernard Burke had assigned a -place to a certain Mr. Hew Montgomerie, then broiling in the Indian -Civil Service, proving that he was the nearest living relative of the -line of Eaglescraig. - -His lawyers speedily communicated with that amiable personage, whom -we have already introduced to the reader, and thus it is that he came -to be resident at Eaglescraig as heir of entail, and to the baronetcy. - -The poor old general strove his hardest to like Hew, who also strove -sedulously, and pretty skilfully, to keep his many bad qualities -secret from him; but often when Sir Piers was in his thoughtful or -sad moods, he would ask Mary to sing to him certain old songs that -were associated in some way with the long-lost Piers, and as her soft -voice went to the old man's heart, and her pretty hands strayed over -the piano-keys, she 'soothed him to peace,' as Mrs. Garth was wont to -say, 'as the harp of David had soothed King Saul with the holy spell -of sweet music;' but it was a spell that always sent the thoughts of -Sir Piers to wander in Shadow-land. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -LESLIE FOTHERINGHAME. - -'Welcome back to Dumbarton, where I have been somewhat rather of a -hermit since you left it--welcome back to pipeclay and all the "pomp, -pride, and circumstance of glorious war!" The decanter is beside -you, and I think there are some prime havannas left in that box. So, -now, let us be jolly,' exclaimed Leslie Fotheringhame, as Falconer -seated himself in the quarters of the former, a curious-looking, -old-fashioned room--the same that had been occupied by the little -Queen Mary in her twelfth year (ere she sailed to France, after the -battle of Pinkie)--one of the oldest parts of the castle. - -Falconer cast himself with an air of weariness into an easy-chair, -though his journey from Eaglescraig had not been a very long one. - -'What about our fellows, Fotheringhame?' he asked, manipulating a -cigar. - -'The detachment?' - -'Yes.' - -'There is not much to report; two fellows are in "the shop" for -absence from parade; one in the cells, for being drunk and -disorderly; and little Fuddie, the drummer, has cut his stick--or -sticks, should I say? Probably finding, as Sterne has it, that "the -honour of beating a drum was likely to be its own reward," he has -taken French leave and bolted. If caught, we should duck the fellow -in the Clyde, but for the seventh clause of the sixth section on -"Discipline," which prevents the adoption of punishments in -detachments that are at variance with those in use at headquarters.' - -Falconer continued to smoke in silence, so Fotheringhame spoke again. - -'England expects every man to do his duty--but as cheaply as -possible--for next to nothing, in fact; so, after your late -surroundings, the luxury of my quarters will fail to impress you as -either being useful or ornamental--as a certain poem has it, here -are-- - - '"Apparatus for washing: a pail and a can, - Part of an Army List, half of a fan, - A fawn-coloured glove, a lock of false hair-- - Both highly prized gifts from some lady fair; - A case of blunt razors, a shako and plume; - A fishing-rod, shot-belt, rifle, and broom; - An invite to dinner, the card of a priest, - A sketch of the colonel described as 'a beast.'"' - - -While Fotheringhame ran on laughingly thus, Falconer was silent and -pre-occupied, or replied only by a faint smile. - -Leslie Fotheringhame was a handsome man, but of a different type from -Cecil Falconer. He was taller and more squarely built, with deep-set -and grave dark-blue eyes, the expression of which generally belied -his merry manner; he was dark-haired, with a firm mouth, a clear dark -skin and ponderous black moustache. His manner was ever honest, -frank, and pleasant; and though his turn of mind was somewhat -cynical--as if he had met with some disappointment in life--his face -at times wore a smile that lit it up like a sunbeam. - -Though junior to Cecil Falconer in the regiment, he was his senior by -some years; for he had once been a captain of Lancers, but sold his -troop, no one knew why, and afterwards obtained a non-purchase -commission in the Cameronians. He was also greatly Cecil's senior in -experience. He was wont to boast that he had, by a fluke, escaped -the perilous meshes of matrimony, though the mess rather opined that -he had been disappointed, 'thrown over,' by some girl, though none -exactly knew the story. - -'What is doing at headquarters?' asked Falconer. - -'Birkie of that Ilk has sent in his papers.' - -'Birkie--why?' - -'Lost a pot of money on a hurdle-race at Streatham--it's a step in -the regiment; but everyone is very, sorry for poor Birkie. Acharn -has got into a scrape with a widow, whose husband suddenly turned up, -so he has gone on leave, to be out of the way, and Freeport too.' - -'Freeport--what was Dick up to?' - -'He proposed to three sisters in one night--all the daughters of a -commandant of one of those confounded brigade depots, and hearing -that the adjutant might be sent for his sword, Dick was off like a -bird by an early train for London. But we all know that Dick has an -engagement-ring with a blue stone, which he gives to some girl -everywhere, yet contrives to get back in a lover's quarrel when the -route comes.' - -To Fotheringhame it was apparent that his friend had come back to -Dumbarton in a somewhat taciturn mood--cloudy in face and abstracted -in manner. - -'What the dickens has happened?' thought he. - -'Was our colonel--the old general--kind?' he asked. - -'Very,' was the curt reply. - -'And the ladies--kinder still, I suppose?' hazarded Fotheringhame, -lying back in his chair and shooting concentric rings of -tobacco-smoke upward. 'No answer--eh? Now, apropos of the subject -of your remarkable letter, I hope that you have left Eaglescraig -without committing yourself?' - -'I played no more with that fellow Hew.' - -'I am not thinking of Hew.' - -'Committing myself--how?' - -'By a proposal.' - -'What had I to offer a girl so rich as Mary Montgomerie--an heiress, -in fact?' - -'All that a girl wants in a husband, I suppose--a deuced good-looking -and presentable fellow of his inches.' - -'I could never sink to be a dependent on my wife, Leslie. Had Mary -been penniless----' - -'Oh, come--we have got the length of calling her Mary, have we?' - -'Had she been so, I might not have shrunk from asking her to share my -poverty--for such it is; but her fortune is an impassable barrier -between us--and I would to heaven that I had never set foot in -Eaglescraig!' - -'This is rather Quixotic,' said Fotheringhame, sipping his brandy and -water, and humming-- - - '"'Tis madness to remember--'twere better to forget."' - - -'Moreover, if she marries without her guardian's consent, "then in -that case," as the will has it, her money passes from her.' - -'You seem to have had all the details through hand,' said -Fotheringhame, drily. - -'Not with her, at all events.' - -'And she is attractive?' - -'Attractive is not the word--she is downright lovely, and good as she -is lovely! But her guardian, the general, has decided on plans for -her future.' - -'A peerage.' - -'Not at all. He resolves that she shall marry the cub called Hew -Montgomerie, who is the heir of entail--a kind of distant cousin.' - -'Does--Mary affect him?' asked Fotheringhame, with a quizzical smile. - -'Not at all! But I cannot tell you how much she has bewitched me.' - -'Aware all the while of the plan in store for her.' - -'I know what a sceptic you are about women, Leslie; but her face is -ever before me, by day and night. I can see it now looking at me, -out of that blank barrack wall, as plainly as I see yours. She has -indeed bewitched me!' - -Fotheringhame looked at the wall indicated, shrugged his shoulders, -and said, with a provoking laugh: - -'I can't help thinking, old fellow, that the girl has been amusing -herself with you, from the details you give me, and that a flirtation -was all she wanted.' - -'Fotheringhame!' - -'Don't get excited. I am sure that, like other dear creatures, - - 'Her feet are so very little, - Her hands are so very white; - Her jewels are so very heavy, - Her head so very light; - Her colour is made of cosmetics, - Though this she never will own; - Her body's made mostly of cotton, - Her heart is made wholly of stone.' - - -'This may apply to some goddess of yours,' said Falconer, becoming -seriously ruffled; 'but as for me----' - -'There will be no more larks or rows,' continued Fotheringhame, -laughing; 'no more chance medley flirtations at picnics or lawn -tennis, or even in the conservatory; our mind, or what is left of it, -must run only on one ideal, and on presents of dainty gloves for -lovely little hands, books and bouquets, chains, lockets, and -bracelets, pressure of the taper fingers, perhaps even a chaste kiss, -as Byron has it----' - -'By Jove, Leslie, how you can gabble!' said Falconer, but without a -smile, for something peculiarly uncomfortable and damping in the -closing details of his visit to Eaglescraig haunted him. - -Perceiving this, Fotheringhame's banter ceased, and after a pause he -said: - -'Pardon me, Cecil, if my jokes annoy you; but if she does not wish to -marry this fellow Hew, why should she?' - -'Why?' - -'Yes; no power can compel her. The day is passed when girls can be -married against their will, except in novels. There may be, I am -aware, a mild system of domestic pressure, a steady and persevering -domestic tyranny, quite as mischievous in the end, sometimes, as the -brute force of the terrible old baron or stern parent of the Middle -Ages; and I have even known more than one case in which the feeble -opposition of a girl has been foiled under the powerful home-current, -as it flowed on and bore her away with it.' - -'By Jove, Leslie, you _are_ a Job's comforter! And now, by-the-bye, -there is another girl at Eaglescraig of whom I have not yet spoken--a -lady on a visit.' - -'And your mind was divided between them?' - -'Not at all, though the beauty and style of Annabelle Erroll are -indescribable.' - -'_Who_ did you say?' exclaimed Leslie Fotheringhame, as his voice and -face changed curiously, he took the cigar from his lips and sat bolt -upright in his chair. - -'Annabelle Erroll; she knows you, by the way, and I hope the general -will, in turn, invite you to Eaglescraig.' - -'I hope not,' said Fotheringhame, sadly and fervently; 'by Jove, I -hope not!' - -'Why?' - -'Why? Because I would not go under any circumstances or pressure, -from what you tell me.' - -'As to what, or whom? Hew Montgomerie?' - -'Hew be hanged! No.' - -'Who then?' - -'Annabelle Erroll,' said Fotheringhame, uttering the name sadly, -softly, and with unction. - -'So, thereby hangs a tale.' - -'Yes, old fellow--a devil of a tale I would rather not unfold.' - -'Then you have had your little weakness too?' - -'Of course; I've been in love like other--fools; who has not?' - -Cecil Falconer, however, was too full of his own affair to ponder -long over the mysterious intimacy that existed, or had existed, -between Annabelle Erroll and Leslie Fotheringhame. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -SEPARATED. - -Though grievously disappointed that his late guest should have proved -the gamester Hew described him to be, and not ill-pleased to have a -rival of the latter at a distance from Eaglescraig, Sir Piers, to do -him justice, in the kindness of his heart, missed his friend, the -genial young officer, who had been so patient a listener to those -dreary Indian reminiscences, over which Hew openly groaned and -secretly swore. - -Mrs. Garth and Annabelle Erroll missed him for his musical -accomplishments and conversational qualities, and poor Mary missed -him more than all, while her aversion to Hew became more undisguised -than ever, and he spitefully retorted by saying more than once in her -hearing that 'a deuced good lesson had been taught Sir Piers never -again to invite, without a due and accredited introduction, any -chance-medley fellow to Eaglescraig.' - -Her manner to his heir at last drew upon her the animadversion of Sir -Piers. - -'My dear girl,' said he to her one day, 'I must remonstrate with you, -as the betrothed wife of Hew.' - -'Betrothed! by whom?' asked Mary, with mingled gravity and anger. - -'By me, my darling; as such, I say, you owe him some duty, and some -respect, and a deference to his opinions. School yourself to love -him properly in the time to come, and not distress your poor old -grand-uncle and guardian, who loves you so well for your dead -parents' sake.' - -'I do not, and cannot love him!' said the girl, wearily. - -'Not now, you think; but in time, Mary, in the good time to come,' he -continued, stroking her rich, dark hair caressingly, as if she were -yet a little child; and when he adopted a pleading tone and manner, -rather than those of authority and command, she felt a deeper emotion -of pain and annoyance. - -'There is no necessity for having romantic notions, or being -desperately fond of your intended husband. The notions and the love -will come in due time after marriage,' said the old man, who had -well-nigh forgotten all about his own early love and marriage, which -had come to pass so long ago. 'You have wealth, Mary.' - -'What is wealth, if linked with unhappiness?' - -'Hew will make you a good husband; if he did not--if he did not!' and -the general paused, and grasping the knob of his arm-chair, looked -unutterable things at the idea of such a contingency. 'As I have -said a hundred times since he came from India, with your fortune -added to what I shall leave--all going to Hew as heir of entail--the -future baronet of Eaglescraig will, in wealth, be second to none, -richer by far than half the peerage; and marry you cannot, without my -permission.' - -'But to marry when one cannot love is--is----' - -'What, girl?' asked Sir Piers, peevishly, for he had not again -referred to the suspected fancy for Cecil Falconer, though his mind -was full of it. - -'Falsehood and dishonesty, rank injustice, and shameful!' - -'Well--anything more?' he continued angrily. - -'Yes--destruction of soul and body, perhaps.' - -'Mary, you do not look beyond the present,' said Sir Piers, with -growing sternness, to find his pet scheme so vigorously opposed; -'hence it is my imperative duty to do that for you, and with a firm -will and resolute hand to scheme out a happy future.' - -'How miserably had he schemed out the future of his poor dead son!' -thought Mrs. Garth, as she led Mary away in tears and anger. - -Meanwhile, if Hew looked upon himself as the future lord and master -of Mary Montgomerie and her thousands, still more surely did he look -upon himself as the future laird, lord, and master of Eaglescraig and -all that appertained thereto; and while impatiently looking forward -to the day of his succession, gave himself, unknown to Sir Piers, -such airs with old and valued adherents, such as John Balderstone the -factor, Tunley the aged butler, whose taste in wine he scouted; Pate -Pastern the head groom, who was cognisant of some of his tricks on -the turf; old Sandy Swanshott the head keeper, with even Mrs. Garth -and others, that, certes, he won anything but golden opinions from -all! - -Between him and John Balderstone there was a species of smouldering -feud. The latter loved and revered Sir Piers, and always winced when -Hew showed, as he had the coarseness and ill-feeling to do, that he -actually prayed for the sudden or premature arrival of the time when -he should figure as Sir Hew Montgomerie; premature it could scarcely -be now, though the hale old man seemed to have years of life in him -yet. - -Mr. Balderstone was not slow in perceiving how Hew disliked their -late visitor, Cecil Falconer, and thus was disposed to vaunt his -praises in the mere spirit of opposition. - -'I can't perceive the fellows' merits in any way,' growled Hew with -an oath, as they entered the smoking-room one evening. - -'That I can very well believe,' replied the old gentleman, drily. - -'How--why?' demanded Hew, suspecting something in his tone. - -'Plainly, then, to do so would argue the existence of what you do not -possess.' - -'What is that--perception?' - -'No.' - -'What then?' - -'Some refinement of taste,' replied Mr. Balderstone, his dark grey -eyes beaming as he made a home-thrust, for which Hew quickly revenged -himself in a fashion of his own, causing the portly Mr. Balderstone, -as he seated himself, to spring up with a malediction. - -'What the devil is the row?' asked Hew. - -'Only this, sir, that you have placed a pair of sharp jack-spurs upon -the chair you so politely accorded me!' - -'And you have a sanguinary sense of sitting down on the rowels--eh?' -said Hew, laughing heartily, and not even attempting an apology, -while his shifty eyes now beamed with delight. - -'I presume these spurs are a present to you, from your friend Mr. -Welsher Twigg, the gentleman rider, whose peculiar riding so favoured -you at Ayr and York last year,' said Mr. Balderstone, with some -contempt of manner, while Hew's parti-coloured eyes now gleamed with -rage, for it was averred on the turf, that bribed by him, the rider -in question, when pretending to give a horse a bucket of water, -daubed his nostrils with blood, to make people believe the animal had -broken a blood vessel, and had secretly loosened the nails in the -shoes of another, at a hurdle-race, to prevent him winning. - -As these black rumours had never reached the ear of Sir Piers, Mr. -Balderstone felt that he had 'scored one' by the taunt; but in a time -to come, and by both unforeseen then, he was to run up a terrible and -crushing score against Hew Montgomerie, with a result that neither -could have imagined. - -Slowly passed the days now with Mary. The spacious house was full of -new guests, and pleasant ones too, but it seemed dull and dreary, -since _he_ was no longer there. His place was vacant. The click of -balls came from the billiard-room, and the sound of merry voices, but -his was no longer there, or at her piano now. All seemed changed to -Mary. Sir Piers never adverted to his visit, his name or his -existence; and scarcely ever to the old and invariable topic of the -Cameronians. - -Why was this? Did he suspect their secret, or was Hew the spirit of -evil? She could not doubt that; and her sympathetic friend Annabelle -Erroll, who was a close observer of affairs, and had all Mary's -confidence, thought so too. - -But Annabelle Erroll had thoughts that were peculiarly her own, over -the departure of Cecil Falconer. - -'He has gone from me to Leslie,' she said to herself; 'to Leslie -Fotheringhame, to tell him that he has spent a whole month with me--a -month in my society, and I have given no sign that Leslie's existence -was ever aught to me--at least, I hope so--and yet there was a time -when I was all the world to him! Yes--yes--it is indeed over and -done with, the love that was once ours. Will Leslie ask him how I am -looking?' (she glanced at her soft blonde beauty in the mirror). 'Or -how I am comporting myself--sadly or merrily?--if I am unchanged from -the Annabelle of the time that can come no more?' - -For some mysterious reason she had not taken her friend Mary into her -confidence at first, when Fotheringhame's name was spoken of; and now -she shrunk from doing so, lest she might seem wanting in candour; -and, as the love she referred to was 'over and done with,' what -mattered it now?' - -And yet often Mary might have drawn such a confidence from her. - -'Oh, Annabelle,' she would sometimes say, 'so quick is fancy, that -occasions there are when I see a figure like Cecil's in the -distance--the figure of some one else, whose walk or gesture recalls -him vividly to me--that I feel something like a sharp pang in my -heart.' - -As days passed on and became weeks, Mary's movements and manner -became languid, and all her old occupations, if not neglected, were -pursued with a weary indifference. She had lost interest even in -being dressed to perfection, as she had always been, and spent hours -in the seclusion of her own room, or exclusively in the society of -Annabelle Enroll. - -Her eyes lost their clear brilliance and became heavy in expression; -her usually gentle and playful manner was changed for petulance and -irritability, all signs of where and how her thoughts were--signs -which Hew watched with jealous rage, and loving, old Sir Piers with -unaffected solicitude, mingled with bitterness at Falconer, and at -himself for that which he now deemed his own fantastic idea of -_camaraderie_ and old military hospitality. - -'Never again,' he would mutter to himself, 'never again will I play -the fool! Hew is right--Hew is right!' - -His pet from her orphan childhood, his artless, father-like -experience of her, had, until quite recently, prevented him from -remarking that she was no longer a baby-faced girl, but a grown -woman--a bird that might leave him for another nest--and then a kind -of nervous thrill went through his heart, when he thought a love for -another might take possession of her; and thus he became doubly -anxious to secure her for Hew. - -'How pale and ill you look, my darling!' said Mrs. Garth to her, at -the close of a day that had seemed a long and dreary one to Mary. - -'What matters it?' said she, petulantly; 'Cecil cannot see me now,' -she added mentally, as her eyes wandered through the window to the -wooded walk that led to the grotto--the grotto where Cecil had first -told her of his love, and where his lips had touched hers for the -first and last time, and the host of tender recollections that -hallowed the place flowed full upon her memory. 'Why are some people -sent into this world only to be miserable!' sighed the lovely -heiress, while surrounded by every luxury that world could furnish. -'I wonder if we ever lived before and were happy--or if we shall live -again, and be happier still! Who can tell--who knows?' - -Then tenderly and fondly she recalled the words of Cecil, when he -spoke to her of the mysterious sympathy that, in his solitary -moments, had seemed to link his soul, or existence, with that of -another, and could she doubt now that it was her own! - -And with this idea, a tender and loving expression would steal over -her delicate _mignonne_ face. - -'Rouse yourself, my darling,' Mrs. Garth would say, 'ride or -drive--read or work.' - -'Read--read! I hate books now--I hate crewel-work, music, -everything!' she replied, almost snappishly; 'dear old Garthy, I am -no longer a schoolgirl, and I never, at any time, was one cut to the -Hannah More pattern.' - -She had learned from his own lips how Cecil loved her; but now Cecil -was gone and never could return, and all her little world seemed -sunless and cold--dark and desolate. She was no longer alternately -amused and petulant, coquettish and light-hearted, for a settled -moodiness had come over her--the gloom of sorrow, not anger; and -though no one, not even Annabelle, surprised her in tears, her eyes -sometimes bore unmistakable traces of recent weeping. - -A wild longing would, at times, come over her to see Cecil again--to -hear his voice--to know what he was doing, or with whom he was at -that particular moment; but the days passed vaguely and drearily on, -while she thought of him, dreamt of him, talked in fancy to him, and -wove such romances about him and herself, as only a young girl can -weave. - -He was not very distant from her after all, and yet he might, so far -as their intercourse was concerned, have been at the Antipodes; for -no tidings, no news of him, ever came to Eaglescraig, and at last, to -Mary, it began to seem as if the sweet bright chapter in her life, -about Cecil Falconer, was utterly ended! - -And probably she would never love again, she thought; for that she -had given him was the one love of a lifetime. - -But the general and Mrs. Garth thought they knew better; and that her -ailment was only a girlish fancy, that naturally would pass away and -be forgotten. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -ANNABELLE ERROLL. - -Now Leslie Fotheringhame, though disposed at first to be somewhat -reticent on the subject of his previous intimacy with Annabelle -Erroll, after a time confided their mutual story to Cecil Falconer. - -Thrown together as he and the latter were, in that lonely and -isolated fort, the whole garrison of which, besides their own -detachment, consisted only of a master gunner and a few old -pensioners, it was natural that they should have their mutual -confidences over their after-dinner cigars, and thus Falconer heard -all about it from Fotheringhame. - -'You see, old fellow, it came to pass in this way. - -'My troop of Lancers was quartered in Perth Barracks, while the -head-quarters were stationed at Piershill. I soon tired of all the -little gaieties afforded by the Fair City; but the season was summer, -and the Tay afforded me endless amusement for fly-fishing and -boating; and, as one of my subs was on leave and the other on the -sick-list, I was somewhat thrown on my own resources. - -'I had a swift light shallop, in which I used to pull daily, when the -tide or stream served, from the bridge upward past the wooded slopes -of Kinnoull, and away for miles amid the loveliest and most luxuriant -sylvan scenery in the world. - -'One day the heat was very great, and, ceasing to row, I lay back in -the stern-sheets of my boat, with a cigar between my lips, and let -her float, lazily, on the current of the stream, which flowed between -its wooded banks deeply, silently, and majestically. On every hand -around me were a long series of varied hills covered with picturesque -foliage of every shade of green, the vista everywhere terminated by -the more remote mountains, the rich tints of which were softened in -the blue haze and by the distance. - -'At a bend of the river my boat partially grounded, but I felt too -lazy to shove off, and lay there under the shadows cast upon the -bright stream by the overreaching elms, oaks, and silver birches, -among the blended foliage of which the blue doves were cooing, and -where the wild violets and jasmine grew close to the water's-edge. -On all the river I thought there could be no lovelier spot than this. -Save the stillness of its flow, and the hum of the mountain honey-bee -among the wild flowers of the wood, in and out of the gueldre-roses -and foxglove-bells, there was no sound in the air, as I lay there in -a kind of daydream, with my arms resting idly on my sculls, till the -voice of a girl, singing close by, roused me at once to attention. - -'Sweetly she sung, and seemed to give her whole soul and pathos to -the song. She thought no ear save her own was within hearing; but -for a time the singer remained unseen by me. - - '"'Love me always--love me ever,' - Said a voice low, sad, and sweet; - 'Love me always--love me ever,' - Memory will the words repeat." - - -'And in truth, Falconer, I give them by an effort of memory now, it -is so long since I heard and read them: - - '"While in fancy still beside me, - Is her fair and graceful form; - And I hear the murmured love-words, - Gushing from her heart so warm." - - '"From her heart, subdued by sorrow, - In its fond and trusting youth, - Till she trembles lest the morrow - Rob some idol of its--truth?" - - -'A slight impetus which I gave my boat with one of the sculls, -brought me quite suddenly to the very feet of the singer, as she -stood on the edge of the stream, embowered among foliage, and shaded -by the light aspen-like sprays of the silver birches, regarding me -with some surprise, for my boating costume, I dare say, was novel in -that quarter, and seeming irresolute as to whether she should -retire--any way, advance she could not. - -'I saw at a glance that the girl was just at that age which is -between childhood and maidenhood, that she was perfectly lady-like, -delicate in form and figure, and possessed of rare beauty of the -fairest, or blonde type; her hair of the lightest brown, and shot -with gold that made it brilliant in the flakes of sunlight that -flashed between the trees; her eyes, of dark-grey blue, had brows and -lashes so dark as to impart great character to her otherwise soft and -_mignonne_ face; but you know well who I am describing. - -'She had a bunch of wild-flowers in one hand; the other grasped the -ribbons of her tiny hat, which she was swinging to and fro, as she -had come through the wood bareheaded, and was evidently not far from -her home. - -'"Pardon me," said I, lifting my cap, "but I am afraid that I am -rather a trespasser here." - -'"Not at all, sir; the river is free to everyone." - -'"But I have been almost ashore, and is not that presuming too far?" -I asked again, only for the pleasure of conversing with her. - -'"Oh no," she replied, with a charming smile. - -'"But I have disturbed you, I fear." - -'"How?" - -'"I heard you singing--need I say, how sweetly!" - -'"An old song, quoted from some old book, but the melody far -surpasses the words." - -'"Yes, as sung by your voice," said I, gallantly. - -'"What a pretty boat yours is! Have you rowed far?" - -'"All the way from the bridge." - -'"You must be weary, otherwise I would ask you----" - -'She blushed and paused. - -'"I am not at all weary, and am every way at your service." - -'"Oh, thanks; will you row to the other side, and bring me some of -the lovely--" - -'She mentioned some peculiar kind of fern. - -'"Permit me to row you across, and you can select them for yourself." - -'Her eyes sparkled with pleasure, but she hesitated. - -'"You mistrust a stranger," said I; "and perhaps your papa might be -displeased--" - -'"Poor papa is dead; but mamma would, I know, be angry. She is full -of strict and strange notions; thus I can never venture far alone." - -'"But the distance is so short--" - -'"And she is always busy at this hour." - -'"Come, then." - -'She confidingly put her little hand in mine, sprang with charming -grace lightly into the cushioned seat astern, and exclaimed with -girlish delight: - -'"What a lovely boat! How delicious this is! Though we live only a -mile from the Tay, I have never had a row on it." - -'"Permit me to give you a little one now," said I, assuming my -sculls, and shot the boat out into mid-stream. I regarded her beauty -with growing admiration and pleasure; but my Lancer experiences -caused the thought to occur, could she be so innocent, so utterly -guileless as she seemed? - -'Some ferns were speedily selected, and uprooted by my knife, also -some magnificent water-lilies from a pool under the trees; and, as -she seemed thoroughly to enjoy herself upon the sunlit river, I -pulled her to and fro, near the silver birches where I first met her, -and she chatted away to me as if she had known me for months. That -she was a lady in birth and breeding was indisputable; her accent was -highly cultivated and her manners refined, and everything about the -girl betokened gentle blood; but there was an artlessness combined -with girlish abandon about her, that made me curiously and -uncharitably suspicious, while deeply and suddenly interested in her. -Thus I said, after a pause, while letting the boat drift with the -current, and keeping the blades of my sculls just out of the water: - -'"You do me great honour, and must have singular confidence in me, a -stranger, that you trust yourself with me thus." - -'"How we glide!" exclaimed the girl, with childish glee. "Oh, I -could sail here for ever!" - -'"What would mamma think, if she knew it?" - -'"Being with you?" - -'"Yes." - -'"I scarcely know what she would think; but I know what she would -_do_," was the reply. - -'"Admonish you?" - -'"Yes; and lock me up for days to come. But I can see, of course, -that you are a gentleman." - -'"Thanks for the compliment." - -'"But it is difficult to say what else; your costume is so unlike -anyone we see hereabout." - -'I wore simply a rowing suit of white flannel, trimmed and faced with -blue, with a skull-cap to match. - -'"I am a Lancer," said I. - -'"A Lancer!" she repeated, while her blue eyes dilated. - -'"Yes; I command the troop in Perth Barracks." - -'I could see that the information pleased her, for her colour rose -and she looked aside; and again I pondered as to whether she was the -hoyden by nature I suspected. - -'"I must return home now," she said suddenly, as if she read my -thoughts in my face. - -'"So soon?" I urged, pleadingly. - -'"Yes; and thanks, so much, for your row--it has been delightful." - -'"I shall be so glad to row you further next time." - -'"You talk as if you expected to see me again--as if it were quite a -matter of course." - -'"I can only hope to do so," said I, handing her ashore and retaining -her little, ungloved hand, lingeringly in mine; "but I row past here -every day, _at the same hour_." - -'"Good-bye," said she, about to turn away. - -'"May I ask your name?" said I, cap in hand. - -'"Annabelle Erroll." - -'"Why do you start so?" she asked laughingly, and, tripping up the -bank, vanished among the white stems of the silver birches, leaving -her ferns in the boat behind her. - -'Start! Well might I do so; for I now discovered that she was my -cousin, the daughter of a widowed maternal Aunt Annabelle, with whom -my parents had ever been at enmity, about some money quarrel, with -her husband, Colonel Erroll--an aunt whom I had never met, and of -whose existence I had but a vague idea. - -'My cousin she was, and proud, greedy old Uncle Erroll's daughter! I -would rather not have heard this; for the girl's rare beauty -attracted me powerfully on one hand, while the transmitted stories of -the family feud--stories which in boyhood made me regard the colonel -and his wife as an ogre and ogress--on the other, had a fatal effect -upon me. - -'That her mother yet kept up the feud, was evident from the -circumstance that she had never mentioned to Annabelle the fact, -which she must have known, that I commanded the Lancers at the -barrack within a few miles of their own house. Yet to have done so -would have served no end; though I thought not of that. - -'Would the young girl understand, or accept, my _hint_? - -'When, on the following day, I betook me to the bend of the river in -my boat, she was not there. I waited long, and reluctantly pulled -away with a certain emotion of pique. But, on the _next_ day again, -at the same hour, I saw her light skirt flitting among the silver -birches, and at once crept inshore. I had cut some fresh fern roots -for her, in place of those she had forgotten. - -'"Ah, how thoughtful and kind of you," she exclaimed, as she gave me -her hand, and allowed me to lead her on board, quite as a matter of -course. - -'"You will have a little row to-day?" said I. - -'"A very tiny one it must be, then; I am so afraid of mamma," she -replied; and in another minute we were skimming over the silvery -water. - -'"Have you mentioned to your mamma your meeting with me?" I inquired. - -'"With you--a stranger? Oh, I dare not, Captain Fotheringhame." - -'"You know my name, then!" - -'"I saw in a newspaper, by the merest chance, that you were a guest -of Lord Rothiemay's." - -'For certain cogent reasons of my own, I could not help colouring -like a great schoolboy at this peer's name, as I had been involved in -something closer than a mere flirtation with a daughter of his; but -in the present instance, while feeling already inclined to be rather -cousinly, I resolved to remain incog. as long as I could. I knew -that she would not mention my name at home, and so resolved to -abandon myself to the perilous charm of her society during the -absence of the Rothiemays in London. I admit freely that I was -wrong, selfish in this, and severely was I punished in the end. - -'This second day on the river was succeeded by many others, during -which I gave myself completely up to the fascination of my new -companion, who was so bright, quaint, and _spirituelle_, and full of -enthusiasm for music, flowers, scenery, and everything, that she was -unlike any other girl I had ever met--more than all, most unlike in -style of beauty and manner the stately and patrician daughter of -Rothiemay. - -The boat, in the blaze of the sunshine, was drifting with the -current; my sculls in the rowlocks rested on my knees; my cigar, the -place and time, disposed me for luxurious reverie; and opposite me -sat this beautiful girl, her hat beside her, her golden hair and fair -face shaded by her parasol, while she sang in a low voice her song, -"Love me always--love me ever," her eyes fixed dreamily on the wooded -shore the while. - -'"Annabelle," said I, softly. - -'"Who gave you leave to call me by that name?" she asked, pouting. - -'"Is it not your name?" - -'"Yes, Captain Fotheringhame." - -'"And a very pretty one; yet not even pretty enough for you. Why may -I not call you by it?" - -'"It sounds odd on your lips--already." - -'"But not unpleasant, I hope?" - -'She laughed, but became silent, and glanced at me shyly under her -long lashes--shyly, and yet at times I thought half invitingly, half -defiantly, too. Was the girl acting or not? I felt inclined to love -her one moment, and simply and selfishly to amuse myself with her the -next, heedless, perhaps, of whether the poor girl might learn to love -me or not. - -'I was a young fellow then, Falconer--save in experience, I am not an -old fellow yet--but she was younger still, a very girl, on the -borders between childhood and womanhood, the "sweet seventeen" of the -inevitable love story. I was playing with fire, and so was she; and -in teaching her to love me, I forgot all about an entanglement -elsewhere, and gave myself up to the romance and intoxication of the -time and the episode. So we met and dreamed on day by day, and she -was so brilliantly happy that her soft face at times seemed to be -singularly brightened by the very gladness of her heart; for it seems -so natural for a young girl to mingle something of idolatry with her -first love. - -'It did occur to me that our love--hers, at least--was somewhat of -the rash and romantic Romeo and Juliet, passionate and unreasoning -kind; while she was as young and innocent as I was exacting, and even -suspicious that she was perfectly artless. I pondered over the words -of Shakespeare: "Love sought is good; but given unsought is better;" -and I was cynic, casuist, and egotist enough to doubt this. - -'When I kissed her, it seemed each time as if all my soul went out to -her with that kiss; and yet--what idiosyncrasy of the heart was it -that made me wish to have that kiss recalled! - -'"I seem to have no wish or desire in the world ungratified," she -whispered to me, as she nestled her head on my shoulder, while the -boat drifted with the current under the tremulous shade of the silver -birches, and the Tay rippled placidly past them. - -'"You are so happy, Annabelle?" - -'"I never thought to be so happy as I am now, Leslie; I could even -die with your arms round me! But--but are you satisfied to have such -an ignorant little girl for your wife?" - -'_Wife_! I had not proposed yet; and the word roused me to a selfish -consciousness of the rashness of the whole affair, and so instead of -replying I gave her a tender caress, and said: - -'"You are too good for me, Annabelle!" - -'"I can scarcely believe it--you so handsome, so rich--a captain of -Lancers, and all that! Oh, Leslie, God forbid you should ever cease -to love me less than you do!" - -'This crisis in my river-cruising roused me to think of what I was -about; and still more was I roused when at the barracks I found a -letter from Lord Rothiemay awaiting me with an invitation to spend a -few days at his place. But to leave my troop then was impossible, -thus I wrote thanking his lordship, and proposing simply to gallop -over on an evening named to dinner, and as I despatched the missive, -the face and figure of his daughter Blanche came reproachfully before -me. - -'I have already referred to an entanglement--it was simply that, -though no promise had been given, I deemed myself all but engaged to -Blanche Gordon, who, some months before this time had enchanted and -spell-bound me. She was, indeed, a beautiful girl, and is a -beautiful woman now, tall, slender, and graceful--a finished creature -in every way, and wielding every natural and acquired accomplishment -with consummate and yet unapparent art. - -'She had given me every reason to believe that the passion with which -she had inspired me was reciprocated, and we had only parted with the -mutual hope, apparently, of meeting again; hence there seemed an -absolute necessity for breaking off my philandering on the river. It -is said that a man cannot love two women at once; and yet my heart -ached for Annabelle and the grief that was before her. - -'By some sophistry I nursed myself into the idea that I, rather than -she, was the victim of circumstances; and as I went to the -trysting-place for the last time I muttered: - -'"'Handsome, rich, and a Lancer,'" she said. "Yes--yes, by Jove! she -is not so deuced artless, after all; and the very proposal she made -to me was in itself unwomanly." - -'_Unwomanly_! I actually had the cruelty to tell her so; and never -shall I forget the look of incredulity, grief, dismay, and horror -that appeared by turns, and then all blended together, in her -beautiful face when I did so; and, already repenting what I had said -so capriciously, I would have retracted my words if it were possible -to do so. - -'The phrase went through her loving heart like a bolt of ice, though -she seemed to hear it indistinctly. - -'"Oh, Leslie!" she gasped, in an accent of desolation such as human -lips can utter but once in a lifetime, while her hands became cold -and her face grew livid. She bit her lips till the blood came, and -clasped her white hands until a ring I had given her marked her -tender fingers; and then remembering it, she tore it off, cast it at -my feet, and after giving me one long glance of anguish and reproval, -tottered away home; and I, my heart burning with shame, shot my -shallop out into the stream, and pulled away from the spot like a -madman! - -'"She is young, poor girl, and will get over it," thought I; while to -nerve myself I conjured up the presence of Blanche Gordon in all her -imperial beauty, while, ingrate that I was! she that I had just left -possessed and showed all the qualities that win love--and that love -had, upon a mere pretence, been coldly and abruptly thrust back upon -her heart. - -'The black "morrow" of her prophetic song had come indeed, and an -idol had been robbed of its truth. - -'She was helpless to avenge herself, suffering and so beautiful; so I -prayed that God might strengthen her, until some other love consoled -her for the loss of mine: and even the thought of that stung me. - -'"Yes, yes," thought I, "if so ready to love me, she will with equal -facility learn to love another." - -'There was no jealousy in the heart of Annabelle, for she knew -nothing of any rival; but she was tormented by a sensation of -loneliness and utter desolation by day and night, and disappointment -was not the least element of that torment. But her time of vengeance -was at hand. - -'Next day saw me at Rothiemay, and at the feet, if I may say so, of -Blanche Gordon, who received me with one of her usual bewitching -smiles. My proposal certainly pleased and agitated her, but she told -me with considerable confidence and coolness that she was engaged to -another, and, indeed, was to be married in three weeks! - -'The hollow damsel of fashion had thrown me over for a well-gilded -coronet, just as I had thrown over--but coarsely and -suspiciously--the girl who only loved me better than I deserved, and -whose sweet society I now missed fearfully. - -'But I was justly punished, you will say; yet the story does not end -here. - -'Some weeks after, when family misfortunes came upon me, and I was -compelled to sell out--to leave the Lancers--impelled I know not by -what emotion or motive, unless it were something like force of habit -and a restless craving, I roamed towards the old trysting-place, -beneath the silver birches. - -'Things of love and joy seldom repeat themselves, but my heart leaped -on seeing Annabelle seated on the bank of the stream, half hidden by -the wild rose-trees. Thither, no doubt, to torment her own heart, -she had perhaps been in the habit of repairing to dream over the love -that would never come again. She seemed lost in thought, and neither -saw nor heard my approach; and I saw the sunlight flashing on the -bright, soft, golden hair, amid which my fingers had so often strayed. - -'"Annabelle!" said I softly; and she sprang up with a nervous start. -"You see I am here again, to crave your pardon and to thank God that -life has yet something worth living for--your love, Annabelle!" - -'"And yours?" she said disdainfully; then her fortitude gave way, and -for a moment she hid her burning face and her hot tears in her white -and wasted hands, which, when I attempted to take them, repelled mine. - -'"I will try to atone for the past, Annabelle--forgive me," said I, -humbly. - -'"I do forgive you," she replied with sudden calmness, grace, and a -bearing of dignity I had never before seen in her; "but you can never -be to me what you have been. You were the very idol of my heart, and -with all my soul I worshipped you, Leslie; but that is ended now and -for ever." - -'"If a life of devotion, Annabelle----" - -'"Say no more--I will not listen." - -'"You decline my love, because ruin has come upon me at the hands of -others, and I am compelled to leave the Lancers?" - -'Her eyes flashed, yet not with anger, and her bosom heaved, as she -replied: - -'"I grieve for what you say; and God knows it is not so--but for the -manner in which you reproached me with unwomanly conduct, that roused -my proper pride. I did love you tenderly, purely, passionately, -then; but in repelling you, my conduct at least is womanly now! -Farewell then, for ever; we leave this place to-morrow." - -'"For where?" - -'"That can be a matter of no interest to you, Captain Fotheringhame," -she replied, turning to retire. - -'"Do not let us part thus, Annabelle. It is for your sake as much as -my own that I sue thus." - -'She crested up her little head haughtily. - -'"Believe in my love," I urged. - -'"I neither believe in it, nor want it--now at least." - -'"How pitiless you are!" I exclaimed. - -'"Just as you were; so to part is best for us both. I once dreamt of -being only too happy; I am sadly awake now." - -'Our eyes met for the last time: the expression of hers was -passionless and decided. I had nothing to hope from her; but I -sighed deeply, with sorrow, pique, and even jealousy, as I watched -her departing steps and saw the last flutter of her skirt between the -stems of the silver birches, and then pulled slowly away from the -trysting-place, never to seek it again! - -'I can remember yet how the woods and lawns along the river's bank -looked dreamily indistinct in the evening haze, as I pulled slowly -and sadly homeward. - -'Never since, till you spoke of her, have I heard aught of Annabelle -Erroll, but I have since had reason to believe that she heard, in -time, of my affair with Blanche Gordon.' - -So all this story of Leslie Fotheringhame's was the secret so -skilfully concealed under the calm exterior of the beautiful blonde -whom Cecil Falconer had met at Eaglescraig. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -HOPES AND FEARS. - -'That was the way our affair of the heart came about, and was ended -by my pride, vacillation, and suspicion,' said Fotheringhame; 'and -now I have little doubt that she is quite aware that I--the Lancer -lover--was her cousin, though I never told her so.' - -'How odd of you to act so!' exclaimed Cecil. - -'Odd--I was mad, I think!' - -'From her manner and words, I thought that you and she possessed in -common some mysterious antecedents.' - -'An unpleasant way of putting it,' said Fotheringhame, with a shade -of annoyance in his face; 'all that time was one of gloom to me. -When I had to leave the Lancers I shall never forget the shock it -gave me--though of course expected--to see the 'Army List' without my -name in it; nor was I ever satisfied till I saw it there again, as a -Cameronian. So you see, Falconer, that with all my general -heedlessness of bearing, my life has not been without "its little -romance, as most lives have, between the age of teetotum and -tobacco," as George Eliot has it.' - -'I may yet be the means of relighting this old flame again,' said -Falconer; 'though it is said that there is nothing so difficult to -revive as an old flirtation.' - -'It was no flirtation----' - -'Save in so far as you were concerned.' - -'Until I lost Annabelle, I never knew how much I loved her, and how -dear she was to me.' - -'If Annabelle Erroll ever loved you she loves you still.' - -'Why do you think so?' - -'Because true love never dies,' said Falconer enthusiastically, for -his mind was full of Mary's image; 'and I can now recall much that -was strange in her mode and manner, if I mentioned you -incidentally--of which I thought nothing then, but to which you have -now given me a clue.' - -'For all that you can tell, Falconer, she may only remember me with -hatred, therefore it were better to forget the past and all about it. -After confiding the matter to my two other friends--a quiet weed and -M. de Cognac--I'll turn in, and so good-night.' - -Most uneventfully passed the early days of spring, to Falconer, in -the solitary castle of Dumbarton, which shoots up abruptly from a -flat level, and stands completely isolated, the most prominent and -picturesque object amid the beautiful scenery of the blue and -majestic Clyde, into the channel of which it projects--a channel -through the clear waters of which on a calm day, one may see whole -forests of luxuriant seaweed, waving fathoms deep below. - -Perched in the hollow or rift between the two great volcanic peaks -into which this singular, mitre-shaped rock is cleft--the highest -being five hundred and sixty feet in height--the old-fashioned -barracks contain accommodation for only about a company of soldiers, -and an ancient armoury (among the stores of which is the blade of -Wallace's sword, fitted with a new hilt of a later period), and which -is still identified as having been the prison of the Scottish -Patriot, after his betrayal by the infamous Menteith. The -circumstance of his sword having a hilt more modern than the blade, -has led to its identity being doubted by those who are ignorant of -the fact, that in the accounts of the Lord High Treasurer in 1505, we -find mention made of the 'binding of Wallas's sword (in the castle of -Dumbarton) with cords of silk and a _new hilt_ and plomet (pommel), -new skabbard and new belt to the said sword, xxvj sh.' - -The entrance to the castle is by a barrier-gate at the foot of the -rock and fronting the south east. It is defended by ramparts and -guns, and immediately within it are the officers' quarters. A steep -flight of stone steps gives access to the barracks, the well, and -other batteries; from whence, and especially from Wallace's Seat--the -highest peak of this stupendous rock--and the circular Roman tower, -or fragment, perchance, of the days when Balclutha was the abode of -Roderick Hael 'the Generous,' there is a glorious panorama of -scenery: the far expanse of the Clyde, the sylvan vale of the Leven, -the vast blue mass of Ben Lomond and the mountains of Arrochar, their -peaks sometimes veiled in silvery mist. - -On the giddy summit Falconer lingered for many an hour, and fancied -he could see, more than twenty miles distant, as the crow flies, the -hills that looked down upon Eaglescraig. There, when Fotheringhame -was absent on some duty or pleasure, he smoked many a solitary -havanna in solitude, in the evening and the gloaming, conversing in -imagination with Mary Montgomerie, with a fond enthusiasm and a -passion inflamed by obstacles and opposition, long after the shadows -had deepened in the vale of the Leven, and all around beneath the -rocks; after the drum had beaten tattoo, and the lights of the last -ocean-bound steamers had faded out beyond the point of Ardmore. - -Then he would skilfully torment himself by recalling all that Mrs. -Garth, with the best intentions in the world, had said concerning -what Sir Piers would be certain to insist upon and carry out--the -union of Mary Montgomerie, the heiress, with his own heir of entail; -and well Falconer knew how Sir Piers would view his own slender means -and want of family rank. And though he hoped much, he could not know -how, in the secrecy of her own room, and in the long hours of 'the -stilly night,' Mary treasured the memory of the few precious moments -spent in the grotto, and thought of him and him only--of the -influence he had exerted over her when present, and the memory he had -left of himself when gone. - -At times there was in his manner a passionate dejection, which quite -bewildered and provoked the more matter-of-fact Leslie Fotheringhame. - -''Pon my soul, old fellow, you're in a bad way,' the latter sometimes -said; 'you can't live on this Mary Montgomerie, and nothing but Mary -Montgomerie! You must get up a relish for something else when the -drum beats for mess, or we shall soon have you on the doctor's list.' - -So the days and weeks went by till the middle of March came. Six -weeks had elapsed since he left Eaglescraig--six centuries, -apparently, as lovers count their time! - -The few words so hastily spoken in the grotto were deeply graven in -his memory, and graven, too, was the kiss--the unpremeditated -kiss--pressed so passionately on her unresisting lips. It seemed to -haunt him with joy, for ever and aye. - -'If she loves me, as I know she does,' he often thought, 'I am a fool -not to carry her off in defiance of her guardian and all the world. -Heaven knows, it is not her fortune I value, but of course that -charitable world would think otherwise, though it is entirely in the -hands of Sir Piers.' - -After the impression made upon him at his departure from Eaglescraig, -he felt that he could go back there on no pretence whatever, as no -welcome, save from one, would await him, and another invitation would -never be accorded. He knew that too well. - -Times there were when he threw open his desk, and thought he would -write to the general on the subject nearest his heart, at all -hazards, and cast himself upon his generosity; and then hope died, -and his courage failed, as he remembered his own slender exchequer, -his humble rank, apart from his commission, and the general's -inordinate pride of birth and value of long descent. - -So he dared not write to Eaglescraig, and from thence came no word, -no news, or sign. - -He remembered how Mary had, with much agitation, interrupted his -suggestion that he should tell Sir Piers of his love for her. What -did she mean, then, unless it were her dread of the latter's power -and influence over her, and his future plans with reference to Hew? - -But what would he have thought, what would his emotions have been, -and how great his indignation, had he known how, thanks to the -malignity and perfidy of that personage, the good old general, a -mirror of honour himself, viewed him as a trickster at cards, and a -scandal to the uniform he wore! Had Falconer been aware of this -circumstance, it would simply have maddened him; but fortunately for -himself, and the bones of Mr. Hew Caddish Montgomerie, he knew -nothing of it. - -He was roused from cogitations such as these by an order which -recalled the detachment to headquarters. - -'We start for Edinburgh to-morrow, Fotheringhame,' he cried, hurrying -into his friend's room. - -'Hurrah!' responded the latter, springing up; 'thank heaven we are to -quit this dull hole! The scenery, of course, is picturesque, and all -that sort of thing, but the picturesque, is not in my line. The -weekly assemblies and all the gaieties are on just now in 'Scotia's -darling seat,' and the regimental ball will soon be coming off, so, -with genuine satisfaction, I hail the order to rejoin at last. Well, -it is a jolly change, anyway.' - -And as such, Cecil welcomed it too, though it increased the distance -between himself and Eaglescraig, and he could little foresee the -calamities that awaited him in Edinburgh, and the crisis that would -come in his affairs. - -The departure of the detachment was not so duly chronicled in the -local prints as its arrival had been; thus Mary knew nothing of -Falconer's movements. - -In her own heart she fully conceived herself to be engaged--tacitly -engaged--to him, and loved to think she was so. Long engagements are -perilous things, even when the pair can see each other at will, or -freely correspond, daily or even weekly; tiffs and petty quarrels, -even little bitternesses, may come to pass that weaken regard, unless -they be like 'lovers' quarrels, love renewed:' but such a tie as that -which existed between Falconer and Mary Montgomerie--never hearing of -each other, and debarred all correspondence, having only hope for an -anchor, was altogether peculiar in its features. - -'She is always sad and weary now, Sir Piers,' said Mrs. Garth one -day; 'weary at night, and weary at morning, though she tries to -conceal it, or deceive us, by occasional bursts of gaiety.' - -'Poor little fool! Her mind is still running on that fellow whom I -should never have brought to Eaglescraig. But, with all Hew's faults -of temper and so forth, she had better think of him and my wishes, -Mrs. Garth; so lead her up to it, for that is our _point d'appui_,' -replied the general. - -'By Jove!' said the amiable Hew, with one of his ugly grimaces, 'she -has no more brains than a hen pheasant, I think, to sit as she does -all day long looking like a sick monkey.' - -Meanwhile Hew was having no better success with his wooing, a fact -which was the more perplexing and even harassing now, as he had -resigned his Indian Civil Service appointment, and had no dependence, -save upon the purse of Sir Piers, who, as the former grudgingly -thought, seemed likely to live for ever; and who hoped, and indeed -never doubted, that when Mary got over her girlish fancy for Cecil -Falconer all things would come right in the end; and to change the -scene, as the Edinburgh season was then in its flush, Sir Piers -removed his entire household from Eaglescraig to his town residence -at the west end of the grey metropolis of the north, a few days after -Falconer's detachment had quitted the castle of Dumbarton. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE CAMERONIANS. - -It was the morning after Cecil Falconer's detachment had come in to -headquarters overnight. - -In the mess-room about a dozen officers in their blue patrol jackets, -all more or less good-looking, even handsome young fellows, each and -all having a certain joyous and straightforwardness of manner, were -at breakfast, singly or in groups, and all greeted Falconer and -Fotheringhame warmly, for both were prime favourites with the corps, -and there was much shaking of hands and slapping on the back, with -'Welcome, old fellow!' 'How goes it?' and so forth, while an aroma -of coffee and devilled bones pervaded the long room which had windows -at each end, and where each officer seemed to be economising time, by -reading during the meal, with a daily paper or comic serial--_Punch_, -of course--propped against his coffee-pot or sugar-basin. All were -discussing the repast in haste, as the hour of morning parade was -close at hand. - -'Here you are again, Falconer and Fotheringhame!' cried one; 'the -Damon and Pythias--the David and Jonathan of the Cameronians! The -very men we wanted; you have just come in time for the ball -committee!' - -'Heard the good news, Falconer, old fellow?' asked Dick Freeport. - -'No--what is it? One of the three girls you proposed to accepted -you?' said Falconer, leisurely tapping an egg. - -'Ah, you've heard that story; nothing so stupid. But is it possible -you don't know?' - -'What?' - -'That your name is in the _Gazette_; but here you are, as large as -life,' added Freeport, reading aloud: '"Lieutenant Cecil Falconer to -be Captain, vice Brevet Major Balerno seconded for service on the -Staff." I congratulate you.' - -'And so do we all!' cried Acharn, a frank, jolly captain, though not -yet eight-and-twenty. - -'Thanks; I knew not that Balerno was leaving us so soon,' said -Falconer, whose first thoughts were of Mary Montgomerie. - -'This will rouse your spirits,' resumed Freeport. - -'Do they want rousing?' - -'Well, you looked rather glum last night. Been spoony on some girl -in the West, I suppose?' - -'Perhaps I was,' replied Cecil, laughing, with a chivalrous idea that -to deny his secret love might prove that he was not worthy of it; -'you know that I varied the tedium of country quarters by a visit to -the general--old Sir Piers Montgomerie. But I wish you would fall in -love, in downright earnest, yourself, Freeport.' - -'What harm have I done you that you should wish me this, Falconer?' -asked Dick, drily. - -'Any fine girls there--at the general's, I mean?' asked a cheeky -young sub, of Falconer, who coloured with annoyance, though the -boy--a man in his own estimation and that of fast chums, touting -tradesmen and money-lenders--was but a boy after all. 'I have heard -that his niece, or grand-niece rather, is a stunner. By Jove, he -grows absolutely red! Were you writing verses to her eyebrows, and -sighing like a furnace, Falconer?' - -'You would have sighed like two or three had _you_ tried the -process,' said Falconer, turning away. - -'I do wish you joy, Falconer,' said his friend Fotheringhame, in a -low voice; 'and your promotion puts me one step nearer the rank I -held when I first knew Annabelle Erroll, and--and--well, played the -fool, or worse!' - -Cecil thought, would Mary see the _Gazette_? The general, he knew, -was certain to do so; and Mrs. Garth too, who read it as regularly as -an old Chelsea pensioner; but neither might speak of the event, or -deem it wise to revive his name at Eaglescraig. - -Falconer was somewhat of a pet among the Cameronians. Excellence in -all manly sports ever makes a British officer a favourite with his -men; thus, as Falconer could keep a wicket well, was also a prime -bowler, a good horseman (though he generally owed his mounts to a -friend), and could pull a good oar; moreover, as he joined his men in -many a match at tennis, football and shinty, he was popular with -them, and the eyes of his company seemed to brighten that morning -when he came upon parade, and discipline alone repressed the -inclination to give him something like a hearty cheer, and for nearly -each and all he had some kind word or inquiry--for the officers and -men of a regiment should ever feel as one large family. 'Their hopes -and fears are similar,' says a writer; 'their turns of exile will -come at the same time. Their good and bad quarters will be enjoyed -and endured together, and each one shares, in common with the rest, -the proud privilege of perchance some day furnishing in his own -person that billet to which, the proverb tell us, every bullet is -entitled, or of being "wiped out" by sickness in some pestilential -clime, or of going down to the bottom of the sea in some rotten old -transport. There is something in their order--a distinctiveness, a -speciality about it--which makes them cling together, and stand by -one another all the faster; for, although mixing freely with the -outer world, there is yet an inner one that is entirely their own.' - -All troops like Edinburgh, and the national regiments, from their -popularity, more than all. The regimental ball was on the tapis when -Falconer and his friend rejoined, and nothing else was spoken of in -the fortress, or the gay circle outside it; for the corps, as a -national and ancient one, was deservedly popular in the Scottish -metropolis, the gay season of which is during the winter, and ends -with the opening of summer--a metropolis where the people are all -devoted to music and song, and where dancing is a passion with all -classes and ages, so that even a baby has been taken from its cradle, -that the boast might be fulfilled of _four_ generations being on the -floor at once. - -'Our regimental hop will be _the_ ball of the season,' said Freeport; -'so I am glad you have come back, Falconer: the committee could never -have done without you. But once it is over, I fear there will be a -general flight from town, and we shall be reduced to the melancholy -promenade of the Scottish Academy.' - -'Is it open?' - -'Yes, with the usual kit-kats of local nonentities, and the -invariable yearly amount of Bass Rock, Ben Lomond, and the Water of -Leith, without which no exhibition of pictures here would be -complete.' - -So Falconer and Fotheringhame were put on the ball committee, and -became forthwith immersed in programmes, invitation lists, and -interviews with Herr Von Humstrumm, the German bandmaster, the -quarter-master and messman. - -The castle of Edinburgh may well be deemed the cradle of the -Cameronian Regiment, which received its first 'baptism of fire' amid -the fierce and protracted siege endured there by the loyal and -gallant Duke of Gordon in 1689. The corps, though now Cameronians -but in name, have in that title a glorious inheritance of Scottish -and military history, that springs from Richard Cameron's bloody -grave in lone and wild Airs Moss, where he fell with Bible and sword -in hand, in defence of an 'oppressed Kirk and broken Covenant,' and -fell bravely, with his face to the enemy, in July, 1680. As a ballad -says: - - 'Oh, weary, weary was the lot of Scotland's true ones then, - A famine-stricken remnant with scarce the guise of men; - They burrowed, few and lonely, in the chill, dark mountain caves, - For those who once had sheltered them were in their martyr-graves!' - - -When the landing of William of Orange became known in the West of -Scotland, a great body of Cameronians assembled on a holm near the -village of Douglas, in Lanarkshire, and, to the number of some -thousands, joined the revolted troops who besieged King James's -garrison in Edinburgh Castle during the winter of 1688. Out of -these, two regiments, now respectively the 25th, and 26th or -Cameronians, were constituted in the March and April of the following -year. The latter stipulated that their officers should be -exclusively men 'such as, in conscience,' they could submit to, as -staunch Presbyterians, and great care was taken in the selection of -them, while an 'elder' was appointed to every company, so that the -whole battalion should be precisely under the moral discipline of a -parish, and a Bible formed a part of the necessaries in every -private's knapsack. 'It is impossible,' says the Domestic Annalist -of Scotland, 'to read the accounts that are given of this Cameronian -Regiment without sympathising with the earnestness of purpose, the -conscientious scruples and heroic feeling of self-devotion under -which it was established, and seeing in them demonstrations of what -is highest and best in the Scottish character.' - -Their first colonel was James, Earl of Angus, heir of the lordly line -of Douglas, who fell at their head in his twenty-second year, at -Steinkirk, but a mullet, or five pointed star, in memory of him, is -still one of the badges of the regiment. Their first -lieutenant-colonel, Clelland, an accomplished soldier and poet, who -had fought under the banner of the Covenant at Drumclog and Bothwell, -fell at their head, defending Dunkeld; and their first chaplain was -Alexander Shiells, a well-known Scottish divine. - -They were clad in red, faced with yellow, the royal colours of -Scotland; they wore yellow petticoat-breeches tied below the knee, -with monstrous periwigs, and hats of the Monmouth cock, and small -Geneva bands at the neck. The captains wore gold-coloured -breastplates; those of the lieutenants were of white, and the ensigns -of black steel. A proportion of pikemen and halberdiers were in -every company, and the bayonets were still cross-hilted daggers, till -the socket-bayonet, first adopted by the 25th, or Edinburgh Regiment, -was introduced by its colonel, Maxwell, in Flanders. - -The Cameronians fought with valour and distinction in the wars of -William and Anne; James, Earl of Stair, commanded them in the year of -the union, and 1720 saw them at Minorca, under Philip Anstruther of -that Ilk, three of whose family have been at their head. Under -Preston of Valleyfield they fought valiantly in the American War, and -how their major, the unfortunate André, perished is well-known to the -historical reader. John Lord Elphinstone led them on the plains of -Egypt, and Colonel William Maxwell amid the horrors of the retreat to -Corunna. In China, under Colonel Mountain, than whom no better or -braver officer ever wore scarlet, they won the dragon which adorns -their colours, and the scene of their last active service was amid -the arid mountains of Abyssinia. And now, as the Cameronians were -originally mustered on the holm of Douglas, they are, at this day, -linked in brigade with the Lanarkshire Militia. - -Though changed in character and impulse, the regiment is 'the -Cameronians' still; but its ranks are no longer manned by the sturdy -Covenanters--'men who prayed bare-headed as the troopers of -Claverhouse aimed at their hearts--prayed a prayer begun on earth and -ended in heaven!' - -Local and national regard for the corps caused, we have said, a deep -interest to be taken in the forthcoming regimental ball; but, while -working on the committee therefor, Cecil Falconer could little -foresee the effect that festive occasion was to have on his future -career. - -He felt his hand actually tremble as he addressed the invitation -cards, handsomely embossed with the crested sphinx of the regiment, -to Eaglescraig, for the general and his family. He knew that the -former would be certain to appear, but felt doubts if Mary -Montgomerie would be permitted to accept for herself; and great was -his surprise and joy when, next day, acceptances came promptly from -Sir Piers for Mary, Miss Erroll, and Hew Montgomerie, dated, not from -Eaglescraig, but from the general's town residence at the west-end of -the city. - -_She_ was to be in Edinburgh for the remainder of the season; balls, -assemblies, drums, and parties at which they would be sure to meet, -were before her and Falconer, and he contemplated the coming weeks as -being pregnant with every enjoyment, with many a charm and source of -pleasure. - -And greater would his present joy have been had he known how Mary -treasured the invitation his hand had addressed, with a wistful -yearning for his presence, for the pressure of his hands, and the -sound of his love-words over again. For since his advent at -Eaglescraig, Mary had begun a new existence--a new life of -self-devotion and romance. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE PROGRESS OF EVENTS. - -'A company--I am a captain now!' thought Cecil, as he sat alone in -his quarters one evening. Promotion brought him, he hoped, a little -nearer _her_; but she was far off from him still, by her surroundings -and the influences that were brought to bear upon her. - -He recalled the words of a writer who says: 'When a young man wants -to marry a girl, he has already made up his mind that she is worthy -of him, otherwise he would not wish to marry her. The next thing to -do is to make a rigid cross-examination of himself, and see whether -he is worthy of her.' Falconer did so, and, of course, deemed -himself immeasurably the inferior of Mary, but more than all in -worldly prospects and even social position, albeit that he was now a -captain of the Cameronians; and yet only that evening, in the -mess-room, he had heard rattling Dick Freeport say, that it was 'the -duty of every man wearing a red coat to hook an heiress, if he wanted -one.' - -He looked around the room in which he sat, his 'quarters,' and -smiled, in spite of himself, as he mentally contrasted its -appurtenances--its 'fixings,' as the Americans say--with such as were -deemed absolutely necessary to the existence of one so refined as -Mary Montgomerie, and he began to surmise whether or not his love was -a selfish one. - -The bare floor, scrubbed, however, as clean as his servant, Tommy -Atkins, could make it, the walls white-washed, and liable to impart -their tint to everything that came in contact with them; a couple of -Windsor chairs; a table liable to unpleasant collapses, especially if -sat upon, as it often was; an iron camp-bed, wherein to dream of Mary -and glory, with a strip of carpet, as a luxury, by its side; a -washstand that took the form of a square box when the route came; a -tin tub, tilted up on end in a corner; an iron coal-box, or scuttle, -royally marked with 'V.R.' and an imperial crown; a fire-grate full -of torn billets and cigar-ends; a rack containing sticks, whips, a -couple of swords; a little narrow mantelpiece, littered with pipes, -cigars, and havanna boxes; but no flowers, and not a single pretty -knickknack suggestive of female influences were there. Destitute of -all ornament, it was essentially a man's apartment--a very -barrack-room. - -Yet some feminine memorials of 'auld lang syne' were not wanting; for -in Cecil's most secret repositories were the treasured letters of his -mother, her photos, a lock of her dark hair, thickly silvered with -white, and a bunch of withered daisies that he had gathered on her -grave, which she had found in a distant land--mementoes treasured all -the more that the story of her life had been a sad one. - -If the interior of Cecil's apartment was plain to excess, the view -from its windows was second to none in the world. On one side, far -down below, spread the Edina of the Georgian and Victorian ages; on -the other towered up Dunedin, grey and grim, in all the dead majesty -of a grand, historical, and royal past--the Dunedin of battle and -siege, yet instinct with life and vitality in all its pulses still; -and far, far away, to where the golden sun was setting at the gates -of the west, spread the wondrous landscape, till the green Ochil -ranges and the pale blue cone of Ben Lomond, sixty miles distant, -closed it in. - -And anon, when darkness falls, more wondrous still is the beauty of -the scene when the broken masses and spiky ridges of the old town -sparkle with ten thousand lights. 'High in air a bridge leaps the -chasm between,' wrote one who knew it well; 'a few emerald lamps, -like glow-worms, are moving about in the railway station below, while -a solitary crimson one is at rest. That ridged bulk of blackness, -with splendour bursting out at every pore, is the wonderful Old Town -where Scottish history mainly transacted itself, while opposite the -modern Princes Street is blazing throughout its length. During the -day the castle looks down upon the city, as if out of another world; -stern with all its peacefulness, its garniture of trees, its slopes -of grass. The rock is dingy enough in colour, but after a shower its -lichens laugh out greenly in the returning sun, while the rainbow is -brightening on the lowering sky beyond. How deep the shadow which -the castle throws at noon over the gardens at its feet, where the -children play! How grand when giant bulk and towering crown blacken -against the sunset!' - -Gazing dreamily from his window, Cecil sat lost in thought, with a -note in his hand--the acceptance to the ball invitation--a note -written, he knew, by the hand of Mary, and which he had rescued from -Dick Freeport, who was sacrilegiously about to tear and toss it into -the waste-paper basket; and at the time we may suppose that our lover -felt as Sir Robert Cotton did when he rescued the original Magna -Charta from the shears of the Cockney tailor, who was about to cut it -into yard-measures for doublets and trunk hose. - -But Cecil roused himself when the drums beat on the slope below the -citadel gate, and donning his mess-dress, he betook him to the -dinner-table, where the trophied silver plate added splendour to -luxury. - -'So, as the general is in town, you'll leave a card, of course, -Falconer,' said Fotheringhame, with a peculiar smile, as Cecil took a -seat by his side. - -'I am in duty bound to do so; though, sooth to say,' added Falconer, -for their confidences had become mutual, 'the coldness that -accompanied my departure from Eaglescraig gives me unpleasant doubts -of my reception; yet leave a card, of course, I must.' - -Then he thought of Mary on the morning he came away, and the farewell -wave of her handkerchief. - -'If I call, Fotheringhame, won't you accompany me?' - -'Thanks; no. Old fellow, you forget.' - -'What?' - -'That Miss Erroll's acceptance for the ball came from the general's -house.' - -'A pleasant place it will be to visit,' said Dick Freeport, striking -into the conversation from the opposite side of the table. 'I have -had Falconer's confidential report on the subject; he states that the -general's cellar is excellent, the sherry pale and dry, the old port -full-bodied, the Chateau Lagrange unequalled, and Moët's Imperial -ditto! His cook is a regular French _chef_, with a salary that -exceeds the pay of Sir Piers himself, no doubt; and then there is his -ward----' - -'Halt, Dick! how your tongue runs on!' said Cecil, with some -annoyance. 'His ward is not to be lightly spoken of at any -mess-table--ours especially.' - -'I saw the general's carriage to-day in George Street,' cried a -cheeky sub-lieutenant from the lower end of the table. 'I knew it by -the coat-of-arms; and, by Jove, there were two stunning girls in it!' - -'Miss Montgomerie and her friend Miss Erroll, no doubt,' said -Fotheringhame. 'One dark--a brunette, and the other brilliantly -fair?' - -'Exactly; I took stock of them both. Dick will be bringing his -engagement-ring with the blue stone into action now.' - -As this was a regimental joke it caused a little laugh, amid which -Acharn, the sporting man of the corps, came in hastily in his -mess-jacket and vest, looking rather grim and cross. - -'Late for mess, old man,' said Fotheringhame. 'What is up, eh?' - -'Wine!' said Acharn sharply, to a waiter, and then replied: 'Only -that I am rather up a tree just now.' - -'You are rather fond of climbing,' said Fotheringhame. 'Is it lofty?' - -'Lofty as a Himalayan pine, by Jove! I say, Falconer, you were at -the general's place, Eaglescraig--or what's its name?' - -'Yes.' - -'Was there a fellow named Hew Montgomerie there?' - -'Yes.' - -'Hew Caddish Montgomerie, as his pasteboard has it--he is well named! -and from whom you won at cards?' - -'No; but who utterly rooked me at cards!' said Falconer angrily, -while he and Fotheringhame exchanged glances. - -'Well, I met him at the United Service Club this afternoon, though he -is not a member. We somehow got into play, and I have lost enough to -make my governor pull a very long face when he comes to hear of it--a -cool £500. He is a fellow whose shifty eyes and thin lips often -smile, but never in unison?' - -'I know that his face never wears an expression of manly truth--for -truth isn't in him!' said Falconer. - -'The fellow is a downright cad, I understand,' said Fotheringhame; -'he will go to the devil with the down-train, and never know how to -put on the brakes. Why were you fool enough to play with a stranger?' - -'And lose?' said Acharn, twisting his thick black moustache. - -'By all accounts it would be a miracle if you won.' - -'He has promised me my revenge to-morrow.' - -'At what game was it you lost £500?' asked Fotheringhame. - -'At roulette, piquet, and écarté; but most at écarté.' - -'By Jove! I should think so,' said Falconer, remembering Hew's 'mild -play.' 'Why didn't you look under the table?' he asked in a low voice. - -'For what?' exclaimed Acharn, with surprise. - -'The cards he was dropping unknown to you.' - -'Good heavens, do you say so!' - -'Why, the fellow's a regular leg!' said Fotheringhame; but Falconer -contented himself by saying: - -'Your promised revenge will never come. Next time he asks you to -play, decline, and say you do so by my advice--_mine_--don't forget.' - -Acharn did so, and the fact did not increase Master Hew's goodwill to -Falconer; but little indeed could the latter guess how the good old -general had been led to view _him_. - -A favourite with the entire regiment he was known to be, even to the -very school-children; thus it was with some surprise the -commanding-officer, some days after, heard the remarks of the general -at the club, made privately to himself, however. - -'I have to thank you, Sir Piers,' said the lieutenant-colonel, 'for -extending the hospitality of your house to one of the best of my -officers.' - -'Best--the smartest, perhaps you mean?' said Sir Piers, coldly. - -'Smartest and best!' replied the lieutenant-colonel, emphatically. - -'Sorry to hear it, sir; sorry to hear it. When we were cantonned at -Jodpore----' - -'Excuse me, Sir Piers; but I do not understand.' - -'He is too fond of cards, sir--too fond of cards for my taste, sir.' - -'I never saw a card in his hand!' persisted the other. - -'Strange!' - -The lieutenant-colonel thought these remarks more than strange, too; -but Sir Piers did not choose to inform him of Hew's malevolent -reports, and plunged at once into sundry reminiscences of Jodpore and -its Rajpoots. - -Mary would certainly be the queen of the forthcoming regimental ball, -and Falconer was full of the most delightful anticipations concerning -it. - -'Leslie Fotheringhame will be there!' was the secret thought of -Annabelle Erroll; 'how _are_ we to meet? As strangers? Would that I -had not come to Edinburgh at all--and yet!' - -Yet--what? She scarcely knew. - -Mary was in full anticipation also of the ball--its joys and its -brilliance, and nightly laid her head on the pillow to sleep and -dream, if she could, of a region where all was romance, light and -splendour, bands of music, festooned banners and brilliant uniforms, -with one central figure--Cecil Falconer! - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -THE OLD STORY AGAIN. - -It may easily be supposed that Cecil Falconer did not lose much time -in paying what was to pass ostensibly as a ceremonious visit to Sir -Piers Montgomerie's family. Evening parade was over, when he quitted -the fortress in a carefully assorted suit of mufti, and betook him to -the north-western quarter of the New Town, in one of the most -fashionable streets of which stood the stately house of the general, -in a situation of wonderfully picturesque beauty, overlooking the -deep ravine through which the Leith flows under a noble bridge of -three arches, each of which is ninety-six feet in span. - -On one side stands an ancient tolbooth, with crow-stepped gables; on -the other, a steep green bank crowned by a beautiful church and -stately crescent. Between these yawns the rocky ravine, wherein lie -an old bridge of other days, and a cluster of quaint mills and -dwellings, and the river roaring in snow-white foam over a broad and -lofty weir; the whole place having in all its features a marvellous -resemblance to the Spanish village of Banos in Leon. - -And now, when Falconer stood upon the threshold of the mansion, there -flashed upon his mind the recollection that on this very day it was -that his father and mother had both died--the latter on the -anniversary of the former's demise, eighteen years before; thus he -doubted whether he had chosen a fortunate time, for it has truly been -said, that there are certain moods of the human mind in which we -cannot help ascribing 'an ominous importance to any remarkable -coincidence wherein things of moment are concerned;' and he was in -this mood then. - -In obedience to the sonorous bell, the double-door was thrown open, -revealing one of those spacious entrance-halls peculiar to Scottish -houses, with tiger-skins--some of Sir Piers' Indian spoils--and -Persian rugs covering the length of its tesselated floor, and marble -pedestals with tall Chinese and Japanese vases standing on either -side. - -The general had gone to his club, in Queen Street; Mrs. Garth and -Miss Erroll were out in the carriage, but were expected back soon; -Miss Montgomerie was at home. So said the valet, who remembered -Falconer, and smiled a welcome to him, but said nothing of the -whereabouts of Hew, who was a favourite with none. - -Mary was then at home, and perhaps alone, so Cecil's heart beat -lightly and happily as he was ushered into the stately double -drawing-room, which had hangings of rose-coloured silk laced with -white, and was stately with crystal chandeliers, Venetian mirrors, -cabinets of rare china, statuettes, and gems of art in the way of -pictures and jars, amid which the eyes of Falconer saw only Mary -Montgomerie--Mary seated near an antique tripod table, whereon was -set out the dainty Wedgewood china for five o'clock tea, and varying -her time between knitting soft woollen socks for some old cotter of -Eaglescraig, and gazing from the window on the buds of spring that -were bursting in the warm sunshine, and the sweet flowers that made -the parterres gay; but she started from her chair when the servant -announced, - -'Captain Falconer.' - -She repeated the name mechanically, and grew very pale as she -presented her hand. - -'Do not call me "captain,"' urged Cecil, retaining it, while the -thoughts of both went naturally back to their last meeting in the -grotto, and the avowal made then; and Mary grew shy in manner, for -she had been haunted by a dread lest her wave of the handkerchief to -Cecil on his departure from Eaglescraig had been unladylike, though -Annabelle assured her that, after all that had passed, any young girl -would have done precisely the same. - -'But you _are_ a captain now,' she said, smiling; 'and I congratulate -you upon the circumstance. It has given me real pleasure, you may be -well assured.' - -'I thank you, from my heart,' replied Cecil, and she withdrew her -hand, while he was longing to take up the links of the old story, -gathering even courage from the omen that Snarley, in a new blue and -silver collar, with his mistress's monogram and a bell, barked, -whimpered, and frisked about him with delight. - -Snarley had an undoubted propensity for worrying rats in the stable -court, under the auspices of Hew Montgomerie and Pate Pastern, the -head-groom; also proclivities for the kitchen and low life generally: -but here he was in the drawing-room to welcome the visitor. - -'You knew I would call?' said Falconer, after a pause. - -'I--hoped you would,' said Mary, timidly. - -'You did!' he exclaimed in a low voice, as he started to her side. -'Oh, my darling!' - -'Yes--of course,' replied Mary faintly, and blushing deeply now, as -he took both her hands in his and gazed into her eyes with passionate -tenderness; and somehow it came speedily to pass that as they stood -so near, they were posed like the Black Brunswicker and his love, or -the Huguenot and his guardian angel, in the well-known pictures; but -if the pose was delicious, the speeches that accompanied it were a -little fatuous and incoherent. - -After a time, Falconer, still holding her in his embrace and gazing -tenderly into her upturned eyes, made the somewhat prosaic request: - -'You will keep some round dances for me at the ball, of course, -darling?' - -'Gladly would I do so, dearest Cecil--but----' - -'But what, Mary love?' - -'I am under such supervision--Hew, for instance-- - -'It is intolerable!' said Falconer, as a gesture of impatience -escaped him. 'To love you, and say that I love you, dearest Mary, -means views of marriage, and the hope that you will be mine--mine for -ever, sweetest pet,' he continued, with infinite tenderness of tone -and manner, taking her little face between his hands, after the mode -of the pictured Huguenot; but Mary partially and nervously withdrew -from him. 'You are free, Mary, are you not?' he asked, with great -and sudden anxiety. - -There was no answer, and she seemed intently studying the pattern of -the carpet. - -'You are not, you cannot be, engaged?' he exclaimed in a low and -earnest voice, and dreading some change since they parted. - -'No, certainly--not of my own free will,' was her curious reply, -while tears trembled on her dark lashes. - -'How then?' - -'Mrs. Garth told you all, did she not?' - -'Do you know your own mind, Mary?' he asked, taking her caressingly -in his arms. - -'Yes,' said she, with a sob in her throat. - -'How is it to be, then?' - -There was no answer. - -'Mary!' - -She could scarcely have made any reply just then, as Cecil closed her -sweet lips most effectually. - -'Hew actually takes his position with me for granted,' said she, -after a little pause, with her head reclined on Cecil's shoulder. -'He is absurd, and insolent as a wooer, yet seems to think there is -no need for exerting himself to win a bride that is bestowed upon -him. He treats me as if I were his property--a gift from Sir Piers -in fact,' she continued with an angry little laugh. - -'And you, with all your beauty and wealth too, Mary, are to become -the sacrifice of an old man's ambition to endow his house, and a -young man's avarice! Oh, my darling, it is monstrous! and in this -age of the world, ridiculous too! But perhaps the good old general -may come round in time, and see the folly of his scheme.' - -She shook her head, and said brokenly: - -'You speak of wealth--I would I were penniless, for your sake; it is -as a millstone about my neck; I think papa's will was most -iniquitous!' - -Until Mary Montgomerie met and knew Cecil Falconer, she had lived -like the lady of Shalott, in a world of dreams--a young girl's dreams -of a lover; for even the advent of Hew as an admirer--an -intended--had certainly not embodied the idea to her. - -She had read in Byron that a woman's love was a woman's whole -existence, and such she would have made it now to herself; and -doubtless had Cecil chosen to exert the power he had over her heart, -and lured her, as one less scrupulous might have done, into risking -the _esclandre_, he would have persuaded her to defy Sir Piers and -fly with him; but he never for a moment entertained the idea of a -measure that would have been such injustice to herself, as it would -have involved the loss of her fortune, and perhaps its eventual -transference to Hew! - -Snarley now suddenly showed his teeth, as if to announce the approach -of the latter through the outer drawing-room, where it would almost -seem that he had been again an unseen listener, as at Eaglescraig. - -'_Petit chien!_' exclaimed Mary, as the Huguenot pose was suddenly -relinquished, and she snatched up her dog to kiss it; '_petit -chien_--dear wee doggie, don't be jealous of--oh, it's _you_, -Hew--how tiresome!' she added under her breath, as that personage -lounged upon the scene, and drily gave his cold, fishy hand to -Falconer. - -'Hew again!' thought Mary with a shiver of repugnance; and again, as -in the instance of the grotto, she marvelled, with intense annoyance, -how much he had overseen and overheard, and how long he had been _en -perdue_! - -Nearly ignoring the presence of Falconer, who assumed his hat and -gloves, he bowed coldly and said curtly: - -'I am about to have a canter down Granton way: will you join me, -Mary?' - -'I would rather be excused.' - -'Why?' - -'It is anything but a pretty road--all stone walls and no trees.' - -Hew scowled. The answer showed plainly that his company would not -compensate for the dulness of the road--'and before that fellow -Falconer, too!' - -'Annabelle will go, perhaps.' - -'She is out with the old soldier, Mrs. Garth.' - -'Hew?' she exclaimed, while with curiously-mingled emotions of -delight and annoyance, Falconer, deeming that the time had come to -depart, bowed himself out as Hew rang the bell. - -'Ha!' thought the latter, 'she will not ride with me, and she has not -driven out with them, so she expected this fellow! They have some -secret understanding unknown to Sir Piers, most certainly. But they -have not yet come to the third volume of their little romance!' - -Mary read his thoughts and suspicions in his face, and her heart -swelled with anger. - -'We must stop this nonsense, Hew--or you must, I mean,' said she -abruptly, and with flashing eyes. - -'Stop it?' - -'Yes, as I mean to be the mistress of my own actions; and the sooner -your interference with me ends, the better for us both.' - -'What do you mean?' - -'What I say, sir!' replied Mary desperately, and with tears in her -eyes as she swept from the room; for though she deferred to the years -and affection of Sir Piers, she was resolved now to have neither -mercy nor toleration for Hew, who eyed her malevolently as she -withdrew. - - -Sweet indeed had been the love-passage between these two--Cecil and -Mary--knitting their hearts closer together. Affection had been -ensured to the full and been accepted to the full; but no promise had -been given, and the future was vague as ever. - -Cecil had a species of rival in Hew, certainly; but one that, strange -to say, provoked no jealousy, anger, or sense of suspicion, though -there were the influence and authority of Sir Piers to dread, -together with what might be their ultimate result upon the gentle -nature of Mary, who might be bent to accept the fate intended for -her, as being but a portion of the inevitable. Besides, if the -regiment were ordered suddenly abroad, the chances of their ever -meeting again would be faint and few indeed. - -Though Hew, as we have already indicated, had no genuine love for -Mary, he fully appreciated the wonderful beauty of her person, and -endorsed to the full the general's desire that he should marry her, -and a creditable wife indeed she would be to the future baronet of -Eaglescraig; thus his piqued self-esteem and his avarice rendered him -secretly savage that he made worse than no progress with her in his -wooing. He felt as if placed in rather a ridiculous position with -his patron; and thus the whole tide of his venom flowed towards the -innocent Falconer, though the appearance of the latter on the scene -had not changed in the least degree Mary's views of him--Hew -Montgomerie. - -There was no open quarrel between the latter and Falconer, but each -had a very decided repugnance to the other, and the soldier knew and -felt him to be his secret enemy; and in their chance intercourse in -public places and at the U.S. club, whither he came under the -general's wing, the veiled hatred of Hew grew deeper as he felt -instinctively that he was every way, in tone, in bearing, and in -mind, the inferior of Falconer. - -He became more than usually boorish, for about this time he had a -curious run of ill-luck in his turf speculations; 'straight tips' had -turned out the reverse of straight; 'good things' on coming events -had turned out badly too; he had been jockied and wanted money -sorely, having lost in a few hours all that he had won from Acharn, -while the latter, instead of proposing to have his revenge, mentioned -incidentally 'his friend Falconer,' and declined all play; the next -time Acharn cut him _dead_, and he began to find all players avoiding -him. - -Though Mrs. Garth was invaluable as a chaperon, such a guardian is -not so necessary in the streets of 'the Queen of the North' as in -those of the sister metropolis; consequently Mary could go abroad -alone whenever she chose, while curiously enough she seemed to have -lost all taste for the use of the carriage now. - - - -END OF VOL. I. - - - -BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS AND ELECTROTYPERS, GUILDFORD. - -_J. W. & Sons._ - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CAMERONIANS, VOLUME 1 (OF 3) *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -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-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Cameronians, Volume 1 (of 3)</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0;'>A Novel</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: James Grant</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 3, 2021 [eBook #66873]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Al Haines</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CAMERONIANS, VOLUME 1 (OF 3) ***</div> - -<h1> -<br /><br /> - THE CAMERONIANS.<br /> -</h1> - -<p class="t3b"> - A Novel.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - BY<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t2"> - JAMES GRANT,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t3"> - AUTHOR OF<br /> - 'THE ROMANCE OF WAR,' 'OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH, ETC.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - IN THREE VOLUMES.<br /> - VOL. I.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - LONDON:<br /> - RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON,<br /> - Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen.<br /> -<br /> - 1881.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t4"> - [<i>All Rights Reserved.</i>]<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - TO<br /> - GEORGE ROUTLEDGE, ESQ.,<br /> - MY OLD FRIEND AND PUBLISHER,<br /> - I INSCRIBE THIS MILITARY STORY,<br /> - AS A TRIBUTE<br /> - OF<br /> - RESPECT AND ESTEEM. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> -PREFACE. -</p> - -<p> -The old Scottish regiment from -which the following story takes -its title, and of which the hero -is described as a member, is on the point -of losing its identity, and after the July of -this year will be united with the 90th -Perthshire Light Infantry, as 'The -Scottish Cameronian Rifles,' thus losing, of -course, its scarlet uniform, colours, and -facings—the royal yellow of Scotland, -which, by a correspondence with -Mr. Childers, in March last, the author was -fortunate enough to secure (instead of -buff) for all Scottish infantry, not laced -with blue. -</p> - -<p> -Of the merits of the new regimental -system it is difficult to speculate as yet; -but it will too probably create an endless -confusion, and be long a source of regret -to the entire army. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - 25, TAVISTOCK ROAD,<br /> - WESTBOURNE PARK.<br /> - May, 1881.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> - CONTENTS OF VOL. I.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - CHAPTER<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - I. <a href="#chap01">EAGLESCRAIG</a><br /> - II. <a href="#chap02">HEW'S LOVE-MAKING</a><br /> - III. <a href="#chap03">FIRST IMPRESSIONS</a><br /> - IV. <a href="#chap04">COVER-SHOOTING</a><br /> - V. <a href="#chap05">HEW MAKES A VOW</a><br /> - VI. <a href="#chap06">A REVELATION</a><br /> - VII. <a href="#chap07">HEW'S 'MILD PLAY'</a><br /> - VIII. <a href="#chap08">'THE LOVE THAT TOOK AN EARLY ROOT'</a><br /> - IX. <a href="#chap09">MRS. GARTH ACTS A FRIENDLY PART</a><br /> - X. <a href="#chap10">A CRISIS</a><br /> - XI. <a href="#chap11">HEW MAKES MISCHIEF</a><br /> - XII. <a href="#chap12">CECIL'S DEPARTURE</a><br /> - XIII. <a href="#chap13">IN SHADOW LAND</a><br /> - XIV. <a href="#chap14">LESLIE FOTHERINGHAME</a><br /> - XV. <a href="#chap15">SEPARATED</a><br /> - XVI. <a href="#chap16">ANNABELLE ERROLL</a><br /> - XVII. <a href="#chap17">HOPES AND FEARS</a><br /> - XVIII. <a href="#chap18">THE CAMERONIANS</a><br /> - XIX. <a href="#chap19">THE PROGRESS OF EVENTS</a><br /> - XX. <a href="#chap20">THE OLD STORY AGAIN</a><br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap01"></a></p> - -<p class="t2"> -THE CAMERONIANS. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I. -<br /><br /> -EAGLESCRAIG. -</h3> - -<p> -'Twenty-sixth Regiment,' -said the old general, raising his -voice, as he rustled the morning -paper importantly, after taking it from the -ebony reading-easel (attached to the arm of -his large and comfortable velvet easy-chair), -whereon Mr. Tunley, the butler, always -laid the journals, after he had duly aired -and cut them. 'Twenty-sixth Regiment,' -he added, coughing and clearing his voice, -'a detachment of this distinguished corps, -says the <i>Ayr Observer</i>, has recently arrived -at the castle of Dumbarton, under the -command of Lieutenants Cecil Falconer -and Leslie Fotheringhame.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, there is nothing remarkable in -that, uncle,' said one of his young lady -listeners, who seemed chiefly intent upon -her breakfast, and not much interested by -the intelligence. -</p> - -<p> -'My old regiment—my old regiment -still,' said the old man, musingly. 'Gad, -I'll have the senior—what's his name? -Cecil Falconer—over here, for a few days' -cover-shooting.' -</p> - -<p> -'And why not the other too?' asked the -young lady who had just spoken, -laughingly; 'we might have an admirer each, -Annabelle.' -</p> - -<p> -But Miss Erroll, to whom the name -of Fotheringhame seemed not unknown, -coloured and did not reply. -</p> - -<p> -'Both could not leave their men at the -same time,' said the general. -</p> - -<p> -'Then I hope the senior is a pleasant -fellow—he whom you propose to bring, Sir -Piers,' said Mr. Hew Montgomerie, of -whom more anon. -</p> - -<p> -'All the Cameronians were pleasant -fellows in my time,' said the general, tartly, -'and I have no doubt they are so still. -And remember, girls, that the smartest -officers are usually selected for detachment -duty,' he added. -</p> - -<p> -Those remarks passed in the cosy and -elegant morning-room of Eaglescraig, the -mansion of Sir Piers Montgomerie, Bart., -who—a retired general officer—was G.C.B. and -G.C.S.I. and Colonel of the Cameronian -Regiment, and Governor of the Castle of -Dumbarton: and the party at breakfast -consisted only of Sir Piers, his remote kinsman -and heir, Hew Montgomerie, of the Indian -Civil Service, home on a year's leave; his -grandniece and orphan ward Mary, also a -Montgomerie; her friend Annabelle -Erroll—both very handsome girls—and an old -lady who presided over the silver tea-urn -and Wedgewood breakfast equipage, Mrs. Garth, -Mary's governess and friend, the -widow of an old captain of the -Cameronians—five personages, with whom we -hope to make the reader fully acquainted in -time. -</p> - -<p> -Sir Piers was verging now on his seventieth -year, but he was fresher and more hale -and hearty than many a man of fifty. His -features were still handsome and regular, -though lined and wrinkled; his eyes were -keen as those of a hawk, and his figure, -still wonderfully erect, was clad in a rich -maroon-coloured robe-de-chambre, with -yellow silk facings, cord, and tassels, and -he was seated near the blazing winter fire, -with his feet on a velvet stool, and encased -in slippers of Mary's handiwork. -</p> - -<p> -Generous by nature, yet hot-tempered -and proud—-pride of birth had been a -positive vice with him in early life—Sir Piers -was a curious mixture of the testy old -Indian general, accustomed to every luxury, -including tyrannising over 'niggers,' with -the country gentleman of the old school; -and having a profound admiration for the -service and everything pertaining thereto, -like old Bismarck, he believed that every -man should be a soldier and rejoice in -being one. -</p> - -<p> -In his latter years Sir Piers had not -been with the Cameronians, but had seen a -deal of service in India as a general officer, -and, while slowly creeping up the list of -his rank, had been appointed, in the usual -courtesy of the army, full colonel of the -old regiment in which he had been a -subaltern and field-officer. -</p> - -<p> -His hunting-days were well-nigh past -now; yet, at a meet, all the field rejoiced -to see the fine old man in his saddle, and -with all his pride of bearing—for a wealthy -parvenu, however honestly he had won his -wealth, Sir Piers would have treated with -chilling hauteur—he was never above -conversing with some sturdy farmer of Kyle -or Cunninghame, kindly and affably, on the -price of stock, the fall of wheat, on -breeding, fattening, or draining, and always -winding up by some, often irrelevant, -anecdote of his sporting experiences in -India, or when he followed the drums of -the Cameronians. Old as he was, he had -never been known to shrink from a bullfinch, -or be fished out of a brook; he was -welcome in every homestead throughout the -country-side, and the farmers' wives always -assumed their brightest looks, brought -forth their whitest tablecloths and the best -contents of larder and pantry, in honour of -the old Laird of Eaglescraig, when he -came their way. -</p> - -<p> -He was a Justice of the Peace and -Commissioner of Supply for the County; he -read the <i>Field</i>, of course, as what country -gentleman does not? He studied the War -Office <i>Gazette</i> regularly, as if he expected -his own name to appear there, once weekly; -he was simple in all his tastes and happy -in all his surroundings, yet, for all that, -there was a skeleton in his house and -heart, known, perhaps, to himself alone. -</p> - -<p> -He was a childless man now—childless -by an act of his own—and the title and -estates, which he inherited from a long line -of ancestors, were eventually to pass from -him to the heir of entail, whom he strove -hard, but in vain, to like or admire. -</p> - -<p> -The latter, Hew Caddish Montgomerie, -was then about thirty years of age. He -was not ungentlemanly either in manner -or bearing; but his face, like his -disposition, was very defective. His eyes were -called grey, and seemed to be grey at -times; yet, on closer inspection, it was but -too apparent that those shifty and furtive -orbs of his were of different colours, for one -was a species of bilious green. -</p> - -<p> -They were closely set on each side of a -nose that strongly resembled a shoe-horn, -and his mouth, which was both cruel and -licentious in contour, was partly concealed, -or altered in expression, by a luxuriant -brown moustache. He had come home, -we have said, on leave from the C.S., a -sharp hand at cards and with a billiard-cue, -deeply dipped in debt, and with the current -reputation, among his set, of being 'a bad -lot.' His mother, daughter of a Sudder -judge, was one of the old English family of -Caddish, a name which Hew was wont to -affirm was a corruption of Cavendish; be -that as it may, the corruption thereof, in -some instances, suited his character -amazingly well. -</p> - -<p> -'This is rather unlike your usual proud -exclusiveness, Sir Piers,' said he, after a -pause. -</p> - -<p> -'What? inviting this young officer to -knock over a few birds?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes—without an introduction.' -</p> - -<p> -'Introduction? None was needed in -my time; the epaulettes were introduction -enough everywhere. The service is -certainly <i>not</i> what it was in my day, the -special school of honour and politeness; -but I'll do the right thing, for all that. -Let me see, which is senior—Falconer or -Fotheringhame. Tunley, hand me the -"Army List." Thanks. It <i>is</i> Falconer. -I have known what it is to be on -detachment in such a dull hole as Dumbarton, -killing time till the spring drills come on, -so I'll invite the senior.' -</p> - -<p> -'And how about the poor junior?' asked -Miss Erroll, colouring slightly again. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, even to gratify you, Annabelle, I -cannot bring him,' said the general, -laughing. 'I remember once, when we were in -cantonments at Barrackpore——' Hew -smiled as the general began thus; but they -were spared the probably prosy reminiscence, -for just then Sir Piers' faded features -clouded suddenly, as he put down the -'Army List' and said, in a changed voice: -'Had my boy Piers lived, he might now -have been at the head of the -regiment—five-and-twenty years ago—five-and-twenty -years! My God, how long—how time has -rolled away!' -</p> - -<p> -His eyes, as he thought this, rather -than spoke it all aloud, were cast for a -moment furtively—as if he was ashamed -of exhibiting any sudden emotion—on the -full-length portrait of a handsome young -subaltern, in the uniform of the -Cameronians, scarlet faced with yellow, massive -gold epaulettes, and the silver sphinx on -his belt-plate. It represented a -spirited-looking young fellow with a proud and -joyous expression of face, and a well-knit, -well-set-up figure. -</p> - -<p> -The shifty, parti-coloured eyes of Hew -Montgomerie travelled for a moment in -the same direction, and then he addressed -himself to the grouse-pie, thinking the -while that 'things were deucedly well -ordered as they were, so far as he was -concerned.' And then the meal proceeded -somewhat silently, Mrs. Garth officiating -over the cups, and Mr. Tunley, a paragon -of old rubicund butlers, at the side-board, -where the cold beef and grouse-pie were -placed, among Indian jars and old silver -race tankards. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Montgomerie, the general's grand-niece -and ward, and her chief friend and -gossip, Annabelle Enroll, were both attractive -and very handsome girls, each in her -twentieth year, but different in their styles -and complexions. -</p> - -<p> -Of a good stature, and round, firm and -graceful in form, Mary Montgomerie had -well-defined eyebrows, eyes, and hair, all of -the darkest brown; long lashes lent a great -softness to her white-lidded eyes, and she -had a quiet ease, elegance, and girlish -innocence of manner; yet at times she was full -of vivacity, born of the fact or knowledge -that she had been, as an orphan, from her -youth, much of a petted child, and reminded -by many around her that she was the -heiress of many a thousand and many an -acre, provided that she wedded with the -full approval of one who was not likely to -be severe upon her—old Sir Piers, her -grand-uncle and legal guardian; for she was -the only daughter of his favourite younger -brother—younger by several years. -</p> - -<p> -As such she filled a void in his heart, -and ever and anon the old man's eyes were -wont to rest kindly, fondly, and admiringly -upon her. -</p> - -<p> -Her complexion was fair and creamy, -her features regular and minute, yet they -were hardly ever in repose, for every -variety of expression, as thought inspired -it, flitted over the ever-changing face. -</p> - -<p> -Though less favoured by fortune, and -even by nature, her friend Miss Erroll -was nevertheless a charming girl of the -blonde type, with grey-blue eyes and fair -hair shot with gold, as it seemed, in -the sunlight, soft, plentiful, and wavy as -the darker tresses of Mary, and her -eyebrows and their lashes were just a shade -darker than her hair. In the tone and -tenour of her ways she was less impulsive -than Mary Montgomerie, who at times -would come down the house stairs at a -headlong rush, while Annabelle followed -with calm step and slow, or would quietly -seek a gate in the hunting-field, while -Mary, with her horse's head uplifted by -her light, unerring hand, cleared the nearest -hedge at a flying leap, and with a laugh -that rang like a merry silver bell. -</p> - -<p> -Both girls were eminently graceful and -full of charming manners and pretty winning -words and ways; but the difference of -their temperaments was indicated even by -the style of their morning-dresses, for the -robe of Annabelle was pale blue, as became -the character of her beauty, while that of -Mary was of warm maize colour, tied with -fluttering scarlet ribbons, with rosettes of -the same to match on her tiny slippers. -The loose, wide, falling sleeves of this -garment coquettishly showed her round white -arm at times, from the taper wrist to the -dimpled elbow, and then she would smile -and hastily let them fall forward when she -caught the quick, shifty eyes of Hew -Montgomerie cast admiringly on her. -</p> - -<p> -The fifth of our <i>dramatis personæ</i>, as yet, -is Mrs. Griselda Garth, or, as she preferred -to be called with the old Scoto-French -courtesy, that is now passing away, -'Mrs. Captain Garth.' The widow of a -Cameronian officer who had died on service in -the East, a calm, subdued, and gentle, -white-haired old lady, she had found now, -for life, a quiet home at Eaglescraig, and -had acted for more than twelve years as a -species of tender mother to Mary; and -thus, after her duties as a governess were -past, she remained as her mentor, -companion, and chaperon, honoured, loved, and -trusted by Mary and old Sir Piers, who -had been her husband's friend. -</p> - -<p> -'If Mr. Falconer avails himself of my -invitation, and I don't see very well how -he can decline it,' said the latter, returning -to his late idea, and viewing it somewhat -in the light of a regimental order, 'the -dog-cart can meet him at the -Montgomerie Arms in Ardrossan; and you, -Hew, will do me the favour to drive him -here to Eaglescraig.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; that will be in better taste than -sending a servant,' added Mary. -</p> - -<p> -'Excuse me, Sir Piers,' said Hew, -almost sulkily, as his chronic jealousy -already took the alarm; 'but I don't care -for acting as charioteer to a total stranger.' -</p> - -<p> -'As you please,' replied Sir Piers -haughtily, as he always disliked to have -his wishes thwarted; 'some one else will -obey my orders, I have no doubt.' -</p> - -<p> -Eaglescraig, in the Bailiwick of Cunninghame, -we may describe as a magnificent -modern villa, with plate-glass oriels, a -pillared portico, a stately perron, and -balustraded terrace, whereon the peacocks -spread their plumes and strutted to and -fro. It had been, somewhat incongruously -we must admit, added to, or engrafted on, -the tall, old, square baronial tower that -for ages had been, from the lofty bluff -known as the Eaglescraig, a landmark of -the sea, and which started up gaunt and -grim, with grated windows, corbelled battlements, -and tourelles at the angles—a tower -the pride of the general's heart as the -cradle of his house, and the home of his -ancestors, all unsuited though it was to -modern usages, taste, and requirements—an -edifice so massive and old, that Hardy -Knute, when he dwelt in the adjacent -castle of Glengarnock, may have shared -in it the hospitality of that Sir Hew -Montgomerie who fought at the battle of -Largs, and whose coat-of-arms, three <i>fleurs-de-lis</i>, -with three annulets quarterly, crested -by a maiden holding a man's head, may -still be seen above its northern door; and -these Sir Piers had now reproduced upon -everything else, from the carriage panels -to the dogs' collars and the salt-spoons. -</p> - -<p> -On one side the house of Eaglescraig -commanded a view which, on a summer -day, was a delightful one, when there was -just breeze enough to swell the passing -sails—the glorious Firth of Clyde, with -the dark-blue peaks of Arran in the distance, -widening out into the ocean, with -ships homeward bound after many a tedious, -rough, or prosperous voyage; others with -their prows turned towards the far horizon, -bearing with them, perhaps, expatriated -Highland emigrants, their hearts filled -with sorrow and regret, rather than with the -thoughts of 'high emprise,' so necessary -for an exile's success in the doubtful -future. -</p> - -<p> -Close in shore, below the beetling cliff, -when the wind is from the land, may -be seen the many coasting vessels and -steamers plying to and fro, shooting clear, -as if by magic, from many a rocky -promontory and bluff, where, thick as gnats, -the sea-birds wheel and scream; and in -many a sheltered cove the boats, brown-tarred -and clinker-built, moored or safely -beached, for the people there are all hardy -and thrifty fisher-folk. -</p> - -<p> -But on the landward side the view was -different, and there the eye could wander -over the tolerably flat and very fertile acres -of Sir Piers Montgomerie, wood, wold and -pasture, the richest part, perhaps, of the -rich dairy-farm producing land in a district -of which, as the old rhyme says: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Kyle for a man,<br /> - And Carrick for a coo;<br /> - <i>Cunninghame</i> for butter and cheese,<br /> - And Galloway for woo'.'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -So the general's invitation to Lieutenant -Cecil Falconer was written by Mary and -despatched, to the great annoyance of -Hew, and all in Eaglescraig knew that in -another day or two the recipient thereof, -who had accepted it, was coming. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Montgomerie and her friend -Annabelle Erroll were too much accustomed -to society, and the gaiety of fashionable -life, to feel even any girlish excitement -at the prospect of a young sub being -added to their present small circle at -Eaglescraig; nevertheless, in the seclusion -of their dressing-closet, it was voted and -passed by them, <i>nem. con.</i>, that the said -addition would not be unacceptable; and, -on lot being laughingly cast as to whom -he should fall a victim, the prize was -Mary's. -</p> - -<p> -And after this they ceased to think upon -the subject—certainly, at least, so far as -the latter lady was concerned. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap02"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II. -<br /><br /> -HEW'S LOVE-MAKING. -</h3> - -<p> -During the few days that passed -before the arrival of the -expected guest at Eaglescraig, -Hew was more than usually attentive to -the general's wealthy ward; and one -forenoon when they were idling in the long -avenue, which led through the Dovecot -Park down the woodland slope towards -the highway, he resolved, if possible, to -bring matters to a successful issue with -her. -</p> - -<p> -For fully a month past, since his -appearance at Eaglescraig, Mary had been -used to this love-making of his, apparently, -as she treated him half coquettishly, and -yet so 'chaffingly,' that—but for his -extreme vanity, or obtuseness—he must -have seen that he had no chance of -success. -</p> - -<p> -Mary valued his attentions at their real -worth, and times there were when he eyed -her gloomily—yea, angrily, for he trusted -more in Sir Piers' influence, wishes, and -authority, to bend her to his will, than to -any merit of his own. -</p> - -<p> -Thus his love-making was a curious -combination of earnestness, banter, and sullenness; -earnestness caused by the girl's great -beauty, which he certainly valued, and her -great wealth, which he valued much more, -on one hand; and on the other, genuine -dislike of India, with his own impecunious -circumstances, and a knowledge of Sir -Piers' wishes. The banter came at times, -because he was really incapable of loving -any girl truly; and the sullenness was born -of his lack of success, with a chronic -jealousy of every other man who addressed -her. -</p> - -<p> -On this forenoon in the Dovecot Park, -Annabelle Erroll did not accompany them, -so Hew proceeded to utilise the occasion. -</p> - -<p> -Mary looked bewitchingly beautiful and -piquante in her rich brown sealskin, a -grey skirt and a coquettish black velvet -hat with a scarlet feather. She kept her -hands obstinately in her tiny muff; thus -Hew had no pretence for capturing one of -them in any way as a suggestive -preliminary to something more, and could -only walk by her side and utter his soft -nothings from time to time, to which she -listened, half amused and half bored the -while, and not helping him in any way. -</p> - -<p> -The winter day was clear and bright, -and the keen gusty breeze that swept -from the sea over Eaglescraig imparted a -rosebud tint to Mary's usually pale cheeks -that enhanced her beauty by adding a -fresh light to her eyes. The gusts of -wind whirled showers of yellow and brown -leaves across the sward, and drifts of -stormy clouds through the sky over land -and Firth, yet Mary's spirits were a -high pressure, and though but little -sunshine lit the December landscape, she was -full of merriment and the <i>espièglerie</i> that -were natural to her. -</p> - -<p> -The dovecot they were approaching, -like most of the ancient edifices of that -kind in Scotland, was built in the form of -an enormous beehive, some twenty feet -high, and full of columbaria for the pigeons, -which were flying in clouds around it, or -perched on the summit thereof. It was, -in due conformity to an ancient act of the -Scottish Parliament, placed in the very -centre of the Montgomerie estate, so that -the birds should not prey upon the corn of -other proprietors; and the reason why so -many of these antique dovecots in -Scotland survive the mansions to which they -belonged, is supposed to be an old -superstition, that if the dovecot is destroyed, -the lady of the land dies within the -year. -</p> - -<p> -Near that of Eaglescraig are two large -yellow rings or circles strongly marked in -the green-sward (like those on the hill of -Craiganrarie), drawn by the sword of an -evil Montgomerie, who had trafficked in -Satanic influence, and thus had formed round -him an orbit of protection, before summoning -his sable majesty, and round which the -latter had to keep running, so long as he -was visible to mortal eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'You do worry me, Hew,' said Mary, -with something of a saucy laugh, 'and I -have every mind to stand in the conjuror's -circle and defy you to approach me.' -</p> - -<p> -'Do you deem me, then, so distasteful, -so odious, and such an incarnation of evil?' -</p> - -<p> -'No; but seriously, what is the aim, the -object of all this attention, Cousin Hew? for -though the tie is a remote one certainly, -I may call you cousin, I believe.' -</p> - -<p> -'Do, dearest Mary.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well?' she asked, curtly and impatiently. -</p> - -<p> -'The aim and object, you say?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'To marry you, of course; that is—that -is, if you will have me, and please Sir -Piers,' he replied, with perfect deliberation -and more apparent coolness than he usually -felt. -</p> - -<p> -'I won't consult grand-uncle on <i>that</i> -matter, Cousin Hew. Besides, now that I -think of it, I don't want to marry.' -</p> - -<p> -'Indeed! I thought marriage was the -sole aim of every girl's existence.' -</p> - -<p> -'In novels more than in real life, -perhaps. Besides, marriage is only to be -thought of when the man and the hour -come.' -</p> - -<p> -'It is the end of all anxieties,' urged -Hew, who thought no doubt of his monetary ones. -</p> - -<p> -'I have none to end; and with many -girls it is only the beginning of a set of -troubles which none of them expect. But -let us drop this very funny conversation.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'You surely would not seek a wife with -half a heart, or none!' -</p> - -<p> -'The half of your heart, Mary, is worth -the whole of any other woman's!' replied -Hew, with more warmth and gallantry -than he had yet shown; but the provoking -Mary only laughed, and as she drew near -the dovecot, some of the pigeons, to whom -her figure was familiar, and whom she was -wont to bring food for, came wheeling and -fluttering round her, and one, after nestling -in her neck—a pretty sight—alighted -on her left hand, and while she stroked -and fed it with the right, Hew could -not but remark that the snow-white -pigeon was not whiter than her slender -fingers. -</p> - -<p> -'I would I were that pigeon,' said he, -sentimentally. -</p> - -<p> -'"Would I were a glove upon that -hand!"—now don't be a goose and attempt -to act Romeo, as I cannot be your Juliet,' -said Mary, laughing outright; and now he -began to eye her with his gloomiest -expression in his parti-coloured orbs, while -she caressed the bird, and sang, as if to it, -part of Lady Anne Lindsay's song: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"Why tarries my love? Ah, where does he roam?<br /> - My love is long absent from me.<br /> - Come hither, sweet dove, I'll write to my love,<br /> - And send him a letter by thee.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"Her dove she did deck, she drew o'er his neck<br /> - A bell and a collar so gay;<br /> - She tied to his wing a scroll with a string,<br /> - Then kissed him and sent him away."'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Suiting the action to the word, she kissed -the pigeon and tossed it from her with a -merry ringing laugh, for she had ever a -light glad heart, and was full of pretty, yet -haughty and winsome ways. -</p> - -<p> -Hew, in the vanity of his nature, could -not see how hopeless it was for him to press -his suit with a girl who never listened to -him seriously, and who never tried, even in -the least degree, to care for him; for there -was something in Hew Caddish Montgomerie -that made Mary totally indifferent -to all he could urge, and so she felt neither -regret for, nor gratitude to him: thus she -could hear unmoved the avowal and -proposal from his lips, which seldom fail to -stir in one way or another the hearts of -most women, and which, whoever utters -them, are seldom or never forgotten. -</p> - -<p> -'Let us be friends, Hew,' said she, in -reply to another appeal; 'I do not love -you—I cannot love you as you wish, and -I dare not and would not marry where I -did not love.' -</p> - -<p> -Hew eyed her still more gloomily and -almost revengefully, while she played with -the spray of a wild-rose tree, till a little cry -escaped her, as a thorn entered her delicate -hand. -</p> - -<p> -'Do permit me, Mary,' he urged, and -tenderly enough he extracted the thorn, -and bowing over her hand, pressed it to his -lips; but Mary almost angrily snatched it -away, just as the sound of wheels was -heard, and there bowled up the winding -avenue a dog-cart, the driver and the -occupant of which must have seen, and no -doubt misunderstood, the whole situation. -</p> - -<p> -'Our new guest with his gun-case and -portmanteaus,' said Hew, with much annoyance. -</p> - -<p> -'Who?' asked Mary, still more annoyed, -as she thought of what Hew had done. -</p> - -<p> -'Have you forgotten?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh! you mean Mr. Cecil Falconer.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, that fellow from Dumbarton. -Now don't, please, run off to the house, -Mary; we shall meet him and his military -appetite betimes, no doubt, when the gong -sounds for dinner.' -</p> - -<p> -Mary had now an undefined sense of -provocation, and in silence turned away -towards the house, accompanied by Hew, -who found his chance was gone for that -day, and Mary never gave him another if -it could be avoided. -</p> - -<p> -Thus ere long he began to fear that -until Sir Piers' demise, and the baronetcy -and broad acres of Eaglescraig became his -by succession, he might have to face the -Indian C.S. again; and seek how to meet -his debts by trying—as he had often done—his -fortune at 'the board of green cloth.' -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap03"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III. -<br /><br /> -FIRST IMPRESSIONS. -</h3> - -<p> -The sense of having borne a part -in a scene—an event which is -dreaded by well-bred folks—prevented -Mary from making her appearance -till dinner-time, when, after achieving a -most effective toilette, she entered the -lighted drawing-room. -</p> - -<p> -Though almost totally unembarrassed by -any memory of Hew's absurd love-making, -she had nevertheless been provoked that -the new guest should have been cognisant -of his gallantry in the avenue. She could -but hope that he had forgotten it, which -was certainly not the case, and ere she had -left her dressing-closet, she paused before -the pier-glass to peep at her own sweet face -and all her bravery, ere she swept away -down the great staircase to the drawing-room, -where already the general and their -visitor were on the best of terms, laughing -and, as Mrs. Garth phrased it, 'talking -shop in full swing.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, yes,' she heard Sir Piers saying, 'it -was there at the storming of that hill-fort -that the notable dispute took place between -Douglas of "Ours" and Bruce of the Bengal -Infantry, as to which was senior and who -should lead the stormers; till Douglas, -when the bullets, egad! were flying like -hail down the breach, lowered his sword -and said, "When a Bruce is to lead, a -Douglas may be proud to follow; lead on, -and I shall follow you!" He was shot -down a minute after, and the next who was -knocked over was your good-man, -Mrs. Garth—poor John! Ah! my niece,' he -interrupted himself, on seeing the -suddenly arrested gaze of their guest. -'Mr. Falconer of "Ours," Mary—Miss Montgomerie.' -</p> - -<p> -Mary gave him her hand and a smile of -welcome, and was at once put at her ease, -as Sir Piers resumed his anecdote, to which, -though she had heard it a hundred times -before, Mrs. Garth listened with rapt -attention, as became an 'old campaigner,' -while Annabelle Erroll, who seemed already -to have discovered that she and -Mr. Falconer had some friend or friends in -common, was conversing away with more -than her usual fluency and animation. -</p> - -<p> -'Is she already smitten by our new -sub?' thought Mary. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer had certainly a striking face and -striking figure, and both were well -calculated to please a woman's eye. In plain -but accurate evening costume, the funereal -costume of festive civilisation, he seemed -every inch a gentleman and a handsome -fellow; calm, self-possessed, and in about -his twenty-fifth year; soldier-like, perfectly -well-bred, as it eventually proved, was -well-read and a skilful musician. -</p> - -<p> -His nose was somewhat aquiline; -his eyes and close-shaven hair were, like -Mary's, of the darkest brown, and his -moustaches, as Annabelle afterwards whispered -to her, were 'the perfection' of such -appendages. He had a placid and -perfectly assured manner, very different from -Hew's alternate restlessness and -<i>insouciance</i>; yet his eyes bespoke a latent -fire of character and a spirit that was full -of courage and energy; and now Hew, -who had been preparing for the coming -meal by having either sherry and bitters, or -a hideous compound called a 'cocktail,' -which he had taught the butler, Tunley, to -make up, came lounging in, with scrutiny -and gloom in his eyes, to complete the little -circle grouped near the fire. -</p> - -<p> -By nature suspicious and envious, he -barely accorded their visitor a touch of his -hand, and from that moment these two -young men felt—they knew not why—an -instinctive dislike of each other. -</p> - -<p> -The dinner-gong cut short another -anecdote of the general's, and recalled his -thoughts from pig-sticking and Central -India; he gave, with courtly old-fashioned -politeness, his arm to Mrs. Garth; Mary -took that of Cecil Falconer, and smiling -Annabelle Erroll fell to the lot of the -amiable Hew, while Mr. Tunley and the -servants drew up rank entire in the vestibule; -then, of course, the meal that followed -was like any other in such an establishment, -perfect, from the soup and dry sherry -to the coffee and Maraschino. -</p> - -<p> -'Tunley,' said Sir Piers, 'fill -Mr. Falconer's glass. Glad to welcome you to -Eaglescraig,' he added, bowing over a -brimming glass of sherry; 'glad, indeed, -to welcome one of my old Cameronians. -I hope that, like me, you are proud of the -old corps?' -</p> - -<p> -'I am indeed, Sir Piers!' responded the -young fellow with a kindling eye, that -doubtless, like his heart, brightened under -the genial and charming influences of his -surroundings. 'I share, sir, to the full, the -opinion of someone who says that no soldier -is worth his salt unless he feels that he is as -good as any man about him, and twice as -good as any opposed to him.' -</p> - -<p> -'Bravo, Falconer I you are one after my -own heart! Gad, but he is a fine fellow,' -he added in a low voice to Mrs. Garth; -'reminds me powerfully of some one I -knew, long ago. <i>Who</i> the deuce can it be?' -</p> - -<p> -In the extremity of his kindness at that -moment, he actually thought him like his -dead son, so the old man's whole heart -went out to the new-comer, in whose favour -this fanciful idea operated powerfully. -'His father and mother have long been -dead, I understand, and he joined the -Cameronians fresh from school—a mere -boy, as I did myself.' -</p> - -<p> -He looked almost tenderly on the young -man, who was quite unconscious that he -was an object of any particular interest; -and his eyes kindled, but a sigh escaped as -he recalled his own hot youth, and -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Thought of the days that were long since gone by,<br /> - When his limbs were strong and his courage was high,'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -and ere his once firm and stately stride had -given place to what he called 'a species of -half-pay shamble.' -</p> - -<p> -'By the way, Falconer,' said Sir Piers, -whose pet weakness was pedigree, 'there -was an old family of your name, who had -an estate in this Bailiwick of -Cunninghame—perhaps you are a branch of it?' -</p> - -<p> -The young man coloured rather perceptibly -(as Hew was not slow to perceive and -make a note of), and said with a smile: -</p> - -<p> -'I was educated out of Scotland; my -father died in my youth, and my mother -set no store on such fortuitous things as -name or pedigree.' -</p> - -<p> -'A sad mistake,' said Sir Piers, shaking -his white head. 'The Falconers I speak -of were a branch of the Falconers, lords of -Halkertoun, who took their name from -their office, being falconers to our kings of -old, as we learn from Douglas—aye, so far -back as the twelfth century.' -</p> - -<p> -'I know not, general, of what Falconers -I come,' replied the young officer a little -curtly; then he added, with a smile: 'I -only know that I was not born with the -proverbial silver spoon, but with a wooden -one, of the largest size.' -</p> - -<p> -Sir Piers felt intuitively that he had -touched a delicate subject, and changed it -at once, though for a Scotsman not to know -what kith or kin he came of seemed -certainly incomprehensible; but Hew, aware -of the vast value he attached to the most -fortuitous circumstances of birth, family, -and position, thought: -</p> - -<p> -'No pedigree! By Jove! our Cameronian -will find but small favour here now.' -</p> - -<p> -'Tunley has got some magnificent -Marcobruner and Lafitte in the cellar, -Falconer,' said Sir Piers; 'I must have -your opinion—but if I only look at them, -I should have a twinge of my old enemy -the gout.' -</p> - -<p> -Falconer bowed his thanks, and was -turning again to address Mary, when Sir -Piers took his attention by plunging once -more into Central India, and a stream of -anecdotes about 'what the service and the -regiment were in <i>my</i> time,' till the ladies -withdrew, and, to Hew's disgust, there -followed, of course, a professional conversation, -on which he was totally unable to enter; -thus he could only sip his wine, toy with -the grape-scissors, or crack an occasional -nut, while hearing Sir Piers laughing at -jokes that seemed destitute of all fun to -him, and all matters of 'shop' were -discussed with the keenest relish—the new -head-dress for the Line, the new pattern -musket, and endless anecdotes of the -mess-room and parade, to all of which Hew, not -unnaturally, perhaps, listened with -ill-disguised impatience; and even when the -conversation halted irregularly between -music and literature, or art and politics, -home and foreign, he could not enter -thereon, as Hew abhorred all books save a -betting one, and read no journal save the -<i>Sporting Times</i>. -</p> - -<p> -Cecil Falconer rose to rejoin the ladies, -but the general was in no mood to spare -him, and insisted again and again on one -more glass of dry sherry, 'just as a -white-washer;' and of course that, 'by the way,' -reminded him of 'how we used to be -annoyed at Agra by the musk-rats running -over the wine-bottles, and communicating -a confounded flavour of musk to the sherry, -which is no improvement to the wine, I can -tell you; and it is a curious fact that every -English resident in India tastes musk in his -wine at some time or other, though there -are some who assert it is a mere superstition. -When we were at Agra and elsewhere -up country, we had deuced little -money among us in the Cameronians, yet -somehow we always spent a devil of a lot -of it; for every fellow drew a bill on every -other fellow, so there was a regular crossfire -of blue paper from right to left.' -</p> - -<p> -To these and other reminiscences -Falconer listened with his mind full of the -bright smile accorded to him by Mary -Montgomerie, when he had adroitly -anticipated Hew in opening the door when the -ladies departed to the drawing-room, -whither he longed to follow them, and -from whence the notes of the piano seemed -to come as an invitation to do so, but he was -compelled to endure anecdotes about India -<i>ad nauseam</i>. -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove, Sir Piers,' said Hew, wearily, -'I detest India; I've had enough of -it!' -</p> - -<p> -'I don't mean you to have any more of -it, Hew, and you know that well,' replied -Sir Piers kindly, his heart mellowed with -wine; 'but you are mistaken in your views -of it. "India," says a writer, correctly, I -think, "is quite a misrepresented country, -and has nothing objectionable in it, but a -tiger or two, and a little heat in the warm -part of the day." -</p> - -<p> -The night was considerably advanced -when they joined the ladies. Mrs. Garth -had already retired; and the jolly old -general, who had fully partaken of more -wine than he usually did, stood in orderly-room -fashion, with his feet apart on the -rich hearthrug and his back to the fire, -winking, blinking, smiling blandly, and not -sure whether he was expected to take the -field at the head of the Cameronians -to-morrow; while at the piano there was -performed a little brilliant singing, which Hew, -with growing irritation, secretly stigmatised -as 'the most duffing caterwauling!' and sat -apart sulking (wine had usually this effect -upon him), and leaving to Falconer the -inevitable and pleasant task of turning the -music leaves, and his eyes watched alternately -the handsome and well-formed young -fellow, who bent with ease and confidence -admiringly over the singers, who, with -voices sweetly attuned, were performing a -duet, and the forms of the latter, so -different in the character of their -beauty—Mary with her hair of rich dark brown, -and Annabelle, the blonde, with her sunny -coils, that shone with a remarkable sheen -in the flood of radiance that fell from the -chandelier. -</p> - -<p> -But the night waned apace, and at last -it was necessary to separate, if any justice -was to be done to the cover shooting on -the morrow, now close at hand. -</p> - -<p> -Hew gave Falconer his hand, which to -the latter seemed clammy and quite like -the tail of a fish; but the general insisted -on escorting him to his 'quarters,' as he -said, and conducted him, candle in hand, -along one or two stately corridors adorned -with fine paintings—two, that were of -Cardinal York and King James VIII., -evinced the Jacobite proclivities of Sir -Piers' ancestors—and there, too, were -trophies of the chase, both European and -Asiatic. Never had Hew or the girls -known the usually grave and rather stately -old baronet 'in such a merry pin' (Hew -suggested 'so screwed'); but as he threaded -the corridors he was heard to sing a scrap -of an old Anglo-Indian ditty: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Good-bye to the <i>batta</i>!—to lighten<br /> - The pangs of each blooming cadet;<br /> - And the brows of the captains to brighten,<br /> - They've doubled the one epaulette;<br /> - They've added some lace to our jackets,<br /> - Augmented the price of our caps,<br /> - In the hope that the half-batta rackets<br /> - Will merge in the glare of our "traps."<br /> - Just as any new plaything bewitches<br /> - The sulks out of little boys whipped;<br /> - And before they've well pulled up their breeches,<br /> - They wholly forget they've been stripped.'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Ah, yes, Falconer, my lad, that song -was known long before your day, when the -beggars cut down the <i>batta</i>. But here you -are—no, here; this is the door. -Good-night; hope you'll sleep sound. No need -for a chowree to whisk inside the curtains -here, as in India, and after making them safe -all round the mattress, spring in through -the hole you leave (like Harlequin through -his hoop), lest a cloud of mosquitoes follow. -I remember, at Dumdum—no, at Dinapore, -my son Piers and Ballachulish of -the Cameronians——' Then his voice broke -as he spoke of his son, and he added: 'But -I'll tell you about it to-morrow. Breakfast -at nine, and then—hey for the covers!' -</p> - -<p> -And now Sir Piers, whose voice had -become certainly somewhat 'feathery,' -betook him to his own room, pausing on the -way more than once, candle in hand, as -his aristocratic ideas of family, and that -pride of birth which had been his ruling -passion and sin in early life, occurred to -him, and he muttered, pausing in his -progress to bed, and shaking his white head: -</p> - -<p> -'Doesn't know what Falconers he's of—a -strange thing—a pity. My boy Piers -forgot, too, what Montgomeries he was of, -once on a time. A fine fellow, though!' -</p> - -<p> -As for the latter, he was simply enchanted -with Eaglescraig and all the details -thereof: the beauty of the two girls, each -so different in its character, and the -<i>savoir vivre</i> of the old general. As for -Hew, he forgot all about him. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, a few rooms distant, the -lady's-maid was sleepily combing out the -dark and luxuriant tresses of Mary -Montgomerie, and the light of a shaded lamp -fell softly and tenderly upon the graceful -figures of herself and Annabelle, seated in -their <i>robes de chambre</i> (chatting as young -girls will always do when preparing for -rest), on the looped-up lace curtains of -their pretty beds, knotted one with blue -and the other with rose-coloured ribbons; -on the toilet-tables, with their glittering -trinkets, and crystal bottles with gold or -silver stoppers; on vases of conservatory -flowers, and all the pretty luxuries which -are usually to be found in the vicinity of -youth, wealth, and beauty, as each girl sat -smilingly contemplating herself in a long -looking-glass, with all her rippling hair -floating down over her white shoulders. -</p> - -<p> -'And you like him?' said Mary, after -the maid had withdrawn. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, so much!' exclaimed Annabelle; -'he is quite a dear fellow.' -</p> - -<p> -'He has a gentle voice and gentle eyes, -certainly,' said Mary, musingly. -</p> - -<p> -'And to me looks somehow like one who -has a history beyond that of other young -men.' -</p> - -<p> -'A history—what a funny idea! Of -course he'll have a history, which, perhaps, -like other young subs, he would rather not -have made patent to everyone. But you -and he seemed to have some little interest -in common, Annabelle?' -</p> - -<p> -'Had we?' said the latter, colouring a -little. -</p> - -<p> -'He spoke to you often of his friend, the -other sub—what is his name?' -</p> - -<p> -'Leslie Fotheringhame,' replied -Annabelle in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -'Do you wish Sir Piers had invited him?' -</p> - -<p> -'Perhaps, Mary,' said Annabelle, with a -little forced laugh. 'Yet better not, better -not,' she thought, with a memory of the -days when her hand had thrilled at the -touch of Leslie's, even before words of love -had been spoken, and there had only been -in her ear those broken utterances which a -woman seldom, perhaps never, forgets. -</p> - -<p> -So, save in the instance of Hew, all -their first impressions of each other were -favourable, and the young girls, as each -laid her head on her pillow, began already -to scheme out pleasant little visions, they -scarcely knew of what. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap04"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV. -<br /><br /> -COVER SHOOTING. -</h3> - -<p> -Jovial and laughing was the -party which assembled at -breakfast next day, in the bright -morning-room of Eaglescraig, though the -December landscape looked bleak enough -without. -</p> - -<p> -Mary, in all the freshness of her -morning beauty, presided at one end of the -loaded table, and Mrs. Garth at the other. -Sir Piers was still in his room; but there -was Cecil Falconer, in a shooting-suit of -the best taste, and having of course -innumerable pockets; Hew in rather 'loud'-patterned -knickerbockers; a couple of jolly, -red-faced country gentlemen, the village -doctor, and old Mr. John Balderstone (of -whom much more anon), the trusted land -agent and local factor of Sir Piers, and -deemed one of the best shots in the -Bailiwick of Cunninghame, a hale, hearty, -ruddy-faced man, with an ample paunch -and short sturdy legs encased in long brown -gaiters. -</p> - -<p> -'How is Sir Piers this morning, Mr. Hew?' -he asked that personage, who was -intent on a pile of grouse pie, for the -breakfast was a genuine Scottish one, a -veritable dinner, with the addition of tea -and coffee pots covered with elaborate -cosies of Mary's handiwork. 'Well, I -hope, and that he goes to shoot with us?' -</p> - -<p> -'Well?—I should think so; hearty and -lively,' replied Hew, with his mouth full; -'by Jove, he looks as if he was likely to -live for ever! He's got the receipt for old -Parr's life pills, and the secret of Methuselah -too,' was the ungenerous—even coarse—response -of Hew, half spoken to himself, -and speaking volumes as to his secret -thoughts; a response which made worthy -old John Balderstone first raise and then -knit his shaggy grey eyebrows; 'but here -he comes, to answer for himself.' -</p> - -<p> -Laughing and smiling, he greeted all in -rapid succession, Cecil Falconer perhaps -first of all, and then he kissed Mary; and -anyone who saw how old Sir Piers held -her hand and gazed into her tender hazel -eyes, might have seen and known that she -was the one hope of his now childless old -age, and I doubt if he would have dined or -breakfasted comfortably without her. -</p> - -<p> -He bowed over the hand of Annabelle -Erroll, with something of stately, -old-fashioned courtesy; he patted Hew on the -head as if he had been a boy, and then took -a place beside him, after a glance at the -weather without, with reference to the -shooting. He wore a suit of rough grey -tweed, with strong shoes and long brown -leather leggings, that had seen service -many a time and oft among the beans and -turnip-fields all round Eaglescraig; and yet -in this—the plainest of all costumes—he -looked every inch what he was, a grand-looking -and aristocratic old gentleman. -</p> - -<p> -Shooting anecdotes, the qualities of -certain dogs, guns, cartridges, new shot-belts, -and so forth, were being discussed on all -sides, together with eggs, ham, cold pie and -steaming coffee; amid all of which Cecil -Falconer strove in vain, even by the offer -of a chicken-bone, to win the favour of -Mary's pet terrier Snarley, which he was -disposed for her sake to view and approach -tenderly; but in return her favourite showed -a whole set of sharp white teeth, and -retreating under his mistress's chair, snarled -and repelled the least attempt at familiarity, -even when she caught the little brute up -in her arms and bestowed upon it kisses, -which to Cecil's eye seemed a great waste -of something very charming. -</p> - -<p> -'My pet, my own pet!' she called it, -Snarley the while eyeing Falconer as -if he was his natural enemy or future -rival. -</p> - -<p> -'Hope you slept well, Falconer?' said -Sir Piers. -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks—like a veritable top,' replied -Cecil. -</p> - -<p> -'Right! a regular soldier should be able -to sleep anywhere, and never be surprised -on awakening in new quarters.' -</p> - -<p> -'Been ever in this part of the world -before, sir?' asked Mr. John Balderstone, -with his mouth full. -</p> - -<p> -'Never,' replied Cecil. -</p> - -<p> -'Ah, you'll soon learn to like Eaglescraig,' -added the factor. -</p> - -<p> -'I am enchanted with it already,' said -Cecil, as his eye involuntarily wandered in -Mary's direction; 'and believe that I shall -like it more and more, till it will be quite a -wrench when the time comes to tear myself away.' -</p> - -<p> -'Then come back, Falconer, for some -rod-fishing after Candlemas,' suggested his -host, with a bright smile. -</p> - -<p> -'Duty, I fear, may clash with your great -hospitality; but I thank you, Sir Piers.' -</p> - -<p> -'Call me general; I like it better.' -</p> - -<p> -'To be always called so is my uncle's pet -fancy, Mr. Falconer,' said Mary. -</p> - -<p> -'All great men have their weaknesses, -and I always respect them,' remarked Hew, -with one of his scarcely perceptible sneers, -for now Sir Piers, to his irritation, had -plunged into some reminiscences of -snipe-shooting at Dumdum, where he was wont -to be for some hours up to the waist in -water under a burning Bengal sun, -necessitating frequent libations of -brandy-pawnee; then, by some rapid transition -of thought, he found himself detailing -a march of the Cameronians through the -jungles of Arcot, with the rain pouring in -torrents, the road knee-deep in mud and -mire, the men drenched, the tents soaked -through, the mess and baggage animals -miles in the rear, the column having to -cross a nullah where the water ran like -a mill-race, and there was the devil to pay! -</p> - -<p> -Other anecdotes would have followed, -but Hew, who had seen enough of India in -reality too, proposed a move to the -gun-room and thence to the covers. -</p> - -<p> -'Time indeed to be off, gentlemen,' said -the general, looking at his watch. 'Tunley, -fill those flasks.' -</p> - -<p> -'And have more sandwiches cut,' added -Mrs. Garth. -</p> - -<p> -'I shall cut them for Mr. Falconer; he -is the only stranger here,' said Mary -Montgomerie, hurrying to the sideboard, -and proceeding deftly with her pretty -hands to do so; while Cecil murmured his -thanks, and tendered his silver case, or -sandwich-box. -</p> - -<p> -'Can't the cook do this?' growled Hew -in her ear. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, but not half so well as I,' replied -the girl, laughingly. 'I can be so expert -when I choose, Hew.' -</p> - -<p> -In the hall, where hung all manner of -hats and greatcoats, plaids, whips, salmon-listers, -whips and walking-sticks, Sir Piers -assumed an old and well-worn wideawake, -the band of which was usually garnished -with hooks and flies, for he was as keen -a sportsman with his rod and line as with -his double-barrelled gun. And now the -whole party set forth from the house, -Cecil looking more than once to the soft -faces of the two smiling girls, who, from -the breakfast-room window, watched their -departure. -</p> - -<p> -His mind <i>already</i> was full of sweet -Mary Montgomerie, and he would rather, -a thousand times, have remained, to sun -himself in the light of her winning eyes, -than to toil through the damp covers to -knock over a few rabbits or a brace of -harmless birds; and he could but console -himself by counting the hours that must -inevitably elapse ere he could meet her -again, and strive to endure them as best -he might. -</p> - -<p> -Hew detected one of these glances -thrown back to 'the face at the window,' -and remembering his ramble with Mary -in the Dovecot Park, bit his nether lip; -and before the day's shooting was over, -Falconer had a specimen of what the -amiable Hew might be capable of doing if -provoked. -</p> - -<p> -Preoccupied thus, Cecil Falconer thought -that on this particular morning 'the Land -of Burns' seemed uncommonly dreary. -Mist was rolling along the valleys, and the -landscape looked dank and moist through -its medium. -</p> - -<p> -Hew, who, though not ungentlemanlike -in bearing, was, as we have said, naturally -coarse in mind, and sometimes blunt in -manner, the result of association with -billiard-markers and stablemen, on seeing -Falconer give another glance towards the -house, said abruptly, and with what he -meant to be a laugh: -</p> - -<p> -'I don't think you can see her now.' -</p> - -<p> -'Her—who?' asked Falconer, with surprise. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, my cousin; for I think you -evidently admire her.' -</p> - -<p> -'An odd remark!' thought Cecil, looking -a little annoyed; but he said, cordially: -</p> - -<p> -'I do indeed admire her; who could -fail to do so? But what leads you to infer -that I do so more particularly?' -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove! I saw that your eyes were -seldom off her; but it is no use, -Mr. Falconer,' said Hew, with a pretended -genial laugh, 'as she has no eyes in -reality—save for one fellow.' -</p> - -<p> -'What the deuce can he mean?' thought -Falconer, a little annoyed by the speaker's -manner, which seemed to indicate advice -or warning, or impertinence. -</p> - -<p> -'You are cousins, then?' he merely -said coldly. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, of course, in a manner of -way—rather remote, you know,' replied Hew, -his closely-set eyes looking more shifty -than ever, as he scraped a match and -lighted a huge cigar; 'but blood is thicker -than water, and it goes a long way in -Scotch reckonings; and thus she naturally -looks to <i>me</i> as the future head of the -house,' he added complacently, 'as the -heir of entail. And Mary is indeed -handsome! There was no girl handsomer -out last season, or when she was presented—I -mean in the quiet and thoroughbred -style.' -</p> - -<p> -'What a cad this fellow is!' thought Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'Ah, you have looked admiringly back -at the house,' said Sir Piers, who had -another theory on the subject; 'the old -tower is the part of it that is most to my -taste. The cliff was called Eaglescraig, -because ages ago a couple of gigantic -eagles built a nest there every summer—a -nest of branches and great sticks on the -giddy verge of the cliff—and the vicinity of -it was always found strewed with the -bones of muirfowl, ptarmigan, rabbits, and -even lambs. A poor man who lived near -it made quite a subsistence for himself -and his family, during a famine consequent -on an English invasion, by robbing the -eaglets of the food brought by the parents; -and one day he found a little fair-skinned -and golden-haired child therein, brought -no one knew from where, by the male bird, -but safe and sound. It grew to be a man -of vast strength and stature, and he carried -the banner of the Bailiwick at the battle -of Largs—and certainly that field was not -fought and won yesterday.' -</p> - -<p> -The day was unquestionably a bleak -one. The last few leaves were fluttering -down from the bare trees, the branches and -twigs of which stood blankly and darkly -up against the dull grey sky; elsewhere -the red and brown remnant of rustling -foliage that still lingered on the oaks and -ashes was thinned by every passing breeze; -and even the gay cock pheasant, as he -skimmed over the gorse to seek his food -in the untilled land, might be heard to -croak as he went. -</p> - -<p> -Grim old Sandy Swanshot, the head-keeper, -and his staff, had already traversed -the covers; the muzzled ferrets had been -down in the rabbit burrows, scaring forth -the occupants; firm, stealthy, and -quick-eyed, they drove them into the gorse or -elsewhere, and now the earth had been -stopped everywhere, barring all return to -their well-known holes, which they would -never find again. -</p> - -<p> -The cottage of the keeper, old Sandy, -a veteran sportsman, silver-haired and -wrinkled, who had often carried the -general's game-bag when they were both -'school laddies,' was a busy scene that -morning. It was a thatched edifice, -garlanded round with dead wild-cats, weasels, -foumarts, hawks, and 'other vermin,' which -in their decay tainted the winter air, and -its occupant was old enough to remember -when the system of shooting with muzzle-loaders -was very different from what it is -to-day; when a cover was beaten with a -precision quite military, and when the -order 'Halt! reload!' went down the line, -every man, be he shooter or beater, had -to stop where he was, until the last barrel -had been charged anew; and the old man -had a supreme contempt for the perilous -style of blazing away that had come in with -arms of precision and the slaughter of -battues. -</p> - -<p> -All the dogs around him seemed to -know instinctively that they were about to -take the field, and kept up a chorus of -mingled whining and barking; and all the -beaters were there, somewhat motley in -aspect and appearance, but all doffing their -bonnets respectfully, as Sir Piers came up -with his 'guns' from the manor-house; -and each of the latter underwent, unknown -to himself, a critical scrutiny under -the keen eyes of these practised fellows—his -dress, his gun, his gaiters, his shot-belt, -every buckle and strap being duly -noticed and commented on. -</p> - -<p> -We may hope that Cecil Falconer's bearing -and equipment carried him through this -unknown ordeal; but the old keeper, who -had an instinctive dislike of Hew -Montgomerie, whispered to him as a stranger, -though Sandy was, in Scottish parlance, a -<i>dour carl</i>: -</p> - -<p> -'Gie him a wide berth in the cover, -sir! Shooting? <i>he</i> might as well be -ballooning!' -</p> - -<p> -Sandy knew some of Hew's vagaries -when at cover, such as shooting down the -line of the beaters and his companions, -letting fly at a bird whose flight was no -higher than a man's head, fingering his -trigger, heedless of whether the muzzle -was pointed to the sky or the earth, and -as careless of his friends as if they were -clad in Milan mail; for he was one of -those awkward fellows who had not even -the simple prudence which Charles Dickens -ascribes to the obese Mr. Tracy Tupman, -when that personage discovered that his -chief object was to fire his gun without -danger to his friends, himself, or the -dogs. -</p> - -<p> -The covers of Eaglescraig were of -considerable extent, and were well preserved -and carefully looked after; and though -Sir Piers, as he said, thought it very slow -work compared with pig-sticking in -six-foot-high jungle-grass, or potting a -man-eater from a howdah, it was what suited -him now, and in less than five minutes he -had all his 'guns' in 'order of battle,' -marshalled apart in a line of about a hundred -and forty yards or so, the beaters being -chequered in the gaps between the sportsmen. -</p> - -<p> -Advancing thus, like skirmishers in -extended order, on the right flank of the -line, were masses of whin-bush (or gorse -as it is called in England), displaying still -here and there a golden flower; and away -on the left the cover went deep into the -dark recesses of a copse, under the tall red -stems of Scottish firs, larch, and ash-trees. -</p> - -<p> -Hew and Cecil were in this quarter, and -a little in the rear was the keeper, the -latter scanning the whole, as far as he well -could, from flank to flank, rebuking from -time to time, in his deep, broad Ayrshire -Doric, any stupid beater who lagged behind, -while the sharp crack of the guns woke -the echoes of the dingles, which -occasionally seemed to reply to quite an -irregular volley. -</p> - -<p> -Among the gorse the chief victims were -ground game, but amid the coppice the -ruddy golden-hued pheasants were -momentarily flurried up, and arrested in their -whirring flight by the crack of the fatal -breechloader. -</p> - -<p> -Ever and anon, the voice of the keeper -was heard, with the prohibitory cry of— -</p> - -<p> -''Ware hen—'ware hen, Master Hew!' -</p> - -<p> -Among much other spoil, Cecil knocked -over a fine cock-pheasant, which fell -crashing down among the underwood in the -agonies of death—a charge of shot in his -gold-speckled breast. -</p> - -<p> -'Why the deuce did you shoot my bird, -sir?' demanded Hew with un courteous -abruptness of Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'He thocht, perhaps, ye war gaun to -miss it, as ye did the last twa, and the -hare,' said the old keeper, drily. -</p> - -<p> -'I beg your pardon,' replied Cecil quietly, -as he reloaded; 'but that bird was mine.' -</p> - -<p> -'It was not!' was the blunt and rude -rejoinder. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer coloured and bit his lip; but -thought of his courtly old host, and -desirous of avoiding a scene, simply said: -</p> - -<p> -'Let us keep further apart, Mr. Montgomerie.' -</p> - -<p> -'As far off as you please,' added Hew -ungraciously, and moving further away to -his left. -</p> - -<p> -Cecil continued to work his way between -the crowded fir and larch stems, which, by -receiving many a charge of shot, saved the -birds that hovered beyond them, the voice -of the keeper crying ever and anon: -'Mark cock!' 'Hare forward!' ''Ware -hen.' 'A hare for you, Master Hew—a -miss again!' 'Come to heel, Countess—come -to heel!' the latter, with the vicious -whack of a whip, was directed to one of the pointers. -</p> - -<p> -While Cecil was inwardly laughing at -Hew's wild shooting, a charge of shot from -the right whizzed past his face and tore -away the rim of his hat. -</p> - -<p> -A natural exclamation of rage and alarm -escaped him, as he had so narrowly escaped -having his sight destroyed or his face -disfigured for life, and looking whence the shot -came, he saw Hew gently slipping another -cartridge into the breech of his gun, under -cover of a great Scottish fir with a red -gnarled stem. -</p> - -<p> -'I shall thank you, sir, to keep your -muzzle up, or quit the ground!' said -Falconer, angrily. -</p> - -<p> -'It was a devil of a mistake—and I beg -your pardon,' replied Hew, giving his cold -damp hand to Cecil, who saw—or thought -he saw—a quiet twinkle of mingled malice -and amusement in the speaker's bilious -eye. -</p> - -<p> -'Blundering fool! Could he have meant -it? Looks deuced like it—but why?' -thought the young officer more angrily, -as he thought over the matter. -</p> - -<p> -'He weel-nigh shot Sir Piers in the -same unco fashion, sir,' grumbled the -old keeper; while Cecil now changed his -ground again, and for actual safety kept -closer to Hew than ever. -</p> - -<p> -Four long beats through the covers -brought luncheon-time, and while flasks -and sandwiches were produced, the slain -were counted as they were laid in long -rows on the side of a grassy bank, each -keeper, as he came up in succession, adding -his quota to the general stock, all furred -and feathered victims from the covers of -Eaglescraig, and so numerous, that the -sportsmen thought enough had been done -for one day. -</p> - -<p> -'I may deem myself lucky that I was -not added to <i>your</i> bag to-day, Mr. Montgomerie,' -said Cecil, laughing, but not with -genuine hilarity. -</p> - -<p> -'What! has Hew been at his old tricks -again?' asked Sir Piers, with an air of -annoyance. -</p> - -<p> -'E'en sae, sir,' said Sandy, taking a flask -from his mouth, 'firing doon the line as -before.' -</p> - -<p> -'My gun exploded unexpectedly, sir,' -said Hugh, with a sullen look; 'I -explained to Mr. Falconer, and he has -accepted my apology.' -</p> - -<p> -Something in his manner caused this -episode to rankle in the memory of Cecil. -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove, I think the cad <i>had</i> -intended to pot me, after all!' was his -occasional thought, and he never precisely -forgot or forgave the suspicion—one too -grave in its diabolical spirit of mischief -and cruelty to be dismissed lightly; and -though he laughed at some jokes made by -old Mr. Balderstone on the matter, he -really saw nothing to laugh at in it, and -was very well pleased when the whole -party bent their steps homeward—all the -more pleased when he thought of the -pleasant society that awaited him. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer began to wonder whether he -was actually falling in love already with -the beautiful grand-niece of his host. He -had never believed much in 'that sort of -thing,' at first sight especially; but he was -young and impressionable; he possessed a -keen imagination, and he already caught -himself weaving mental conversations with -her—conversations in which tender little -speeches came involuntarily, though unuttered, -to his lips, and soft smiles hovered on -hers, when she seemed to hear them; but -when—after changing his muddy shooting-costume -for another—he joined the ladies -in the drawing-room, remembering the -almost rude remarks of Hew Montgomerie, -Cecil, in approaching Mary, or conversing -with her, had an angry sense of being -watched, or observed, by that personage; -though a time came when he ceased to -think or care on the subject. -</p> - -<p> -And who was 'the one fellow' for whom -she had only eyes, as Hew had vulgarly -phrased it? Most probably Hew meant -himself! If so, Cecil thought that she -cloaked or concealed her partiality with -wonderful discretion. -</p> - -<p> -To avoid interfering with that gentleman's -views or wishes, Cecil gave much of -his attention to Annabelle Erroll, and even -to 'the old soldier,' as Hew called -Mrs. Garth; but Mary summoned him to her -side to see Snarley put through all his -performances, such as leaping over her -interlaced hands as through a ring, walking -erect round the room for a lump of sugar, -tossing another high off his sharp nose at -the word of command, to catch it with a -snap in its descent, and so forth, all the -while he did so eyeing Cecil with -undisguised hostility. -</p> - -<p> -And eventually the evening closed in -like the preceding one (save that old Sir -Piers, worn out with his day's sport, had -fallen asleep in an easy-chair, with a -handkerchief spread over his face), with music -and duet-singing, and pleasant conversation, -ere some of the visitors rose to depart. -</p> - -<p> -That there should be so much duet-singing, -and Mary's occupation with the -stranger, and that the general conversation -was of a kind in which he could bear no -prominent part, disgusted Hew, who was in -a detestable humour; yet he had the -policy to conceal it pretty well (though his -bilious eye was more bilious than ever) till -once, he drew near Mary, while Cecil, in -another part of the room, was occupied -with old Mrs. Garth, who was relating with -great unction some memory of the -Cameronians in <i>her</i> day; and now Hew's ready -jealousy became painfully apparent. -</p> - -<p> -'Good heavens, Hew!' said Mary, in a -low voice, her dark eyes dilating as she -spoke; 'what is this Mr. Balderstone has -told us?' -</p> - -<p> -'Can't say, for the life of me; the old -pump!' -</p> - -<p> -'That you nearly shot Mr. Falconer to-day -in the Fir Wood.' -</p> - -<p> -'Did I? Well, the blundering fellow -was out of his proper place, I suppose,' -was the sulky rejoinder. -</p> - -<p> -'What a dreadful thing if you had -injured him! Hew! you are positively -dangerous.' -</p> - -<p> -'My dear Mary, you deem him an -Admirable Crichton, I doubt not,' said he, -smilingly, in her ear. -</p> - -<p> -'What do <i>you</i> deem him?' -</p> - -<p> -'Slow and deuced ugly.' -</p> - -<p> -'Ugly—oh, come, Hew!' said Mary, -laughing very merrily at such undisguised -jealousy, which somehow did not flatter -her in the least—it was too comical. -</p> - -<p> -'I have no doubt our "old soldier" here -deems him a very eligible <i>parti</i> for -anyone; a subaltern, with two shirts a week -and a few dickies, by Jove!' he continued. -</p> - -<p> -'How—how coarse you are!' said Mary, -with her silvery laugh again; 'but don't -let grand-uncle hear you sneering thus. -He, too, was a subaltern once.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, but with the rent-roll of Eaglescraig! -I wish him well out of our neighbourhood -anyway,' he added threateningly. -</p> - -<p> -'Why, what harm has he done you?' -</p> - -<p> -'None as yet,' replied Hew, getting -more sulky than ever; 'but I may harm -him!' -</p> - -<p> -'How?' -</p> - -<p> -'If he comes in my way with you, -Mary, or anyone else—understand that -clearly, cousin.' -</p> - -<p> -Mary's brow darkened, and a haughty -expression, not unmixed with alarm, stole -into her hazel eyes and soft face, as she -said, while quickly using her fan: -</p> - -<p> -'Hew, you forget yourself, and me too! -How dare you adopt this tone?' -</p> - -<p> -'Don't think to make a fool of me, -Mary.' -</p> - -<p> -'Impossible, sir!' -</p> - -<p> -'You think so?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes. Nature has been before me,' she -replied, as she rose and swept across the -room to the side of old Mr. Balderstone. -</p> - -<p> -The eyes of Hew, like those of Uriah -Heep, 'seemed to take any shade of colour -that could make eyes ugly,' as they -followed her beautiful figure, and a savage -emotion gathered in his avaricious heart -as he felt that the chances of his wooing -with success—a wooing that was without -pure love—were receding further away -than ever; but whatever were his thoughts, -to show that there was no bad feeling -between Cecil Falconer and himself, after -all had retired to rest that night, he -invited the former to have a quiet little -game of écarté in the smoking-room—a -game from which the Cameronian did <i>not</i>, -somehow, come away a winner. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap05"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V. -<br /><br /> -HEW MAKES A VOW. -</h3> - -<p> -For the next few days Cecil -Falconer continued to give Hew a -'gey wide berth,' as the old keeper -phrased it, at the covers, where each day's -shooting was precisely like that which -preceded it. If Hew, thought Falconer, -were capable of such mad jealousy and -dastardly cruelty after a few hours' -acquaintance, of what might he not be -capable and guilty in the time to come? -</p> - -<p> -Was it his blundering stupidity which, -as the gamekeeper said, had nearly cost -Sir Piers his life once before, or a spirit of -infernal malevolence to revenge the petty -dispute about the cock-pheasant, that made -him fire his gun in the way he had done? -</p> - -<p> -At times Cecil was inclined to give him -the benefit of the doubt, and as he was not -of a resentful temperament, he gradually -either forgot the event, or remembered it -only as a mistake, that might have proved -more serious than it did. So each day's -shooting passed pleasantly over, and the -evenings were devoted to music in the -drawing-room, where Mrs. Garth dispensed -tea at a pretty little oval table—fragrant -orange Pekoe, out of tiny eggshell cups, -without handles—and where Sir Piers fell -fast asleep over his <i>Scotsman</i>; and the -night wound up by Hew luring Falconer -into what he termed 'a little mild play' -in the smoking-room—play from which -the latter always rose a loser, without -being able precisely to know how. -</p> - -<p> -Save for this kind of thing, which he -could ill afford, Falconer thought the brief -term of his leave would be delightfully -spent at Eaglescraig. A 'green yule' -had come and gone, without skating or -curling, and the owl whooped nightly on -the old tower-head, where the winter wind -shook the masses of ivy on the time-worn -walls; and the New Year was ushered in -with well-bred joviality, rather than the -hearty old-fashioned uproariousness of the -olden time, though in the drawing-room -the chorus could be heard from the -servant's hall, where Mr. Tunley led it with -joyous vociferation, singing, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Here's a health to the year that's awa'!'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -And precisely as the house-clocks struck -twelve—midnight—the house-door was -unbarred with great formality, and thrown -open to let the Old Year <i>out</i>, and the -New Year <i>in</i>; and rising from his elbow-chair, -Sir Piers kissed his niece Mary, and -then old Mrs. Garth in a courtly fashion, -an example Hew Montgomerie was not -slow to follow on the soft cheek of the -former, while Falconer looked laughingly, -yet perhaps enviously, on, and dared only -press her hand as he did that of Miss -Erroll; and then there was a general -handshaking with Mr. Balderstone and other -old friends who had been invited to join -the social circle. -</p> - -<p> -The rubicund Mr. Tunley offered, in the -name of all the servants, to drink their -old master's good health, and the health of -all the family; and Sir Piers, natheless -all his pride, cordially shook the old -butler's hand, and each wished the other -many happy years to come; and he went -through the same ceremony with all in the -servants' hall. -</p> - -<p> -In all this homely warmth, mutual -kindness and goodwill, there was much -that charmed Falconer; for though -belonging to a Scottish regiment, and one -famous in history, educated as he had -been far away from his native country, -and under peculiar circumstances, he knew -little or nothing of the ways and customs -of the latter. -</p> - -<p> -He had been much a wanderer, and never -knew a home, save such as he had found -with his regiment; so there was much -in the little circle at Eaglescraig to delight -him. Save with Hew, he won golden -opinions from all there; his genial manner, -spirited good-humour, handsome bearing, -and facile mode of adapting himself to those -among whom chance threw him—a mode -that came, perhaps, of his having been -educated abroad—all seemed to make him -a prime favourite. -</p> - -<p> -He could speak much, and pleasantly, of -what he had seen and where he had been; -he was a reader, too, and the fruit of his -reading cropped up pleasantly from time to -time in the course of conversations that -Hew could take little or no part in, greatly -to his own wrath. -</p> - -<p> -'What a place this is for gammon and -spinach!' thought Hew, who viewed all -this with extreme distaste, and still more -the intimacy that progressed between this -'interloper,' as he deemed him, and Mary -Montgomerie; for they nightly played -together the mazurkas of Chopin and -selections from the songs of Mendelssohn and -the operas of Verdi, while Hew looked -darkly and dubiously on, thinking there -was in all this far more than met the eye; -and Sir Piers thought, with a smile, that a -Cameronian of <i>his</i> time would certainly not -have shone much as a pianist. -</p> - -<p> -Mary was always so happy in herself, -that she usually made all others equally so; -thus, in her society, the hours, with -Falconer, seemed to fly like minutes. -</p> - -<p> -Hew had—unknown to Sir Piers—become -so seriously involved in monetary -matters during his sojourn in India, that it -was next to impossible for him to return -there; and his chief hope for retrieving -himself and doing well for the future lay -in a marriage with Mary Montgomerie, -rather than the prospective succession to -the baronetcy and to the acres of Eaglescraig, -for Sir Piers was a hale old fellow -and might live for twenty years yet. -Indeed, everyone said so. -</p> - -<p> -Thus he viewed with extreme bitterness -and jealousy the visit of Falconer and some -of the details attendant on that visit, and -his closely-set and parti-coloured eyes -twinkled dangerously as he muttered: -</p> - -<p> -'Devil take me if I don't bowl that -fellow out yet!' -</p> - -<p> -If Hew had been tender and true, less -brusque and coarse—had really loved Mary -with a loving heart—she might have -felt some compunction for her laughing -indifference to his suit; but she knew well -his avarice, his monetary hopes, and -suspected some of his vices; and, more than -all, her proud spirit revolted at the idea of -being made by her father's will the mere -puppet of a family compact, and <i>compelled</i> -to marry any man. -</p> - -<p> -'I heard you arranging a riding-party -to-morrow, Mary,' said he, during a pause -(or while Falconer was being accompanied -in an Italian song by Miss Erroll), and -bending over Mary till his moustache -nearly touched the white and close division -in her rich dark-brown hair, while she idled -over an album of Indian photographs. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes—you will go, of course, Hew?' -said she, looking up at him with her sunny -hazel eyes bright with a smile. -</p> - -<p> -'I would rather be excused,' he replied, -sulkily. -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Why? because I should be only in the way.' -</p> - -<p> -'Please yourself, Hew; but I do not -understand you,' said Mary, colouring with -annoyance; '<i>what</i> do you mean?' -</p> - -<p> -'I mean,' said he bluntly, and in a low, -concentrated voice, 'that before this -Cameronian fellow came, you and I were—were——' -</p> - -<p> -'Were what?' asked Mary, sharply. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, friends, at least.' -</p> - -<p> -'And are we not friends now?' she said, -laying her hand on his arm. He looked -lingeringly at it—a lovely hand it was, round -and white, with a golden bangle clasping -the dimpled wrist—and he said in a low -voice: -</p> - -<p> -'I had hoped we should in time be -something dearer——' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, stuff! Dear Hew, don't begin that -sort of thing here,' replied Mary, laughing -to conceal her annoyance; 'you will forget -all about it when you go back to India again.' -</p> - -<p> -Hew's face darkened ominously. -</p> - -<p> -'But you don't like India?' added Mary, -somewhat teasingly, while a roguish smile -dimpled her cheeks. -</p> - -<p> -'I hate it, as you know well; yet I may -have to return there, for all that you care -about it, or me.' -</p> - -<p> -'There are tigers there, and snakes, and -all those sort of things, Hew?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, and perhaps you would like them -to eat me?' he asked, viciously. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, Hew! how can you speak thus!' -she exclaimed, laughing. 'I never said so.' -</p> - -<p> -'But you thought it, all the same.' -</p> - -<p> -She laughed louder at this, for Hew's -peculiar love-making, if it annoyed, always -excessively amused her at the same time—a -fatal element for him. -</p> - -<p> -The morning of the proposed ride proved -a beautiful one, clear, bracing, and sunny, -and the horses were betimes brought round -from the stables to the stately perron in -front of the house, where Hew was smoking -a cigar, when the girls came forth in -their riding-habits, attended by Cecil -Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'And you are resolved not to accompany -us, Hew?' asked Mary, coaxingly, desirous -to please him. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' he replied, bluntly. -</p> - -<p> -'What a pity the season is not summer,' -she said to Falconer, 'we could have such -pleasant sketching expeditions, picnics, -afternoon tea on the lawn, croquet-matches -and lawn-tennis; but our picnics are so -jolly, and we always use the big omnibus, -in which the servants drive on Sundays to -the kirk of Eaglescraig.' -</p> - -<p> -'Croquet is only good for one thing,' -muttered Hew; 'it enables a fellow to loaf -with some girl he is soft upon; otherwise -I never could see anything in it,' he added -in his growling tone. -</p> - -<p> -Slender and willowy looked the figure -of Mary in her tight, well-fitted habit, even -more so than that of Miss Erroll, who was -undoubtedly a very handsome girl. -</p> - -<p> -Hew, having been in India, had been -compelled to learn riding; but he was a -timid and indifferent cavalier, afraid of a -horse, indeed, and he could never have -done what he saw Mary doing, tickling, -patting, and kissing the nose of her -favourite pad, ere she was swung into her -saddle so deftly by Cecil, to whose care and -companionship, together with those of -Annabelle Erroll, he was now compelled -to relinquish her, as the three departed, -merrily and laughingly, to visit the ruined -castle of Kilbirnie, amid its stately parks -and beautiful gardens. -</p> - -<p> -Down the long avenue they went under -oaks and elms that had been growing since -the field of Pinkecleugh was fought and -lost; and between a pair of grand old -carved iron gates, surmounted by a -coat-of-arms and supported by massive stone -pillars covered with grey lichen and green -moss, and past the lodge, the occupant of -which, an old wooden-legged Cameronian, -stood at 'attention' as they issued out upon -the roadway, watched by the evil eyes of -Hew, to begin a two hours' 'spin' through -a rich and pastoral country. -</p> - -<p> -Conversation of the stereotyped kind, -concerning the weather and so forth, had -been long ignored by Falconer and Miss -Montgomerie. -</p> - -<p> -'I shall show you some beautiful -scenery,' said she, as they shortened their -horses' pace to a walk; 'it is of the pastoral -kind, of course—for this is the land of -dairy-farms and Dunlop cheeses—all hill and -dale; and though there are no mountains, -we are very proud of Cunninghame,' she -added, laughing. 'Do you draw?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'And paint?' -</p> - -<p> -'A little, in water-colours.' -</p> - -<p> -'What a pity it is winter-time! Were -the season open, we might sketch -together, and how delightful that would be!' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil Falconer cordially agreed with her. -</p> - -<p> -'You must know that I love all this -place dearly, wood, wold, and water,' -exclaimed the girl, with a bright smile, as she -looked around her with eyes the greatest -beauty of which was their happy expression, -girlish truthfulness, and the innocence -of a nature that had never sought either to -simulate or conceal an emotion; 'but I -fear you will deem me very provincial.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why—for loving your native place?' -</p> - -<p> -'Ah! but this is <i>not</i> my native place. I -was born far away from here; but since -poor papa followed mamma to her grave, I -have lived at Eaglescraig, and all the -happiest memories of my childhood, and -girlhood too, are connected with it; so I -love the bold rocky scenery, the great -bluffs that overhang the Firth of Clyde, -and the green pastoral valleys of Cunninghame. -I know every farm and cottage, -every coppice and wimpling burn, in the -bailiwick.' -</p> - -<p> -'Is it long since your parents died, Miss -Montgomerie?' asked Falconer, as their -conversation began to take a personal turn. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; oh, so long ago that I can only -remember them as if in a dream!' -</p> - -<p> -'That is sad.' -</p> - -<p> -'And yours—was your father in the -Cameronians?' -</p> - -<p> -'He died when I was in infancy; and -where, I scarcely know.' -</p> - -<p> -'But he, too, was a soldier, of course?' -</p> - -<p> -'I think not,' said Falconer, evasively. -</p> - -<p> -'I am too curious—pardon me; but I -am a terrible talker,' she added, and changed -the subject, which Annabelle Erroll -perceived had brought an unwonted colour to -the young man's cheeks. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer had often thought that, had his -father lived, there would have been a great -difference in his own life somehow, though -he could not distinctly define the nature of -it. -</p> - -<p> -'How I wish your friend had been here -with you,' Mary Montgomerie said, after a -pause. -</p> - -<p> -'Leslie Fotheringhame?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; but Sir Piers said it was impossible.' -</p> - -<p> -'He, too, could not leave our detachment.' -</p> - -<p> -'How lonely he must be, shut up in that -dull castle of Dumbarton. His name is -a scarce one; is he one of the old -Fotheringhames of Angus?' -</p> - -<p> -'I believe so,' said Miss Erroll, colouring -after she spoke. -</p> - -<p> -'We should have made quite a pleasant -quartette!' said Miss Montgomerie. 'Does he sing?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh yes—so well!' replied Annabelle, -ere Falconer could speak. -</p> - -<p> -'How do <i>you</i> know?' asked her friend, laughing. -</p> - -<p> -Annabelle, usually taciturn and silent, -now changed colour more perceptibly, and -replied: -</p> - -<p> -'Surely Mr. Falconer must have said so! -How should <i>I</i> know, otherwise?' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil was perfectly aware that he had -never done so, but was puzzled to think how -Miss Erroll was aware of his friend's talent. -</p> - -<p> -'You have met, perhaps?' he began. -</p> - -<p> -'In society—yes; people meet each -other everywhere nowadays,' she replied, -and looked another way. -</p> - -<p> -The three riders were still in view of the -loftily-situated house and tall old tower of -Eaglescraig, and Hew's eyes, from the -terrace, were following them. -</p> - -<p> -He seemed still to see the skill and grace -with which—as if he caressed her—Cecil -Falconer had swung Mary Montgomerie -into her saddle, and the care and tenderness -with which he adjusted her stirrup, her -habit, and reins. He seemed to see, too, -the light in the eyes of both as they -scampered down the long avenue, ere he turned -away to get a foaming beaker of soda-and-brandy, -in Mr. Tunley's pantry, as a panacea -for his bitter thoughts. -</p> - -<p> -He watched the trio disappear over a -slope, or braehead, where the road dipped -downward, and he registered a vow of -vengeance on Cecil Falconer if the latter -crossed his purposes—a vow all the deeper -for being unspoken—and he achieved it -terribly when the time came, and it was -ultimately to assume a form and force -beyond even what he himself could have conceived! -</p> - -<p> -Nature had cursed Hew with a suspicious -and jealous disposition; inherent doubt of -everyone was a part of that very disposition. -Thus, his own total want of success -with Mary Montgomerie, on one hand, led -him, on the other, to conceive the most -exaggerated ideas of the progress Cecil -Falconer must already have made with her. -</p> - -<p> -Hew Montgomerie, when he chose, -could be 'a good hater,' and, as such, -would have been decidedly after the heart -of the 'great' English lexicographer, whose -hateful addendum was, 'I never forgive an -injury;' but Cecil had in no way injured Hew. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap06"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI. -<br /><br /> -A REVELATION. -</h3> - -<p> -Of Cecil Falconer's mood of mind -and views of the whole situation -at this time, we can be best -informed by a letter which he despatched -to his friend and chum, Leslie Fotheringhame, -on the day subsequent to the little -riding expedition: -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="noindent"> -'Eaglescraig, Cunninghame. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -'MY DEAR LESLIE, -</p> - -<p> -'Hannibal has found his Capua! -After our limited cuisine at Dumbarton, it -seems to me that—so far as luxury is -concerned—daily Lucullus dines with Apicius; -by which preamble you will think, old -fellow, that I have gone out of my mind, or -betaken me to cramming again, as we did -at Sandhurst. I am freely quartered in a -magnificent house, with delightful society, -and an old host, the general, who is hospitality's -own self, and possesses a well-filled -stable and a rare cellar—not that I care -for it much—but any way, in its binns are -some curious old Madeira that has been -thrice round the Cape, white and red -Constantia, Tokay with tints of gold, -Chateau-Yquem, and Malmsey in which maudlin -Clarence might have been drowned. -</p> - -<p> -'We have had some excellent cover -shooting, and, though the birds were a little -wild, a good many brace fell to my bag. -Nothing is stiff or formal here, though the -old gentleman has some stately, eccentric, -and rather extravagant notions about -family, pedigree, blood, and all that sort of -thing, and laments much the loss of a son -who was once one of "Ours." There are -two charming girls here, and after one's -bachelor and barrack experiences, it is -delightful to meet them each day at breakfast, -with their fresh morning costumes and -complexions; and charming, too, is the -morning-room—quite like that described in -"Coningsby": "Such a profusion of flowers; -such a multitude of books; such a prodigality -of writing materials; so many easychairs -too, of so many shapes, each in itself -a comfortable home; yet nothing crowded." And -then the girls! Don't you envy me, -old fellow! But I have no doubt they -will have you over here when I—alas!—leave, -for the old double Dun in the Clyde. -</p> - -<p> -'There is one blot in my picture—a -member of the family circle, named Hew -Caddish Montgomerie, to whom I am -obliged to do the civil, the general's -heir—whom I simply detest and view in the -light of a noxious reptile, why or how I -cannot precisely say; but we have our -likings and dislikings in this world, our -attractions and repulsions, and <i>certes</i>, this -fellow repels me! -</p> - -<p> -'He is jowly in face, with full, red lips, -heavy, stealthy, and shifty eyes, set close -to his nose, and he inherits rather reddish -hair and freckles from the family who -gave him his middle name, which, curiously -enough, is Caddish; and in spite, jealousy, -or by a blunder, he nearly potted me one -day in the covers! -</p> - -<p> -'I think he already views me as a species -of rival; he is a sort of cousin of Miss -Montgomerie (would that I were so! but I -am only one of those poor devils who exist -in the world on sufferance), and whether -they are engaged or not I cannot tell. He -has half led me to infer as much, and -assumes a disgusting air of proprietary and -so forth, which certainly is not endorsed by -Miss Montgomerie.' -</p> - -<p> -(Falconer had written 'by <i>Mary</i>,' but -had dashed through the Christian name, -which had escaped his pen, and Fotheringhame -remarked this.) -</p> - -<p> -'Anyhow, I was cognisant of a rather -tender scene between them in the avenue -on the day I arrived here. He is deuced -sharp at cards, and I have already lost to -him much more than I can afford to lose. -</p> - -<p> -'The general is an enthusiast on all that -pertains to the regiment, and quite a -detachment of it, in the shape of old pensioners, -is quartered on his property. His Indian -anecdotes are a little prosy, as he lugs -them in on every conceivable occasion; but -he is such a dear old fellow, that one can't -help listening to his yarns about curry and -rice; and a curious one he told me, last -night, may interest you, as it referred to -his son and a detachment of "Ours." -</p> - -<p> -'When they were in Central India, Piers -Montgomerie, with forty Cameronians and -some natives, invested a fort named the -Ghurry of Kittoor, a square edifice with -towers at the corners, armed with heavy -gingals and a few small cannon. The Potail -commanding it was a resolute fellow, -believing himself shot-proof, by an amulet he -wore, and he was custodian of a great -amount of treasure in gold mohurs, of -which Piers had orders to deprive him. -The fort was stormed, the Potail slain, and -the treasure-chest was found, but totally -empty—verifying the last words of the -Potail, who, when dying, swore upon the -Koran that there was not even an anna in -the place, and that all the slaughter had -been for nothing. -</p> - -<p> -'Before the gate of the Ghurry there -grew a tree of vast size and age, which -Captain Montgomerie ordered his men to -cut down for fuel. The soldier who hewed -down the first branch brought away with it -a literal shower of gold—gold that flashed -in the sunshine and studded all the green -sward like yellow buttercups; and there, -sure enough, in the hollow trunk of the -tree, was found treasure to the value of -fifty thousand golden mohurs, to the -bewilderment and joy of the Cameronians, who -had been on such short rations for some -time past, that they were ready to share -the repast of Count Ugolino. -</p> - -<p> -'I listen patiently to such yarns, because -I am anxious to remain in his good graces; -would that I could also be in those of his -ward and niece! -</p> - -<p> -'I believe, Leslie, that you are nearer to -my heart than any other friend I ever had, -so I don't mind owning to you that I am in -for it—about to fall in love! I have -always been at the same old game, you -will say; but this time I fear that I am in -terrible earnest, and have met my fate! -But the deuce is, that she is a great heiress, -while I have only my pay, or little more, -and dare not lift my eyes so high; besides, -what would be the use, as I strongly -suspect that, with the general's wish and -consent, she is the <i>fiancée</i> of his heir—the -most unamiable, yet enviable, Cousin Hew! -</p> - -<p> -'She is more than handsome—she is -downright beautiful! Somewhat of a -brunette, only a very pale and colourless -one, with a small straight nose, dark hazel -eyes, and dark brown hair, and her mouth -is the sweetest in expression I ever saw; -but I think I see you laughing at all this, -you unbelieving villain! -</p> - -<p> -'Even now, as I write in the library, she -makes a delicious picture, with her beautiful -slender throat and shapely head, as she -stands in an oriel, whispering to a canary -which flutters its golden wings against the -bars of its cage, and takes from her rosy -lips a crumb of sugar in its bill. -</p> - -<p> -'She is frank and open-hearted, and -somehow seems to sympathise with all my -thoughts and fancies, and we have already -gone some length in a mixture of confidential -jest and earnest, which, though it may -only amuse her, is perilous work to me. -She is, perhaps, a little proud of her beauty; -but what pretty girl is not? She seems a -creature that draws brightness from all -around her, while dispensing it in return, -and to have been made only to be petted, -admired, and caressed. -</p> - -<p> -'You will think that I am hit hard. -Well, old fellow, I grant to you that I am, -and already a remoteness seems to have -come over my past—our old barrack-room -life at Dumbarton and elsewhere. -</p> - -<p> -'To be hourly in the society of such a -girl—to have her daily to walk, to ride, -to sing with—is sure to have but one end. -Her voice, by the way, is a clear and -thrilling soprano—her touch upon the -keys is full of tenderness; but a -distrust of myself besets me sorely, and leaves -unspoken the words that—despite the -existence of Cousin Hew—hover on my -lips. -</p> - -<p> -'Why? you will ask. -</p> - -<p> -'Because it is difficult for a man that is -poor, and has not even high family to -recommend him, to be deemed other than a -fortune-hunter, when he aspires to an -undoubted heiress; but I shall tell you all -about this when I rejoin, and Fate has -dropped its pall between her and me. -</p> - -<p> -'I have lost at écarté to Hew -Montgomerie, and have given him my I.O.U. for -a hundred and eighty pounds. Please -lend me the money, like a dear old fellow, -and I shall square it up somehow, ere we -go back to head-quarters, as we are sure -to do when the spring drills commence, -as I loathe to be in this fellow's debt, -and the sum is rather a crusher to me. -</p> - -<p> -'I hope all is right with our detachment, -and that you grant no passes for -more than twenty-four hours, and look -sharp after our fellows. I must close -now, as we are about to have a spin -through the country, as far as Kilwinning, -to see the company of archers practise, for -old Sir Piers has more than once been -captain of the popinjay in June, and a -winner of the silver arrow.' -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -He had closed and despatched his letter -ere he remembered that he had omitted -all mention, even by name, of Annabelle -Erroll. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap07"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII. -<br /><br /> -HEW'S 'MILD PLAY.' -</h3> - -<p> -Fotheringhame wrote -promptly back to Falconer; his -letter contained the 'needful,' -and some bantering advice with reference -to his love affair. -</p> - -<p> -'For a man in full possession of his -senses,' he wrote, 'you are evidently far -gone indeed; and if matrimony alone will -cure you, and cause thereby the loss of a -thorough good fellow to the corps and the -service, why the deuce don't you propose, -and turn the flank of the cub named Hew, -of whose "mild play" I would advise you -to beware, especially as écarté is a very -rooking kind of game. Cut in for the -girl, if you are determined to chuck -yourself away; and, if you play your cards -in love as well as the cousin does at -écarté, she will soon be nestling her -blushing cheek on your waistcoat, and -scratching her dainty nose on your diamond studs.' -</p> - -<p> -'How can he write thus of such a -creature as Mary Montgomerie!' muttered -Falconer, indignantly. -</p> - -<p> -'If she has wealth, it is all the better, -as you have none,' continued the epistle. -'And as far as name is required, a -Falconer is just as good as a Montgomerie, -I suppose.' -</p> - -<p> -'I am doubtful if Sir Piers shares this -opinion,' thought Falconer; but, for the -future, he resolved to write no more to -Fotheringhame on the subject now growing -daily nearer his heart. -</p> - -<p> -'When I put on my first red coat,' -continued Fotheringhame, 'I resolved, if I -married at all, to condescend to nothing -less than a young dowager duchess, a -peeress in her own right, or an heiress, -beautiful as a houri; but none of these -have, as yet, come in my way.' -</p> - -<p> -Falconer lost no time in paying Hew, -who gave back the I.O.U., and invited -him to have his revenge in a little 'mild -play' that night in his own room; and -the former promised to take it if he could, -resolving the while to keep a sharp watch -upon his adversary's play. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer had not been without a hint -concerning it from Mrs. Garth, who took -a motherly interest in him, as a young -officer—more than all, as one of her 'own -Cameronians,' as she was wont to call the corps. -</p> - -<p> -'You and Hew sit up very late at night, -I fear,' she remarked incidentally; -'smoking, I suppose?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'Any play?' -</p> - -<p> -'A little.' -</p> - -<p> -'Take care,' she resumed softly; 'those -who play with Hew often lose and seldom -win. He is such a—such a very good -player; and young men, I know, are so -foolish at times.' -</p> - -<p> -Had she hinted aught of this to the -general? -</p> - -<p> -Falconer was almost inclined to think -so, as before Fotheringhame's inclosure -came, his somewhat disturbed and -preoccupied air was noted by his host, who, -drawing him aside, said kindly: -</p> - -<p> -'Look here, Falconer, you seem rather -distrait this morning. I was once a sub -myself, and not always a jolly one; are -you in want of ammunition? If so, say -the word and my purse is at your service -to any amount; and as for repayment, -take your time; "it may be for years, and -it may be for ever," so far as I care, -when obliging a brother officer of my own -corps.' -</p> - -<p> -Thanking the kind old man from his -heart, Falconer waived the subject; and -ere the small hours of the night came, he -found himself in Hew Montgomerie's room -seated at a table on which were several -packs of new cards. -</p> - -<p> -The guest of Sir Piers, and the secret -admirer of Mary, poor Falconer felt -himself constrained to be victimised nightly -in his desire to 'stand well,' as the phrase -is, even with Hew: thus he veiled his -growing suspicions and dislike of the latter, -who, when quite sober, for his own -purpose, and to win as much as he could from -the luckless sub—a fact and system that -would have roused the wrath of Sir Piers—also -veiled, so far as he could, <i>his</i> dislike -and jealousy of Cecil; and thus held -over, <i>pro tem.</i>, his intended vengeance, if -his path or purpose were crossed, though -he never forgot the wicked oath by which -he had bound himself. -</p> - -<p> -To lose again, as he had lost before, -Falconer knew might prove his ruin now; -but he resolved to be wary, and to watch -well, and though Hew was a player -accustomed to deep and sharp play for years, -in whiling away the lonely hours in an -Indian bungalow far up-country, he was -destined to have his <i>modus operandi</i> -thoroughly laid bare on this occasion. -</p> - -<p> -Personally, Hew was disposed to be -offensive to Falconer; but dissembled, as he -was anxious to 'rook' him a little further, -and also to mislead him with reference -to his own views concerning Sir Piers' -ward. Cunning hints did much to achieve -this with Cecil, and to curb and perplex -the latter, who never forgot the scene in -the avenue on the day of his arrival. -</p> - -<p> -Hew began by pressing Falconer to partake -of a tall and foaming glass of brandy -and soda, of which Tunley had left a -supply for them on a side-table, together -with a box of havanas. -</p> - -<p> -Hew's room was hung with coloured -prints of the hunting field, the paddock, -and other horsey subjects, for though no -horseman, as we have said, he made up his -book upon coming events and betted freely, -while his knowledge of whist and écarté -was only excelled by that which he possessed -of zoology, so far as referred to rats -and badgers. But he loved to affect a -'horsey' style; thus his mantelpiece was -littered by spurs, whips, riding-gloves, and -rusty bits, and pipes, long, short, clay and -briar-root; and in one corner stood a row -of boots, the leather tops of which -obtained 'their creamy tint,' as he said, -'from being rubbed with champagne and -apricot juice—a hint given him by a -gentleman-jock of the Royal Hussars.' -</p> - -<p> -'As usual?' said Hew; 'écarté, I suppose?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' replied Falconer, as they lit their -cigars; 'écarté be it.' -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove! one would require four eyes -to play that game.' -</p> - -<p> -Falconer thought that in the present -instance eight might be advantageous. -</p> - -<p> -'Five points, and two packs to facilitate -the deal,' said Hew, as he quickly shuffled -the cards; Falconer cut them, and the -play began. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer affected what he did not feel—but -very far from it—an unusually free, -easy, and careless manner; looked at the -hunting pictures hung round the room, -chatted on indifferent subjects, to lull the -suspicions of Hew, and intent on verifying -his own, in which he found a very -unexpected assistant in the form of Mary -Montgomerie's pet terrier Snarley, which -had already become reconciled to him—had -taken even a capricious fancy for him -(for which it had been privately kicked -more than once by the amiable Hew); and -now it lay coiled up at his feet, and it was -while stooping from time to time to pat -the dog, that he perceived the latter -come from under the table with a card in -his teeth. -</p> - -<p> -All this while, Hew had been deeply -intent on the points and counters. He -had, however, allowed Falconer, as a lure, -no doubt, to win four games successively, -and as many sovereigns, when he suddenly -proposed to increase the stakes to five -pounds. -</p> - -<p> -'Agreed,' said Falconer, almost to the -other's surprise, he did it so readily; and -the play went briskly on, while he -continued to chat on irrelevant subjects. -</p> - -<p> -'Who was that good-looking young -fellow who took Miss Montgomerie in to -dinner this evening?' he asked. -</p> - -<p> -'Good looking? <i>I</i> don't think so, but -tastes differ. As to who he is, I may say -that he comes of a good old county stock—nay, -is <i>the</i> stock himself—Bickerton of -that ilk. You don't set much store on -that sort of thing, as I remember,' added -Hew, who could never resist saying a -disagreeable thing, 'as you didn't seem to -care what Falconers you came of, when -Sir Piers—a great man for pedigree—spoke -about it.' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil Falconer coloured perceptibly at -this remark. Hew saw that it was a sore -subject, and thought to himself: -</p> - -<p> -'Hit him on the raw there, somehow!' -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, Falconer looked curiously at -him from time to time. Was it the -growing regard for Mary Montgomerie that -induced him, Cecil Falconer, to dissemble -in his bearing towards this fellow, and -affect to forget that, but for a chance next -to a miracle, by his hands, on that day at -the covers, he might now have been a -mutilated, hideous, and blind creature—blighted -in existence and profession for -ever? -</p> - -<p> -Yes, the influence of Mary alone could -make him act the double part he felt -himself to be acting now. -</p> - -<p> -Hew was dealing, and while Falconer -was stooping to pat Snarley, gave himself—as -he had done before—eight cards instead -of <i>five</i>, some of which he seemed to -drop as if by a blunder, and in mistake -only took up one, leaving the remainder on -the carpet till the hand was played out, -when he skilfully, but not unnoticed, -contrived to replace them in the pack. -</p> - -<p> -'When we are married,' said he, with a -nervous chuckle, 'I'll have to drop all this -sort of thing, I suppose.' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, don't <i>drop</i> your cards as yet,' -replied Falconer, coldly. 'Married—you, -and who?' -</p> - -<p> -'Mary and I; it's all arranged, don't -you know? Oh, by Jove, here is luck!' -he added, looking for a king, and of course -<i>getting</i> one, while the score was growing -heavy against his adversary, and was close -on a hundred now. -</p> - -<p> -'Hallo, Mr. Montgomerie!' exclaimed -Falconer angrily, as Hew stooped to fish -for a dropped card, 'what's the matter?' -</p> - -<p> -'I have dropped a card, by Jove! and -that d——d terrier has collared it. Here, -Snarley, you brute!' -</p> - -<p> -'You have dropped half-a-dozen, sir!' -said Falconer sternly, as he rose from his -chair with menace in his eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'I have not!' -</p> - -<p> -'Look for yourself, then.' -</p> - -<p> -'Where?' -</p> - -<p> -'Under the table.' -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove, there <i>are</i> cards there!' said -Hew, with well simulated surprise, as he -hastily picked them up; 'but they were -never dropped by me.' -</p> - -<p> -'By who, then?' -</p> - -<p> -To gain time, or avoid reply, Hew -addressed himself to his brandy and soda, of -which he had imbibed more than enough -already. -</p> - -<p> -'Never again shall I play with you' -('you scoundrel,' Cecil was on the point of -adding); 'and if I do not expose your -play to Sir Piers and the public, it is only -because I have a sincere respect for your -family. This is my score,' he continued, -taking up a memorandum, 'more than -one hundred pounds, which I must have -paid you, but for this most fortunate -discovery, which cancels everything!' -</p> - -<p> -With these words, Falconer tore up the -paper and scattered the fragments, while -Hew, unsteady in his movements now, -clutched the back of his chair with both -hands, grew very pale in the face, and -literally glared at him with his shifty green -eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'You are mistaken, Mr. Falconer,' he -said thickly. -</p> - -<p> -'I am <i>not</i> mistaken, sir!' -</p> - -<p> -'Come, come; don't make a d——d row -about nothing,' said Hew, coarsely and -bluntly; but as he had no wish, as yet, to -push matters to an extremity with Falconer, -or drive him to report the occurrence -to Sir Piers, he alternately sought to -explain, temporise with, and even to bully -him, seeking at the same time to retain -him in the room for a little space, and -unwired another bottle for his benefit; and -Cecil at first thought he was <i>acting</i> intoxication -as a cover, or excuse, for his recent -trickery. -</p> - -<p> -'We mustn't appear to quarrel, you -know,' said he, inarticulately, while glaring -viciously at Falconer. 'Won't do—bad -style of thing—bad form. Keep it dark -with Sir Piers,' he added, swaying about -as if his heels were on a pivot; 'a bloated -old aristocrat—man likely to hop his twig! -Ah! you thought to draw me like a badger -about Mary, but won't be drawn by you or -any man.' -</p> - -<p> -'Good-night!' cried Cecil, making his -escape. -</p> - -<p> -'Goor-right—goor-right!' said Hew, -lunging right and left, and nearly knocking -over the card-table, while sending after his -guest a savage malediction, with an unlit -havana in his mouth. -</p> - -<p> -Thus, at first, through the appearance of -Mary's terrier Snarley with a card in his -mouth, Falconer had obtained an insight -into the cause of his own continued losses, -and the steady success of Hew Montgomerie, -with whom, of course, he could -never play again; and the knowledge of -this, together with the disgrace of being -unmasked as a gambler and cheat, added -to the growing hatred that possessed the -other, who did not appear next morning at -breakfast, but left a message with Tunley -for Sir Piers, to the effect, that he had gone -to fulfil an engagement, for a few days' -shooting at Bickerton's place, in the -adjacent bailiwick of Kyle, and there, -doubtless, he would plot mischief for the time -to come. -</p> - -<p> -'A jolly good riddance!' thought Falconer, -as he recalled with disgust the -episode of the last night. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap08"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII. -<br /><br /> -'THE LOVE THAT TOOK AN EARLY ROOT.' -</h3> - -<p> -Several days had passed now -since Cecil Falconer found himself -fairly installed as a guest -at Eaglescraig. -</p> - -<p> -Hew was still absent, and Falconer -thought it strange, if he and Mary were -engaged, or lovers in fact, as many a -casual remark from Hew had led him to -infer, to the great repression of his own -secret hopes, that the handsome Russia -leather despatch-box, which was stamped -with the three <i>fleurs-de-lis</i>, and the three -annulets of Montgomerie, and which, with -the regularity of clockwork, was brought -in at breakfast-time by Mr. Tunley, never -contained an epistle from him to her. -</p> - -<p> -Cecil naturally supposed that lovers -wrote each other daily; but here was a -pair who never wrote to each other at all! -Cecil gathered a little hope and confidence -from the circumstance, till a tormenting -doubt suggested that they might have had -a lovers' temporary quarrel. -</p> - -<p> -The days passed, we say, and in all that -time, while almost hourly enjoying the -society of Mary Montgomerie, Falconer -had in no way betrayed the growing -emotions of his heart; and though markedly -attentive, there was nothing approaching -loverhood in his conduct or bearing; but -it would have been very difficult to -convince the absent and vindictive Hew of -that fact, as it was a fixed conviction of -his, that there was more in everything in -this world than met the eye, and that all -still waters run deep. -</p> - -<p> -Cecil's face brightened, and his tone -softened more, when addressing Mary -Montgomerie than they did when he was -with Miss Erroll, or other ladies. There -were no other signs; but her keener -perception and more subtle instinct told her -intuitively that he felt a deeper interest in -her than he had yet avowed; and, though -she had many admirers, the consciousness -of this made her heart beat happily, and -gave a little coquetry to her manner, that, -when other men were present, scarcely -pleased Falconer, who thought that -perhaps she was only <i>amusing</i> herself -with him in the absence of her ungracious -<i>fiancé</i>. -</p> - -<p> -She was quite a sister of charity, Mary -Montgomerie, in that part of the country, -and sometimes Cecil drove her pony-carriage -on her missions—a tiny basket -carriage, full of gifts for the poor, all of which -were bestowed upon them in a friendly -rather than a charitable way by the -softly-eyed chatelaine of Eaglescraig, who -loved to cultivate thus a link, a bond, -between the cottage and the great house; -and Falconer, no doubt to please her, -never forgot the various relationships and -names of the recipients of her bounty, and -contrived to have always for each man or -woman a packet of that peculiar tobacco -which they specially affected; thus he too -became a favourite with them all. He -never forgot the joy of these little drives, -in the deep old lanes of Cunninghame, -with such a companion as Mary Montgomerie, -nestled together in the tiny pony-carriage, -covered by the ample skin of a -dreadful man-eater, whom the general's -gun had brought down in the swampy -Terrai of Nepaul, and the inevitable -Snarley coiled up at her pretty feet; -drives in the clear, frosty winter -afternoons, when the skies were blue and -bright, or flecked by golden cloud, when -the distant hills were capped with snow, -and the smoke of the steamers in the -Firth of Clyde towered straight upward -till lost in the pure and ambient air. -</p> - -<p> -Already they felt quite like old friends, -these two; they had a thousand topics -and views in common, and they became -perfectly unconstrained, familiar, and easy -with each other—familiar with a rapidity -that surprised themselves. -</p> - -<p> -Little by little Mary wound her way -quickly round the heart of Cecil Falconer; -but dread of her relations with Hew -Montgomerie tied up the tongue of the -former more than even the crushing -knowledge of his own meagre exchequer did. -</p> - -<p> -She soon discovered that sentiment -which every young officer possesses—a -pride in his regiment, and drew him out -to talk enthusiastically of its achievements -and ancient history, and watched with -pleasure his animated face while he -expatiated on a topic so congenial; though, -to her, in reality, the glories of Her -Majesty's Cameronians had been rendered -long ago a worn-out household theme by -Sir Piers. -</p> - -<p> -When Cecil touched her hand, ever so -gently, she felt every nerve in her body -thrill with that exquisite sensibility which -was a part of her nature. She saw how -his colour changed at times, and <i>he</i> saw -how hers did so too; she felt in her own -heart the hesitation that was in <i>his</i> voice, -and, with the quick perception of a young -girl, thought to herself: -</p> - -<p> -'Can it be that—that he loves me—loves -me, and yet dare not say so?' and -then she would think of the sweet love -song of Montrose, about one who 'feared -his fate too much.' -</p> - -<p> -'I know that Cecil Falconer loves me!' -she would whisper to Annabelle Erroll, in -the seclusion of their own particular -sanctum; 'his eyes, his voice, and his -manner all begin to tell me so. Why -does he not speak out? I wish he had -half the fluency and confidence of that oaf -Hew.' -</p> - -<p> -'But Hew knows the wishes, and is -backed by the authority of your kinsman -and guardian, Sir Piers,' replied Annabelle; -'and if any contretemps occurs—you -know——' -</p> - -<p> -'Well—what then?' -</p> - -<p> -'It will only be a thousand pities that -young Falconer ever found his way to -Eaglescraig at all!' -</p> - -<p> -There were more of this opinion than -the soft, pretty blonde Annabelle. A -curious and subtle change had come over -Mary—a change detected only by -Mrs. Garth; as for Hew, he had been too -obtuse to notice it; and over her fair, soft -face, when she was alone, or sunk in -reverie, there shone a brighter light than -of yore—a happier and yet more thoughtful -expression. -</p> - -<p> -Whence was this? thought Mrs. Garth. -</p> - -<p> -'Take care, Mary,' said the old lady one -day, when caressingly folding her to her -motherly heart, as she was often wont to -do; 'my little pet-bird, be wary, for your -own sake, and all our sakes.' -</p> - -<p> -'Wary of what?' asked Mary, growing -pale as she knew intuitively what was -coming. -</p> - -<p> -'Need I tell you—of this young Cameronian.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why, how? fiddlestick! dearest Mrs. Garth; -what do you fear?' -</p> - -<p> -'Only this, you seem to forget the -intentions of your grand-uncle, and the hope -that your cousin Hew—for so we may call -him—has for the future.' -</p> - -<p> -These injunctions and remarks alarmed -and irritated Mary; but they had the -effect of rendering her somewhat shy or -constrained when with Falconer. The -duets at the piano nearly ceased, then a -cold, or a headache, or some such reason -was urged why the drives in the pony-carriage -should also cease, and they were -abruptly relinquished. There was a little -change; Falconer felt it and was a little -piqued; he remembered her wealth, and -the scene in the avenue, and strove to -crush out of his heart the thoughts he had -been cherishing there. His short term of -leave would soon be at an end; but could -he go back to the dull routine of duty -with this new secret of his soul untold? -</p> - -<p> -Even if he won her love, his immediate -idea of the future was vague and shadowy. -It seemed to be chiefly the desire to know -that she was his own, and would be so -irrevocably; to have the sole right of -caressing, doting upon, and worshipping -her; but when marriage and fortune came -to be considered, the deep gulf yawned -again between them, and the cold hardness -of practical everyday life jarred terribly -with the soft suggestions of love, -tenderness, and romance. -</p> - -<p> -Should he consult Mrs. Garth, who -seemed so kindly disposed towards him, or -should he first seek the consent of Sir -Piers? No; he felt very timid somehow, -and shrunk from the too probable crushing -refusal, or biting inquiry as to the -settlements he could make, his family, -and so forth; he thought that he would -rather try his fate with Mary herself, and -'put it to the touch to win or lose it all!' -</p> - -<p> -He was already 'so far gone,' as -Fotheringhame would have phrased it, -that his happiness or misery was now -simply the question. He made up his -mind, or thought he did so, to declare his -love to Mary, and he passed several hours -in flattering, and anon in torturing himself -by putting every imaginable construction -on all that had ever passed between him -and her, and between her and Hew, and -all that the latter had said to him, -suggested to him, and artfully led him to -infer. -</p> - -<p> -Luncheon—or 'tiffin' as the general -always named it—was over, when one day -Cecil, his soul fraught with a declaration, -rose to follow Mary, who had gone into -the library to look after the last parcel of -books from Edinburgh; but ere he could -join her he was button-holed by the -inevitable general, and the opportunity was -lost—perhaps luckily so—who knows? -</p> - -<p> -'One glass more of Lafitte ere you leave -me, Falconer,' said Sir Piers; 'are you -going to take your gun?' -</p> - -<p> -'No; I walked too far after the birds -yesterday, and have rather knocked -myself up.' -</p> - -<p> -'You are too young a soldier to say this, -Falconer. Knocked up—by Jove, sir!' -exclaimed Sir Piers. 'Precisely this day -twenty years ago I too was knocked up, -but it was not by tramping through covers. -It happened thus, you see. We were on -the march from the banks of the Chumbul -in Malwah, and the rain was incessant—yes, -as if the windows of heaven were -opened again. I was escorting prisoners, -with some native infantry, and had to -push on without food or natural rest, and -exposed the while to incessant attacks from -the Bheels, a savage mountain banditti, -who practise human sacrifices in secret, -and who were artfully incited to mischief -by Holkar; and there was the very devil -to pay when we came to the Chumbul -Nullah, a terrible torrent, swollen by the -rains—no rice for the men, no grain for -the horses, which left their shoes, when -the nails declined to remain, in the mud. -Heavy firing on all hands, the infernal -Bheels with their matchlocks and jingals, -and the elephants, under it all, trying to -carry over the troops; when wounded the -brutes became furious, shook prisoners and -escort, soldiers' wives and soldiers' children, -baggage, treasure, and everything out of -the howdahs into the foaming torrent, and -a horrible scene ensued—all who got ashore -were massacred, save myself, and I only -escaped by a perfect miracle. It happened -this way, you see——' -</p> - -<p> -How Sir Piers was saved Falconer never -learned, for just then he contrived to make -his escape, as Mr. John Balderstone, with -a bundle of legal-looking documents, was -announced on important business, and -arrested the attention of the narrator. -</p> - -<p> -Partly worried by the general's prosy -interruption, and thus partly thwarted in -his purpose, Cecil entered the library, -unheard by its occupant; its floor was -covered by rare tiger skins, sent home -from India by the general, who had been a -mighty hunter there, and had transmitted -home enough of them to stock a bazaar, -with their claws set in gold, as necklaces, -ear-rings, and brooches to all the ladies of -his acquaintance. -</p> - -<p> -After one brief glance at the stately -room, with its curtained bay windows, its -walls covered by glittering volumes in -splendid oak cases, its marble busts, easy -chairs, and reading tables littered with -papers, periodicals, prints, and drawing -materials, Falconer's eye rested upon Mary -Montgomerie, and his heart, full of love -though it was, sank as he gazed—gazed -on her in all her rare beauty. -</p> - -<p> -She stood before the stately fireplace, -looking intently into the bright flame, -seeing castles in the embers perhaps, and a -sense, momentarily akin to despair, stole -over him; her graceful figure was so -elegantly and richly attired in a costume -so perfect in all its details and ornaments, -from the tiny pearl comb that held up the -close silky coils of her dark-brown hair, to -the beautifully embroidered little slipper -that rested on the fender—all indicated -the gulf, that, though love might span -it, too surely lay between them—a gulf -formed by great wealth, by family and high -position on her side, and by the utter lack -of these three important elements on his own. -</p> - -<p> -He had followed her here, fraught with -a proposal, and now he could but ask -himself, Why had Fate brought him to -Eaglescraig? -</p> - -<p> -She turned suddenly, and welcomed him -by a smile, a book in one white hand, the -other resting on the mantelpiece, and he -was half relieved—so unstable was he of -purpose—when Annabelle Erroll issued -from the recess of a window, saying: -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, Mr. Falconer, you are just come -here when I wanted you—so particularly, too.' -</p> - -<p> -'I am glad of that—in what can I serve you?' -</p> - -<p> -'By writing your autograph in my -"Birthday Book,"' she replied, producing -one of the records with which young ladies -are wont to bore their friends—a handsomely -bound little volume—a bijou freak -of the time, wherein a motto from a poet, -or a text from Scripture, was appended to -each day of the twelve months. 'What is -your birthday?' -</p> - -<p> -'The fifth of November.' -</p> - -<p> -'Gunpowder-plot day!' she exclaimed, -laughing, as her quick little hand selected -the page. 'Here it is—November 5—St. Bertille's -day; and the motto is, "Man -that is born of woman is of few days, and -full of trouble."' -</p> - -<p> -'Scriptural—but rather uncomfortable,' -said Falconer, smiling, as he assumed a pen. -</p> - -<p> -'Your days have not been days of -trouble surely?' said Miss Montgomerie -to him softly. -</p> - -<p> -'My past days have not been without -it,' replied Falconer, as a shade crossed his -handsome face. -</p> - -<p> -'And your future?' -</p> - -<p> -'Heaven alone knows that—it depends -upon another—not myself,' said he, with a -brief soft glance that made her colour -deepen and her eyelids droop, while he -wrote his autograph immediately under -that of Sir Piers, whose natal day was also -the 5th—dedicated to the memory of Guy -Fawkes and Inkermann. -</p> - -<p> -'Cecil!' said Annabelle; 'such a pretty -name it is—was it your father's name too?' -</p> - -<p> -'No—I am named from my mother, in -a way; her name was Cecilia.' -</p> - -<p> -'How strange?' -</p> - -<p> -'There is nothing strange in it at all,' -rejoined Falconer gravely, and Mary could -perceive that he coloured almost painfully, -and the subject was instantly changed by -her; yet it impressed her so much, that -she mentioned the incident to her confidante -and constant guide, old Mrs. Garth. -</p> - -<p> -'Named from his mother, and he has -never been known to mention his father,' -thought Mrs. Garth; 'there is some painful -mystery here—and all mysteries are -decidedly unpleasant! I must endeavour -to arrest the progress of this <i>affair</i>, for the -sake of both, ere it is too late! But how -to do it, with sufficient tact and delicacy?' -</p> - -<p> -And in this intention she had been -further armed by the advice and opinion -of Mr. John Balderstone, an old and -valued friend and adherent of the Eaglescraig -family, who had not been unobservant -of the matter in question. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap09"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IX. -<br /><br /> -MRS. GARTH ACTS A FRIENDLY PART. -</h3> - -<p> -Nor was the opportunity she -wished for long in coming, -in the many chances afforded -by propinquity, and a residence in the same -house; though, in one full of guests, it was -difficult to get the object of her solicitude -alone. -</p> - -<p> -That afternoon, in the drawing-room, -Cecil Falconer and Mary were at the -piano; the general preparing for a visit -to his stables, as it was rainy, and none -could go far abroad; Annabelle Erroll and -a few other visitors were idling over books -of prints, albums, and other trifles; and -Mrs. Garth, observant of the two -first-named, with something of sadness and -impatience in her heart, was in her usual -seat near the fireplace, sheltered from the -heat by a plate-glass screen, and knitting -busily, for she was always knitting as if -her livelihood depended upon it—but her -industry was all devoted to the comforts of -the poor, for she had a kind heart, having -known much suffering 'in her time,' as she -was wont to say, and thus was ever ready, -so far as her slender means went, to aid -those who were necessitous, or troubled in -any way. -</p> - -<p> -She was tall and thin in figure, and not -without dignity in her bearing, with a look -of calm and patient waiting in her soft -and gentle eyes, which were clear and bright -as those of a young girl, albeit her face -was wrinkled and her silky hair was grey. -Sometimes their expression seemed cold -and sad, when her thoughts travelled -backward into the past; yet no eyes could -laugh in expression more merrily than -hers, at times. -</p> - -<p> -Like Sir Piers, and most old people, she -lived more in the past than the present, -and he, just then, with his feet planted -on the hearthrug, while listening with a -pleasant smile to an Italian duet, of which -he did not understand one word, was busy -with that most tantalising of all mental -exercises, groping amid vanished years for -some fugitive reminiscence that the face -and voice of Cecil Falconer had summoned up. -</p> - -<p> -Was it his old comrade Garth he -resembled, or who? But Sir Piers had seen -and known so many men in his time, that -day-dreams of them were no cause for marvel. -</p> - -<p> -'How the time passes!' said he, looking -smilingly down on the old lady; 'yet I can -remember you a charming girl, when you -joined the Cameronians, Mrs. Garth; and -that was not yesterday!' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, general,' replied the widow, with -a gratified smile on her old face, 'there -were worse-looking girls, I dare say, and I -had more than one offer before I was -twenty; but I preferred poor John Garth -to all the world.' -</p> - -<p> -'And right you were—right you were!' -said Sir Piers, emphatically. 'Poor John -Garth! I shall never forget his fine -conduct on the morning we stormed the -hill-fort of the Nabob All Nazir-jung (or the -victorious in war), as he boasted himself, -in the Doab between the Jhelum and the -Chenab. It was a strange affair,' he -continued, relating an anecdote as well known -to Mrs. Garth as to himself, yet to which -she listened with a kindling eye, 'we sunk -our half-sap by degrees and pushed it close -to the outworks, covering our men by -gabions, sand-bags, and mantelets, and the -assault was to take place an hour before -gunfire, or daybreak. I remember how -lovely the night was! A breeze stole up -the hillside and stirred the golden bells of -the scented baubul-trees; the moon in her -silver glory, like a round shield, was -mirrored in the bosom of the Jhelum, and -the stormers were beginning to creep into -the advanced trench, where we could see -their bayonets glittering and their white -puggarees behind the shade of the gabions. -Just as Jack Garth and I were having a -farewell cheroot and drain of brandy-pawnee, -Drake, of the Bengal Infantry, -who had been detailed to lead the assault, -came into our tent looking pale as a -sheeted ghost. -</p> - -<p> -'Now Drake was no coward, he had -been under fire many times in open -ground; but somehow he felt that to lead -a forlorn hope was a very different thing; -in short, almost certain death; and having -led a wild, terrible, irregular, and most -irreligious life, his whole soul had -suddenly become filled with an uncontrollable -dread and dismay of the impending -future. -</p> - -<p> -'He told us of the strange emotion that -possessed him—he seemed somehow not to -care of making a secret of it, to us at -least—and Garth instantly and cheerfully -offered to take his place, and Drake was -to join the covering force. The brigadier -commanding permitted the exchange; the -place was carried by storm at a wild and -headlong rush; Jack Garth, leading the -escalade like a hero, reached the heart of -the fort untouched, while poor Drake, after -the affair was deemed entirely over, and -the firing had ceased, was killed by a -random shot that came no one knew -precisely from where.' -</p> - -<p> -By the time the general had ended his -anecdote, and betaken him to the stables -to inspect the hock sinews of Mary's -favourite pad, of which Pastern, the groom, -had made some evil report, the duet was -over. -</p> - -<p> -Mrs. Garth had detected the mutual -tenderness in tone and expression of eye -as it ended, and when the singers left -the piano, she resolved to lose no time -in seeking to avert, if she could, the trouble -which she feared was impending. Not -that she loved Hew Montgomerie, but she -thought alone of Mary's interests and the -wishes of Sir Piers, her oldest, kindest, and -best of friends. -</p> - -<p> -But now, when Cecil Falconer approached -her, she thought, as Sir Piers -had done more than once: -</p> - -<p> -'What is there in this young fellow's -face that touches, that interests me? -Where have I seen that look before? In -India, I doubt not.' -</p> - -<p> -'I heard the general's anecdote of your -husband, Mrs. Garth, even while we were -singing,' said he, bending over the old -lady's chair; 'he must have been a fine -old officer, and I can assure you that his -memory is still fresh in the regiment.' -</p> - -<p> -Her face brightened with genuine -pleasure as he said this, and her eyes -filled with tears. -</p> - -<p> -'You see the relic I wear of him,' said -the widow, placing her hand affectionately -upon a brooch she wore on her heart, a -silver sphinx, which had whilom been a -regimental ornament, but which she would -not have exchanged for the regal brooch of -Lorne; 'and now, if you will come with -me, I shall show you his portrait.' -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks,' replied Cecil, and a parting -glance was exchanged between him and -Mary as he left the room and followed -Mrs. Garth across a corridor, hung, like -many other parts of the house, with Indian -trophies of war and the chase. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer thought he was only to hear -about her past and pet memories of the -corps; but he did not foresee that he must -hear much more that he would rather not -have heard at all. Nor could he suspect -that her primary object was to get him -alone for her own well-meant purpose, or, -as she deemed it, his future peace of mind -and the welfare of Mary Montgomerie. -</p> - -<p> -'This is my peculiar sanctum, Mr. Falconer,' -said she, when ushering him -into a cosily and handsomely-furnished -parlour, 'and here I keep all my relics of -the dead and of other times, and have done -so since I found a happy and contented -home in Eaglescraig,' she added, glancing -at an old iron-bound baggage-trunk that -had been at Bengal, China, Bermuda, and -all round the world with the Cameronians, -and at two regimental swords crossed upon -the wall: one the weapon of her husband, -the other that of her son, a joyous boyish -ensign, who had fallen in a vile skirmish -with a hill-tribe; shot under the colours, -on a day when match-lock balls were flying -thick, and 'human lives were lavished -everywhere.' -</p> - -<p> -And there now hung the sword that had -failed him in the hot hour of trial. -</p> - -<p> -Over the old but handsome face of Mrs. Garth, -there spread an expression of sweetness -and sadness mingled, as she showed -Falconer the miniatures of her husband -and their dead soldier-son; the latter as an -infant, with a lock of his golden hair, -which she had worn at her heart for twenty -years and more, treasured, like all his -school-boy letters, in the sad but loving -superstition of the heart, in memory of -him and of that day when the troops fell -in and he went with the Cameronians 'to -the front,' to be brought back to her across -six muskets, mortally wounded, to die, -while calling on her name, thanking her -for her love, and dying with his head upon -her breast, as calmly as he had fallen asleep -there when an infant. And so he died -thus, as his father had died but a few -weeks before him. -</p> - -<p> -'The will of God be done!' said Mrs. Garth, -in a sorely broken voice; 'for it -was His will that I was to lose them, and -that they were to precede me. But -Heaven is just, and teaches us that there is -a brighter and a better world than this!' -</p> - -<p> -Borne away by her own private or personal -sympathies, she almost forgot the -purpose for which she had invited Falconer -to visit her little sanctum, till he unwillingly -recalled it to her memory; as, with -all his commiseration for her loneliness, he -began to tire of the great many stories she -told him of the excellencies of her only -daughter—a girl so amiable and so -handsome—who had married a curate in the -West Indies, a good young fellow, who -was so and so, and so and so; of the noble -qualities of her son, the poor ensign, and -those of the defunct Captain John Garth, -who, 'poor dear soul, had been dead and -gone—dead and gone—deary me, however -so many years ago.' Thus Cecil—though -there was certainly a cheerful -gossipy quality in Mrs. Garth, that -rendered her a very attractive old -lady—ventured to say: -</p> - -<p> -'And now, Mrs. Garth, you must excuse -me. Miss Montgomerie is expecting me to -attempt that duet over once more with -her, ere we duly perform it for some guests -that come this evening. How sweetly -she sings, and with exquisite taste! But, -indeed, how perfect she is in all things!' -</p> - -<p> -'A dear child! I think you admire -her?' began the widow, now remembering -her task, and suddenly making a leading -remark. -</p> - -<p> -'Admire! ah, who could fail to admire -her?' exclaimed Falconer warmly, and -with kindling eye. -</p> - -<p> -'She is a charming girl—ever was a -sweet child—and I am so happy about her -future, Mr. Falconer,' said Mrs. Garth, -resuming her knitting, without however -raising her eyes to him she addressed. -</p> - -<p> -'Her future?' -</p> - -<p> -'With Hew—I mean—you understand -me, of course?' -</p> - -<p> -'Hew?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' she continued softly and gently, -reluctantly, too, for she was loth to give -him pain, 'Hew Montgomerie. In her -circumstances, and with her wealth and its -consequent and contingent responsibilities, -it has been with us all an anxious matter, -that she should choose well and wisely in -the world of marriage; and thus, with Sir -Piers' heir of entail, she will be the tenth -Lady Montgomerie, without changing her -name! Curious that, is it not? It cannot -fail to be a most fortunate alliance; but I -shall not intrude upon you, whom we have -only had the pleasure of knowing so -recently, these private family matters.' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil's heart grew cold as a stone, while -he listened and heard Hew's remarks thus -corroborated, by what, Mrs. Garth felt -with regret, must pain him, but deemed it -for his future good to hear. -</p> - -<p> -In reply to some half-muttered inquiry -(he could not fashion it as a congratulation) -she, by way of explanation and intended -advice, said distinctly much more than -even Hew had done. She told him, in -detail, of Mary's large fortune; and how -entirely Mary and it were—by the tenor -of her father's will—at the behest of Sir -Piers Montgomerie, whose great and sole -object was to consolidate the wealth of the -family in the person of Hew Caddish -Montgomerie, his heir of entail, who, -even with ancient Eaglescraig alone, would -not be rich, and who would be the tenth -baronet in succession from Sir Hew, who -had been made one for his loyalty and -valour in the battles of Montrose, -particularly at Tippermuir, in 1644; and thus, -that even a duke might lay, in vain, his -coronet at the feet of Mary Montgomerie! -</p> - -<p> -Pride of birth, and in his own family, of -the old line of Eaglescraig, almost a -collateral one with the House of Eglinton, -had been, from youth, a passion with Sir -Piers—a passion that had caused the ruin -of his only son—and so on, with an earnest -tone, a sad, yet gentle smile, she continued, -for his own good as she supposed, to plant -(warningly) certain daggers in the heart of -her hearer. -</p> - -<p> -'They do not seem much suited to each -other, Miss Montgomerie and her intended,' -suggested Falconer in a low voice, after a -pause. -</p> - -<p> -'Ah, so you think—so you think; but -when "Love's young dream" and the -honeymoon are over, they will settle down, -I have no doubt, into a very happy, loving, -and jog-trot couple.' -</p> - -<p> -'It is well that you have told me all -this in time,' said Falconer, preserving his -calmness of voice and feature by an -incredible effort, for if he had mistrusted -Hew he could not mistrust Mrs. Garth, -who could have no selfish or sinister object -in view; 'and I am—most grateful to you.' -</p> - -<p> -'To me—for what?' asked Mrs. Garth, -as if she knew not his meaning, though she -never looked up, but continued to knit -nervously and fast, with tremulous fingers. -</p> - -<p> -'I was, in fact, beginning to admire the -general's ward perhaps too much,' he -replied, with a sickly attempt at a laugh; -'but now I must think of her only as the -intended bride of another.' -</p> - -<p> -'And learn to laugh over the country-house -flirtation.' -</p> - -<p> -'Does she love Mr. Hew Montgomerie?' -</p> - -<p> -'I cannot doubt it; though her ways of -showing it are certainly shy and peculiar; -but then I see, and have seen, more of him -and her than you have done, Mr. Falconer.' -</p> - -<p> -'You are sure she will consent to this -marriage?' said Cecil, scarcely knowing -what he said. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, most assuredly; if not now, at a -later period, for there is no precise reason -for haste, unless it be Hew's Indian -appointment.' -</p> - -<p> -A silence ensued for a minute or so, -during which Cecil heard only the click of -the knitting-needles and the beating of his -heart. -</p> - -<p> -'Of what are you thinking?' asked Mrs. Garth, -looking up with a smile, and then -lowering her eyes again, as the pain she -read in his face distressed her. -</p> - -<p> -'I am thinking how to collect my ideas,' -said he, in a broken voice; 'to reflect on -my position, and the information you have -given me, with the useful warning -contained in it. In two or three days more -my leave will be up, and I shall have, -inexorably, to depart from a house in -which the happiest moments of my life -have been spent; yet, which I would to -Heaven I had never entered!' -</p> - -<p> -Then, as he left her, Mrs. Garth felt -that all her suspicions had been justified; -yet, with him, she approached the subject -no more. -</p> - -<p> -'I have done the deed! as Macbeth -says,' thought she, looking after him; -'poor fellow—poor dear fellow! He seems -sorely cut up; but it is all for the -best—all for the best! How sad his handsome -face looked: and of <i>whom</i> does that -face remind me? My own dear boy's -surely!' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil Falconer was full of jealous anger -and deep mortification. He could not, in -his present mood of mind, rejoin Mary -Montgomerie, and so he took himself to -the loneliest part of the garden to smoke -and think—to have that universal panacea -to all men in trouble, doubt, or difficulties—a -mild 'weed.' Moreover, there is a -solitude we are prone to seek at times, -even amid our fondest affections. -</p> - -<p> -A tender love for Mary had grown in -his heart; but—apart from a meagre -exchequer—his lack of family rank was -painfully thrust upon him now by every -word Mrs. Garth had, he thought, -unconsciously uttered. -</p> - -<p> -In his lonely hours, like most young -men of imagination and of those given to -day-dreaming, he had been wont—though -well-nigh nameless—to identify himself -with the 'Ivanhoes' of romance and -history—the disinherited and disguised -princes of boyish tales, and so forth, -weaving out a brilliant future for himself! -But now! -</p> - -<p> -Now, like Alnaschar in the Arabian -tale, his basket of crystal was smashed; -and yet he could have no future in which -Mary Montgomerie was not to bear an -imaginary part. -</p> - -<p> -He was aware that his family pretensions, -when judged by the lofty heraldic -and genealogical standards of Sir Piers -Montgomerie, were as meagre as his -monetary could be, and the double -consciousness thereof, though failing to -influence his heart, had almost utterly -fettered his tongue. -</p> - -<p> -These were the reasons why Cecil -Falconer did not declare himself as yet, or -try conclusions with Hew Montgomerie, -but now he had others—more solid and -more cruel. It was, however, the old -story of the moth and the candle. -Mrs. Garth had done much to crush and damp -all hope in the heart of Cecil, but could -not prevent him from indulging in the -perilous charm of Mary's society to the last -hours of his now-expiring leave of absence—leave -granted 'between returns,' as the -technical phrase is. -</p> - -<p> -So that night the duet was not sung, -greatly to Mrs. Garth's satisfaction, and -somewhat to the surprise and disappointment -of Mary Montgomerie, to whom -Cecil urged that he was afflicted by a -sudden cold, a hoarseness and so forth; so -to his seductive tenor she was unable to -make the usually tender soprano replies. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap10"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER X. -<br /><br /> -A CRISIS. -</h3> - -<p> -Hew returned suddenly from -Bickerton—Hew of the shifty -eyes and cold, fish-like hands—more -indignant than ever with 'Old Pipeclay,' -as he irreverently called Sir Piers. -</p> - -<p> -Old Mr. John Balderstone, the family -factor, who had been enjoying some -shooting at the Bickerton covers, had -incidentally and laughingly mentioned having -seen Cecil Falconer and Mary Montgomerie -twice in her pony-carriage at a -considerable distance from home; and thus -Hew had returned full of ire at the folly -of Sir Piers in having 'invited that fellow -to Eaglescraig,' at the presumption of the -latter, and with his heart full of secret -rage, jealousy, and no little rancour for the -result of the last game at écarté. -</p> - -<p> -Before this time, Cecil perhaps cared -little what Hew said or thought of his -manner with Mary Montgomerie, so far as -friendly intercourse went. Thus Hew had -more than once seen him bending -caressingly over Mary as he addressed her, -bending till his dark-brown moustache -almost touched her darker glossy hair. -But then, his whole manner to her might -be described as one long caress, though he -was ever courteous to all women, even the -old and plain-looking; while Mary thought -it new and charming, and something that -even in society she was unused to. -</p> - -<p> -But now there was a sudden change. -The result of Mrs. Garth's friendly advice -was, that doubt, reserve, and smothered -irritation—born of a suspicion that he had -been trifled with, or played with—tinged -the manner of Cecil Falconer, infusing -therein a peculiar strangeness that piqued -Mary Montgomerie, and made their intercourse -more perilous, for, being somewhat -of a little coquette, it was one of her -idiosyncrasies, when so piqued, to avoid a -reconciliation that was too openly affected, -and shyly, or slyly, to take refuge in those -which were merely, and silently, implied. -</p> - -<p> -The communications of the old lady had -forced upon him the necessity for -sedulously seeking to forget, as soon as -possible, the existence of Mary; and how far -such an effort was consistent with spending -the hours of every day in her society, may -be imagined. -</p> - -<p> -In the first fever of his spirit he felt -inclined to quit Eaglescraig at once, ere his -leave was up, and to get Fotheringhame -to telegraph for him; but anon he resolved -to linger till the last moment, and sun -himself in the eyes of Mary; and in the midst -of all this Hew now returned, like the -shadow of evil, to Eaglescraig, suddenly, -and not finding either Mary or Cecil in -the house, had his spleen further roused on -being told by the watchful Mrs. Garth, -that they were rambling somewhere in the -grounds together. -</p> - -<p> -'In the grounds,' said Hew, viciously; 'where?' -</p> - -<p> -'I know not,' replied Mrs. Garth; 'but -if you will absent yourself shooting here -and there, Mary must avail herself of the -courtesy of others.' -</p> - -<p> -'Of course—to help her to water her -ferns, which she does indefatigably, -although a staff of gardeners are kept here -at Eaglescraig.' -</p> - -<p> -'And to feed her favourite pigeons at -the dovecot.' -</p> - -<p> -'How touchingly domestic; how d——d -Arcadian!' said Hew, more viciously than -ever. 'Are they on the lawn?' -</p> - -<p> -'No; I think they took the path that -leads to the grotto,' replied Mrs. Garth, not -unwilling to pique the jealousy of Hew, -who muttered an ugly word, and at once -left the house to seek them in their ramble. -</p> - -<p> -For this circumstance Sir Piers was in -some measure to blame, as he had desired -Mary to show Falconer a curious grotto, -or cavern, partly natural and partly -artificial, under the old tower of Eaglescraig, -in which tradition said some centuries ago, -when the wall which had concealed it fell, -a so-called magic lamp had been discovered -hanging from a chain in the rocky roof. -The flame, when first seen, was thought -to be a Jack-o'-lantern, but was found to -proceed from what was supposed to be an -ancient sepulchral lamp, prepared with -matter spontaneously combustible on the -accession of air, and which, instead of -burning for centuries, had only taken light -when the grotto was opened. -</p> - -<p> -Be all that as it may, neither Cecil nor -Mary troubled themselves much about the -archæology of the place, though they -certainly lingered there, they scarcely knew -why, and she clung to his arm, for the -mouth of the grotto opened inwards from -the rock on which the mansion stood, and -overlooked the Firth of Clyde, three -hundred feet below. -</p> - -<p> -Alone with Mary there, Cecil felt that -he was becoming more devoted and -<i>empressé</i> every moment, in spite of his -recent resolutions and the warnings of -Mrs. Garth. -</p> - -<p> -Their conversation was somewhat disjointed -and desultory, especially so far as -Cecil was concerned; for the eve of his -departure was drawing near; he knew not -when, or if ever, he might see Mary -Montgomerie again, and the great secret of his -heart loaded his tongue. But the faltering -accents and broken language of love are -generally expressions of the fullest -eloquence to her who hears them; and now, -filled by all the charm her presence -inspired, while gazing into her face which -had all the soul-like beauty that radiates -from <i>within</i>, Cecil Falconer felt his heart -flying to his head, and while pressing to -his side the little hand that leant upon -his arm, he said: -</p> - -<p> -'Another day—only one short day more—and -this time of joy, so sweet to me, -will have become a thing of the past—a -dream—but a past never to be forgotten!' -</p> - -<p> -'I am glad that you have been happy -with us—we live so quietly here at -Eaglescraig,' she replied, affecting to -misunderstand what he so evidently referred to. -</p> - -<p> -'Happy indeed! But who could fail to -be happy here? I am much of a -day-dreamer, Miss Montgomerie, and often it -has seemed to me, in my solitary moments -and thoughtful moods, that some mysterious -sympathy or bond was linking my -existence with that of another, but who -that other was I knew not.' -</p> - -<p> -'A strange idea!' -</p> - -<p> -'You will smile at my folly, as you no -doubt deem it. So, too, have I thought -there was something singularly sweet in -the idea, but sweeter still now that I -know, the soul that I dreamed of was you.' -</p> - -<p> -Mary's hand trembled on his arm, but -she made no reply, and stood with half-averted face. -</p> - -<p> -'My lips have been silent,' he resumed, -bending over her, as she still further -averted her face and looked down; 'yet -you must have guessed the cherished hope -of my heart, and learned, even from my -glance—that I—that—that I love you!' -</p> - -<p> -So Mrs. Garth's friendly warnings all -came to nothing, and even Hew's existence -was forgotten! -</p> - -<p> -'I saw from the first,' said Mary, in a -low and agitated voice, 'from the first, that -you admired me, but—but, I never thought -that——' -</p> - -<p> -'That I loved you?' -</p> - -<p> -'I know not what I thought.' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, Mary—may I call you so?—I -have no words to tell you, Mary, darling, -how fondly, how deeply and tenderly I love you!' -</p> - -<p> -Her hands were in his now, and her -long lashes were cast down, during a little -pause that ensued, and he could see her -soft bosom heaving under her dress. -</p> - -<p> -Then she looked up with a coy, shy -smile of great brightness, as she asked: -</p> - -<p> -'Am I the first you have loved—the very first?' -</p> - -<p> -'Fancies I have had—as what lad has -not—but I never loved till now, Mary,' -he replied, with great tenderness, 'unless -it was the love I bore my poor mother, -who is now in her grave.' -</p> - -<p> -'I am so confused—so startled, Mr. Falconer.' -</p> - -<p> -'Do say "Cecil," I implore you!' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, then—Cecil.' -</p> - -<p> -No need to say more just then, as their -lips met, passionately for an instant, and -Cecil felt that she was his own. Then -Mary shrank back a little, and blushing -deeply, said: -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, what would Sir Piers say if he -knew of this?' -</p> - -<p> -There was something of terror in her -tone—alarm, at least, as Cecil thought. -</p> - -<p> -'When I tell him of my love for -you——' he began. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, that you must not—must not do—yet -awhile, at least!' she exclaimed -earnestly. -</p> - -<p> -'Why, my darling?' -</p> - -<p> -'Don't ask me—do not ask me! Be -content that—that——' -</p> - -<p> -'You love me?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, Cecil—yes. But your love for -me—when did it first begin?' she asked, -looking up with the same fond yet shy -smile again on her soft face. -</p> - -<p> -'Heaven only knows—when I first saw -you, without a doubt,' replied Falconer, -drawing her towards him. 'But now tell -me, darling——' -</p> - -<p> -Ere he could say more, she shrank from -him. A step was heard on the gravelled -path, Snarley growled and showed his -teeth, and Hew appeared close by them, at -the mouth of the grotto—Hew, with a very -dubious and mingled expression on his face. -</p> - -<p> -'Have you not heard the gong sound -for luncheon?' he asked, curtly and sulkily. -</p> - -<p> -'Hew—returned already!' said Mary, -blushing deeply. -</p> - -<p> -'So soon—yes,' said he. -</p> - -<p> -'Had good shooting at Bickerton?' -asked Cecil Falconer, feeling that it -required a double effort to be complaisant to -Hew just then, and to slide into the -commonplaces required by society. -</p> - -<p> -'Pretty fairish—knocked over a few -rocketters or so. There were ten guns out. -But how do you two come to be here?' he -asked bluntly and almost rudely. -</p> - -<p> -'Sir Piers requested Miss Montgomerie -to show me where an ancient lamp had -been found,' replied Cecil, with some -annoyance of manner. -</p> - -<p> -Hew muttered something unpleasant -under his moustache, as he thought that -the 'ancient lamp' had thrown more light -on their proceedings than he anticipated, -and drawing Mary's arm through his own, -he said sharply and curtly: -</p> - -<p> -'Let us go back to the house, or we -shall be late.' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil's handsome mouth was compressed -with sternness at the abruptness of Hew's -bearing, tone, and words. His small and -well-cut nostrils quivered, and his eyes -flashed with the anger which, despite his -recent joy, he felt a difficulty in -restraining. -</p> - -<p> -Hew was sharp enough to see this; but -feeling himself somewhat master of the -situation, and a species of marplot, he -gave one of his strange smiles, and said -something that might mean anything or -nothing, as he appropriated Mary and -marched off with her towards the house. -</p> - -<p> -How long he might have been eavesdropping, -and how much or how little of -their conversation he might have -overheard, or what he might have overseen, it -was impossible for them to conjecture; but -extreme annoyance clouded the fair face -of Mary, and bitter chagrin was but ill -concealed in that of Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'Pray do not quarrel with Hew,' Mary -found opportunity to say in a rapid -whisper; 'you know not his power in the art -of scheming, manÅ“uvring, and mischief.' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil felt his heart beat lightly again at -the interest in him implied by her words, -and the secret understanding they -suggested and created. -</p> - -<p> -Though we doubt very much if Mr. Hew -Caddish Montgomerie ever heard of -the Bard of Twickenhem, yet we are -certain that he believed with him, that -'every woman is at heart a rake;' and -thus he was the more irate with Mary, as -he was prone to take the worst view of -every one and everything. -</p> - -<p> -As they pursued the circuitous path that -led from the grotto to the house, Hew -maintained a somewhat sulky silence, as -he had neither the good feeling nor the -good taste to conceal his annoyance. He, -perhaps, loved Mary; but if so, it was -after a selfish fashion of his own, and as -much as it was in him to love anyone. -He knew her fortune to a shilling; he had -a passionate, an inherited, and avaricious -love of wealth, and he knew right well the -vast importance that attached to the -possession of it; thus he took Mary to task, -the moment Falconer left them—with a -glance, which Mary read, though to Hew -it was all unseen, or misunderstood. -</p> - -<p> -'Were you and that fellow long in the -grounds to-day?' he asked bluntly, and -with anger in his eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'What if we were?' was the defiant reply. -</p> - -<p> -'I asked you a question, cousin.' -</p> - -<p> -'One you have no right to ask.' -</p> - -<p> -'No right?' -</p> - -<p> -'None!' said she, with decision. -</p> - -<p> -'Come, I like that! I am your cousin.' -</p> - -<p> -'Nothing more, thank goodness!—and -scarcely even that, save by name; and you -are not my mentor.' -</p> - -<p> -'If I were so——' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, sir; if you were?' -</p> - -<p> -'I should say that I was extremely sorry -to meet you and Falconer together, as I -met you just now. I consider it most -unseemly!' -</p> - -<p> -'Are you my guardian, Hew?' asked -the little beauty, with growing irritation. -</p> - -<p> -'Would that I were so, legally!' -</p> - -<p> -'I cannot agree with you,' responded -Mary, with a merry laugh. -</p> - -<p> -'I regret to see how this intimacy -has grown between you and an utter -stranger.' -</p> - -<p> -'Pray what can it matter to you who -my gentlemen friends are?' -</p> - -<p> -'How can you adopt this tone to me, -knowing what you do of Sir Piers' -intentions, Mary? As for this fellow——' -</p> - -<p> -'Fellow? What has he done to offend -you, Hew Montgomerie, that you speak of -him in this style?' -</p> - -<p> -'I was only about to remark that, like -Oliver Twist, I have no doubt that he can -trace his genealogy all the way back to his -parents—to his mother, at least, for I -suppose he has, or had, such a relative,' -was the coarse and bitter sneer of Hew; 'but -that measure of ancestry will scarcely suit -the standard of Sir Piers Montgomerie.' -</p> - -<p> -Mary remembered the little episode of -the 'Birthday Book,' and her heart for a -moment sank, and her countenance fell. -</p> - -<p> -'What <i>do</i> you mean?' she asked. -</p> - -<p> -'I know—what I know—that is all,' -replied Hew, malevolently. -</p> - -<p> -'And I know that you are extremely -rude and ill-bred,' said Mary, as she swept -away from him, and with difficulty -restrained her tears, while Hew looked after -her with a scowl that was strangely -mingled with a triumphant smile. -</p> - -<p> -He did not knit his eyebrows, for he -had little or nothing in that way to knit; -but his closely-set eyes twinkled viciously -and furtively, as he began to feel that the -power he once possessed, or hoped to -possess, over Mary, and more especially over -her fortune, was slipping away; and the -emotions of wounded pride, disappointment, -avarice, and an odious passion for -her that was not love, grew keenly and -stingingly in his heart. -</p> - -<p> -Next day Cecil's leave would be up, and in -the interval, so sedulously did Hew keep -guard, that never again had Cecil a chance -of addressing Mary alone; but the rival, -while thus employed, could see with -growing rancour that they looked suspiciously -amiable and happy, and could talk confidentially -enough with their eyes, if prevented -from doing so with their tongues; and now, -to preclude any fresh invitations on the -general's part, or any further extension -of the hospitality of Eaglescraig, Hew -resolved, ere their guest departed, to do him -all the mischief he could with his host. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap11"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XI. -<br /><br /> -HEW MAKES MISCHIEF. -</h3> - -<p> -Finding, as we have shown, -that any appeal to Mary -Montgomerie was vain, Hew determined, -as he muttered, to give the general -'an eye-opener on the subject.' -</p> - -<p> -He knew that 'a jilted suitor is hopelessly -and irreparably ridiculous, and that -the jilt is apt to score the honours.' Without -an engagement existing between -them, there could be no jilting in the case -of him and Mary, but in his blind, -unmeaning hate of Falconer, his jealousy -and avarice, he never thought of that; -and only considered that the wishes of -Sir Piers and himself, and the object for -which he had been deliberately brought -home from India, were on the point of -being baffled, or set utterly aside, by the -intervention of an unexpected interloper, -to blacken and defeat whom was but just -and right, he deemed on his own part, and -in his own behalf. -</p> - -<p> -Without a just cause he had been from -the first instinctively the foe of Cecil -Falconer; and ill-founded enmities, it is said, -are ever the most obstinate and bitter. -</p> - -<p> -He found Sir Piers in the library, -lounging in an easy-chair, smoking a -beautiful hookah which he had brought -with him from India, and deep in the pages -of the <i>Field</i>. -</p> - -<p> -'Can I have your attention for a little -time, Sir Piers?' he asked. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, my boy; fire away. About what -do you wish to speak?' -</p> - -<p> -'A subject very near my heart, as you -know,' replied Hew, leaning on the back -of the old baronet's chair: 'Mary Montgomerie.' -</p> - -<p> -'God bless the dear girl!' exclaimed -Sir Piers, as his brightening eyes were -raised inquiringly to Hew's face. 'It is -time some arrangement were made by you -and her; for Mary deserves the purest -and best love the heart of man can offer -her.' -</p> - -<p> -'Such love is mine, dear Sir Piers,' -whined Hew. -</p> - -<p> -'I hope so.' -</p> - -<p> -'But I come not to speak of that.' -</p> - -<p> -'Of what, then?' -</p> - -<p> -'Of Mary and your new friend, Falconer.' -</p> - -<p> -'Falconer!' exclaimed Sir Piers, staring -blankly at Hew through his gold eyeglasses. -</p> - -<p> -'Seriously, sir, it seems to me that, -thanks to the propinquity your unwise -hospitality has afforded them, Mary is -drifting, with that fellow Falconer, the -way that many other young ladies have -drifted before her.' -</p> - -<p> -'What does this mean?' exclaimed Sir -Piers, wheeling his chair sharply round. -'Worry, of course; and, d—n it! I am -getting too old to have any worry—had -enough of it in my time, up country! Has -propinquity not helped you? Gad, sir, in -my day, I should like to have seen the -biped that could turn my flank with any -girl; but why the devil don't you push the -trenches yourself?' -</p> - -<p> -'But don't you think they have become -too intimate?' asked Hew, with growing -irritation. -</p> - -<p> -'Why? How?' -</p> - -<p> -'With all this singing, music, and -philandering.' -</p> - -<p> -'Pooh! not at all. Let them amuse -themselves. I was once their age. It is -no use making a fuss; but why the deuce -don't you cut in, and sing, play, and -philander too, as you call it? Besides, -Falconer in a few hours now returns to -Dumbarton, or to headquarters, and there -is an end of it all! To me, Hew, it seems -natural enough that young Falconer should -be attracted by our Mary; but aware of -her position, of my views and your wishes, -and more than all, your prospects and -rank when I am gone,' he added, glancing -at a portrait of his dead son, 'I should -very much doubt if she encouraged any -particular attention on his part.' -</p> - -<p> -'There I don't agree with you; and -when once a girl's heart becomes warped, -or interested in a fellow, she cares little -what his rank or position may be; and of -this Falconer's family or antecedents we -know nothing.' -</p> - -<p> -'True, by Jove!' said Sir Piers, whose -pet weakness was now interested. 'He -seemed not to know, himself, which I -thought odd. I wonder what arms he -uses? The Halkertoun family carried -azure, a falcon <i>argent</i> crowned with a ducal -crown.' -</p> - -<p> -'Arms!' said Hew, with a mocking -laugh. 'If all I suspect be true, his have -been quartered and attested by the Blue -Bottle Herald and Pimlico Pursuivant. -But apart from his dangling after Mary, I -have my own reasons for feeling glad that -Eaglescraig will soon be rid of him.' -</p> - -<p> -'He is a presentable young fellow—a -Cameronian too, and bears her Majesty's -commission,' urged Sir Piers in favour of -Falconer, whom he really liked; 'but -what are the personal reasons you refer to?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because in a little time he would have -rooked—ruined me!' -</p> - -<p> -'How?' -</p> - -<p> -'At écarté.' -</p> - -<p> -'At écarté?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes. Before I went to Bickerton—to -keep out of his way, in fact—he inveigled -me to play, night after night, when all -others had retired. My play is always -mild—but his was <i>wild</i>! His constant -phrase was that it was so <i>ennuyant</i> to play -for low stakes, so we always doubled, and -even trebled, them—I always losing.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because,' replied Hew, deliberately, -while a malevolent gleam shot from his -parti-coloured eyes, 'it is seldom safe to -play écarté, or piquet either, after dinner, -and when drinking brandy-and-soda with -a fellow who takes nothing—is too wary to -do so.' -</p> - -<p> -'And so you have lost?' said Sir Piers, -flushing with indignation. -</p> - -<p> -'Fearfully; and I suspect the scoundrel -was in the habit of dropping his cards.' -</p> - -<p> -'What!' roared Sir Piers, aghast. 'The -devil! Do you say so?' He pinched his -gold eyeglasses tighter on his high aristocratic -nose, and absolutely glared through -them at Hew, as he turned his keen face -full round to await what he had to say, and -with a face expressive of intense chagrin, -disappointment, and dismay. -</p> - -<p> -'I do not say so—I only suspect,' said -Hew, afraid that he, in the extremity of -his malice, had roused a storm it might be -difficult to quell, or see the end of. -</p> - -<p> -'And he is one of the Cameronians!' -exclaimed Sir Piers, in an agitated voice. -'Gad! in my time, he would have had his -hands tied behind his back, and been -drummed to the barrack-gate. Do you -actually tell me this? Gambling, in camp -or quarters, <i>I</i> never permitted for a -moment—they are strictly forbidden by the -thirty-fourth paragraph of the sixth section of the -Queen's Regulations. But the idea of -gambling and cheating at Eaglescraig! -D—me, I'll explode! I remember that, -when we were cantoned at Jubbulpore, -before we were relieved by the Seventy-Eighth, -with bag, baggage, and twelve -bagpipes——' -</p> - -<p> -'But our play is ended now, Sir Piers—once -and for ever!' interrupted Hew, as he -shivered at the idea of an Indian anecdote, -which was certain to follow whenever Sir -Piers mounted his Oriental hobby-horse. -</p> - -<p> -'Ended; I should think so! But, as -we used to say in India, beware of a black -Brahmin and a white pariah!' -</p> - -<p> -The point of this aphorism was not very -apparent; but Hew, satisfied that he had -now completely ruined Cecil Falconer so -far as Sir Piers was concerned, was so well -pleased that he listened to a sudden Bengal -narrative of a thirty days' march, amid the -horrors of Dacoits and Thugs, swamps and -jungles, tigers and snakes, dismounted guns -and broken bones, dead bullocks and -swollen rivers; and then, after a pause, -during which the baronet had been reflecting -with knitted brows, he said: -</p> - -<p> -'But to return to the first subject, Hew. -Do you mean to tell me, and do you -seriously think, that this—a—a—person, -has made any undue impression upon -her—upon Mary?' -</p> - -<p> -'From my soul I do, sir, and know it to -my bitter cost!' -</p> - -<p> -Another angry malediction escaped the -general. -</p> - -<p> -'I cannot desire him to leave my house, -though right well disposed to do so,' said -he; 'but a little time will see him gone -now, thank Heaven! I am deeply -concerned by what you tell me, my dear Hew; -all the more so, that I have been the -unwitting means of bringing all this unforeseen -mischief to pass.' -</p> - -<p> -'Only an hour ago I interrupted a little -scene in the grotto there could be no -mistaking! He was bending tenderly over -her, and uttering sighs that would have -softened the heart of a pawnbroker.' -</p> - -<p> -'Don't use such odious similes, Hew!' -exclaimed Sir Piers. 'Whatever may be -the personal merits or demerits of this -young man,' he continued, with an angry -laugh, 'apart from my firm intentions, your -wishes, and Mary's own future welfare, it -would never do for her to make a -<i>mésalliance</i>—to throw herself away upon an -ambitious adventurer, on whose name -there too evidently rests the stain of -obscurity, at least. It is well that he is -going, Hew! I want no other catastrophe, -no second fiasco, to occur to a Montgomerie -of Eaglescraig!' he added, with deep -and sorrowful frown, as he referred to a -family episode we shall have to relate ere -long. 'But here comes Mary, most -opportunely. Leave us, Hew, and I shall talk -with her alone.' -</p> - -<p> -As Hew retired, with disappointed passion -and gratified revenge curiously mingled -in his face, the thought flashed upon the -mind of Sir Piers that expostulation or -advice might only prove futile, and, by -exciting opposition, make the matter worse -(as he had bitterly experienced once before -in his life), though he knew not how far -the matter had gone, or how deeply love -had taken root in the hearts of both Mary -and Falconer. Moreover, he thought that -as separation, which he deemed a safe cure, -was so close at hand, it might be better to -ignore the communications of Hew, and -let matters, after Falconer's departure, fall -into their old routine, yet having the -intended marriage of Mary and his heir -pressed forward, in spite of all opposition; -but now, the sudden and apparently opportune -entrance of the fair culprit herself -overset his calmer calculations. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap12"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XII. -<br /><br /> -CECIL'S DEPARTURE. -</h3> - -<p> -Though indignant at Falconer, -Sir Piers could scarcely find it -in his heart to be angry with -Mary, she was so sweet and winning—his -dead kinsman's one ewe lamb, committed -to his care. She had been to him as the -child of his old age, taking the place of -that only son whose death he had never -ceased to lament; she, who by her affection, -in the thousand nameless little recurring -trifles of life, as a tender and loving -daughter rather than a grand-niece, had -made herself so useful and necessary to -him. -</p> - -<p> -Mary had come in search of a book, a -passage in which she meant to show Cecil, -whom she had left with Annabelle Erroll, -when Sir Piers summoned her to his side; -and though she saw a gloom on his fine -old face, the cause of which she dreaded -and suspected to have been Hew, who had -just quitted the room, she seated herself on -a velvet tabouret, near her guardian's own -chair, and nestling at his knee as she had -been wont to do when a little girl, she -drew one of his shrivelled hands caressingly -over her handsome head, and, looking -up smilingly, said: -</p> - -<p> -'Well, grand-uncle darling, what have -you to say to me?' -</p> - -<p> -'Much, Mary—yet a few words may -suffice,' he replied, as the lines faded out -of his face. He had at first resolved to be -very stern and irate with her; but he -reserved all his bitterness for Falconer. -'Am I right when I say that I have been -given to understand that Mr. Falconer has -forgotten his place as a guest in my house, -and dared to address you surreptitiously -in language other than a mere friend or -guest may do?' -</p> - -<p> -At this question, so sententiously put, -Mary blushed painfully, and then grew -very pale indeed, for her heart was yet -vibrating with its new-found joy, and the -memory of that kiss, the first that was -ever given her by any man save old Sir -Piers himself. -</p> - -<p> -'Has he attempted to win for himself -that affection which should belong to -another?' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, grand-uncle, what do you mean?' -asked Mary piteously, and feeling quite -overwhelmed. -</p> - -<p> -'What I ask, Mary; and I wish you to -know, further, that he is every way -unworthy the consideration of any -girl—wholly unworthy the kindness I have -wasted on him.' -</p> - -<p> -'Unworthy!' repeated Mary, faintly; -and yet her heart rebelled, for she now -recognised the malevolent influence of Hew. -</p> - -<p> -'I have other views for your future, as -you know, dear Mary—views long -cherished and most dear to me, and I am -not going to have my plans and prospects -marred by a fortune-hunting subaltern and -a romantic girl's folly. Understand me, -Mary, and the power your father's will has -given me over you and your fortune.' -</p> - -<p> -Mary remained silent, but tears welled -up in her eyes—tears that sprang from -emotions of anger as much as annoyance -and intense mortification. -</p> - -<p> -'I don't object to the fellow because he -is a subaltern, with little, if anything, more -than his pay,' said Sir Piers, as if ashamed -of using the military rank as an adjective; -'but I do object to this, Mary, as your -guardian and only kinsman, in whose -hands the whole of your fortune is vested, -to bestow, so far as possible, on my heir of -entail, who is to share it with you. But -here, if all I am told is true, you have -been tempted—you, with beauty and -attractions that might win a coronet—you, -with an inheritance, and certainly with a -name, second to none in Scotland—to cast -your lot, perhaps, with one destitute of -position, save that which a commission -gives him—one without family or friends -either, so far as we know,' continued the -general, musing, or talking himself into a -fit of anger; 'as Hew has hinted, the first -of his race—a gambler, too——' -</p> - -<p> -'A gambler, grand-uncle?' -</p> - -<p> -'A gambler—and worse—who has sorely -fleeced poor Hew! But I shall amply -reimburse him, as it was by my old-fashioned -folly our unlucky guest came here. How -I shall be able to receive him at dinner -to-day I scarcely know, for now I consider -his presence in Eaglescraig an insult. You -may have been foolish—girlish, Mary; but -I know that you won't further vex your old -grand-uncle, who loves you so, but will -sedulously avoid or shun this person, -Falconer, during the few hours he is under -our roof: and when he leaves it let his -existence be to you as a thing of the -past—as that of the dead—but the dead who -are forgotten!' -</p> - -<p> -And with this cruel advice, which was all -the more cruel and impressive from being -coolly, calmly, and deliberately given, the -general rose and quitted the library, leaving -Mary in a flood of tears and quite -overwhelmed with dismay; not at the -invectives bestowed upon Falconer, as she knew -their source and true value, but at the -hostility so suddenly developed by Sir Piers, -and the long term of domestic misery she -saw before her in the future. -</p> - -<p> -But, as indignation swelled in her heart -against Hew, she dried her tears and -gathered a courage from her growing anger. -Yet she drew her breath with difficulty, -and pressed a hand upon her side as if a -pang of pain was there. -</p> - -<p> -Unaware of all this scene, Falconer, even -in the face of his approaching departure, -was chatting away gaily with Annabelle -Erroll, and having the full assurance of -Mary's love, seemed to tread on air, and -feel emotions only of gratitude and joy. -He was as sure that Mary was not a girl -to love lightly as he was sure that she had -given her whole heart to him, despite the -fiat, the 'general order' of Sir Piers, that -was to assign her as a bride to Hew Montgomerie. -</p> - -<p> -When the little circle assembled for -dinner, the last of which he was to partake -in Eaglescraig, Cecil became suddenly and -painfully sensible that some change had -come over all present, save Miss Erroll. -</p> - -<p> -Though all were scrupulously polite, their -old cordiality seemed to have evaporated! -</p> - -<p> -Hew was colder than ever; not that -Cecil Falconer cared much for that, but he -felt that the usually chatty and genial Sir -Piers was cold in manner too, and haughty -and monosyllabic, for a time; and Cecil -recalled the cordial welcome of his first -night in that hospitable mansion, when his -old host insisted on escorting him to 'his -quarters,' as he called his room, singing -his old Indian song about 'half-batta' as -they went. He felt the change keenly, -and angrily too, all the more that he failed -to understand it. -</p> - -<p> -'What the deuce does the general -suspect—what does he know?' thought Cecil, -whose own suspicions certainly pointed -towards Hew; but he and Mary were -without the means of comparing notes -together, or even of taking of each other -the tender farewell they would have -wished. -</p> - -<p> -At table—with the memory of all that -had passed in the library—she was nervous, -silent and reserved, while she kept listening -to the voice and looking furtively in -the eyes that as secretly sought hers—the -voice and eyes she had been bidden to -forget as those of 'the forgotten dead.' -</p> - -<p> -When the ladies withdrew, the general, -who was the soul of hospitality, when -pushing the decanters round—for he was -vain of his clarets, Chateau Lafitte, Haut -Brion, and Margaux—felt half inclined to -relax and relent at times. Could Hew -have been mistaken in that diabolical story -about the cards? But if so, he was not -mistaken on the subject of Falconer's -admiration of his intended wife: and though -such was utterly adverse to the wish of -Sir Piers, he felt that he could forgive it, -especially as, like Mrs. Garth, he felt that -in the look and air, the expression of face, -and bearing of Cecil Falconer, there were -an undefinable something that brought -painfully back to memory the face of -another; and yet, between the two faces, -that of his dead son—for his it was—and -the face of Falconer, there was no especial -likeness. -</p> - -<p> -'Had poor Piers been living now, -thought the general, 'he would have been -nearly fifty years of age, which reminds me -that I am getting too old to harbour -thoughts of anger now.' -</p> - -<p> -In the drawing-room, Cecil found the -piano closed; there was evidently to be no -music that evening, nor was he in the mood -for it, except in so far that it might have -served to cloak a few farewell words to -Mary, whom he found occupied at chess -with Mrs. Garth, and save that she -trembled a little and changed colour at his -entrance, she seemed unconscious of his -presence, as the slow and silent game -proceeded in its tedium: and leaving Sir -Piers and Hew deep in some matter of -local improvements to be made on a certain -farm, he seated himself beside Miss Erroll, -on an ottoman, a little way apart. -</p> - -<p> -'And so you indeed go to-morrow?' -she observed, for lack of something else to -say apparently. -</p> - -<p> -'Inexorably, Miss Erroll,' he replied, -with a smile that was no smile at all; -'and after all the happiness I have enjoyed -here I shall feel doubly lonely at Dumbarton, -as it is most probable that the general -may invite my brother officer here, to take -my place.' -</p> - -<p> -'Mr. Leslie Fotheringhame?' she said in -a low voice, while her eyes drooped. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'What leads you to think so?' she asked, -with a little agitation of manner that Cecil -could not fail to detect. -</p> - -<p> -'He has once or twice said such was his -intention.' -</p> - -<p> -Such, indeed, had been the general's -wish, but recent events had made him -change his mind. -</p> - -<p> -Miss Erroll was a singularly attractive and -bright-looking girl—bright in her manner -and blonde beauty. Her fair, golden hair -rippled back from her broad, low, snowy -forehead; and she had a tender, rosebud-like -mouth, and very lovely eyes. In the -full preoccupation of his thoughts with -Mary, Cecil Falconer had not been quite -conscious that on several occasions Miss -Erroll had led him to talk of his solitary -friend at Dumbarton, Leslie Fotheringhame, -as if she had some interest in him; -and also, that if he attempted to question -her on the subject, she skilfully or -nervously changed it, or evaded it. -</p> - -<p> -'You know Fotheringhame, it would -seem?' he asked. -</p> - -<p> -'I do—or <i>did</i>, rather,' she replied, in a -low voice. -</p> - -<p> -This implied that there had been a -coolness, a quarrel, or a dropping of -acquaintance somehow. -</p> - -<p> -'He was not always in the Cameronians,' -said Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'I am aware of that.' -</p> - -<p> -'Perhaps you knew him when in his -former regiment?' -</p> - -<p> -'When in his former regiment—yes,' -she replied, repeating his words, as if -afraid to trust herself to any of her own. -'How long will Mary puzzle over her -king?—she is quite checkmated!' she said -with a forced laugh, as she moved towards -the chess-table, to conceal from Falconer -an expression of genuine pain that shot -over her soft, fair face. -</p> - -<p> -He noticed now an unmistakable -agitation of manner and sudden sadness of -eye and tone in Annabelle Erroll; and -though he almost immediately forgot this -amid the anxiety of his own love affair, -he remembered it all at a future time. -</p> - -<p> -The brief evening that followed the late -and fashionable dinner-hour passed rapidly—too -rapidly for Cecil; yet heavily withal. -The evening was so unlike its predecessors, -for the once pleasant circle seemed entirely -changed. How Falconer's heart would -have swollen with just rage had he known -the reason why! -</p> - -<p> -And this was his last night at Eaglescraig; -it seemed as if he was looking on -everything there for the last time, Mary's -pale face included, and the time came at -last when he had to say to her: -</p> - -<p> -'Good-night, and good-bye, Miss Montgomerie. -</p> - -<p> -Yet Fate was not so cruel as to make -them part thus, for through a skilful -manÅ“uvre executed by Miss Erroll—in -compelling Hew to hold a folio book of -Indian photographs while the general -explained to her something therein—as -Mary gave Cecil her hand, 'her soft, white -virgin hand, that had never touched aught -to soil or harden it,' he whispered hurriedly, -and unheard by all save her: -</p> - -<p> -'Good-bye. Oh, my darling, my own -Mary! How am I to live without you, -how make the time pass till we meet -again—if ever?' -</p> - -<p> -And eye conveyed to eye and heart, a -world that was alike unsaid and unseen. -</p> - -<p> -Courtesy compelled him to shake the -damp, limp hand of Hew, and the shifty -eyes of the latter looked radiant with -malevolence and triumph. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Grey dawn was breaking, and save Mr. Tunley, -the butler, and a sleepy valet, all -the household were sunk in slumber, when -Falconer, after an almost sleepless night, -and feeling as if it must be some other -person and not himself that was about to -depart, got into the dog-cart with his -portmanteaus and gun-case. -</p> - -<p> -A cold, chilly morning, the last day of -January. The crocus formed a golden -band along the parterres of the terrace; -a few snow-flakes came aslant the dull grey -sky, and the robin redbreast, his little -heart filled at least with hope, twittered -and sung on the bare spray, where the -first buds of spring would soon be bursting. -All around the landscape looked dank and -barren and dreary—unusually so it seemed -to Cecil's eye. -</p> - -<p> -Pate Pastern, a groom, drove the dog-cart. -Hew had again flatly declined to do -so, saying overnight to Sir Piers that he -'didn't care to drive a fellow like Falconer, -a fellow so devilish sharp at cards, and all -that sort of thing, you know;' and the -general had said approvingly: -</p> - -<p> -'Of course not, of course not, my dear boy.' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil's mind was a prey to great bitterness -in the conviction that he was leaving -Eaglescraig, as it seemed, for ever, and -with no definite plans, views, or hopes for -the future. Was all this new love, this -new joy, to pass out of his life and out of -hers as suddenly as it had come to them? -</p> - -<p> -It seemed so! -</p> - -<p> -He had, he thought, done wrong in -winning the heart of Mary Montgomerie -without the permission of her proud old -guardian and kinsman; but now he had -little compunction for having done so, as -that permission would never have been -accorded to him, and he felt that his -departure seemed a welcome move to all but -her—a departure permitted to pass coldly, and -without even a well-bred expression of -regret. -</p> - -<p> -A farewell glance at the stately modern -villa, and the grim old keep that towered -behind it, showed him their walls all -reddened in the early morning sun; the -window-blinds close drawn, all closed as -yet, save one. His heart told him it was -that of Mary's room. The sash remained, -of course, unlifted, but the blue silk curtain -was festooned back, and every pulse vibrated -within him when he saw the wave of a -white handkerchief, just as the dog-cart -went bowling down the wooded avenue -towards the highway. -</p> - -<p> -It was Mary's farewell to him. -</p> - -<p> -Would the strains of the sweet old -story, that never tires, come to their ears -again? How would it all end between -him and Mary Montgomerie, or was it -ended now? -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap13"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIII. -<br /><br /> -IN SHADOW LAND. -</h3> - -<p> -'I am truly glad for Hew's sake, -and for Mary's sake, that he -has gone—gone ere it was too -late!' thought Sir Piers, as he sat in his -easy-chair in the library that afternoon, -when nothing remained of Cecil Falconer -at Eaglescraig but an aching pain in -Mary's heart, and in the avenue the ruts -of the wheels that had borne him away. -</p> - -<p> -His recent conversation with Hew -about the dread of a <i>mésalliance</i> made the -old baronet's mind revert—as it too often -did, bitterly and unavailingly—to another -<i>mésalliance</i> in his family, which nearly -brought ruin—for such in the vanity of his -soul he deemed disgrace—upon the -Montgomeries of Eaglescraig, who had for -ages been a power in the bailiwick of -Cunninghame. -</p> - -<p> -'It seems a pity that we should disturb -the stagnant waters of that Dead Lake -which men call the Past,' says Miss -Braddon; but Sir Piers was rather prone -to do so; and now, as he sat gazing into -the red, clear, burning embers, they -seemed to take divers shapes and forms, -quaint and curious pictures, of which, in -reality, he saw little, for his thoughts were -treading upon each other fast, and in his -dreamy yet steadfast gaze there was a -fixed, a far-off look—a look in Shadowland. -</p> - -<p> -A childless old man, he was thinking of -what was now, and all that might have -been, but for his own stubborn will and -pride of heart. -</p> - -<p> -Some five-and-twenty years before this -time, he had a son who had been the pride -of that heart, and valued all the more as -being the only child of a young and beautiful -wife, after whose death he had never -married again, but sought relief from -thought amid the wars of British India. -</p> - -<p> -From his infancy young Piers had been -petted in every way, and was in some -respects the spoiled child of the household. -He grew up a bright and handsome lad, -full of intelligence and enthusiasm for -music and painting; but to dabble in -these, even as an amateur, Sir Piers -deemed unworthy of his family, so in due -time he had his son gazetted to the -Cameronians, then in garrison at Gibraltar. -</p> - -<p> -During the unhealthy season, which -lasts there from July to November, when -the east winds come surcharged with -moisture, young Piers was seized with -fever, and obtaining leave of absence, went -to travel in Italy, and his letters that came -from thence to Eaglescraig, detailing his -adventures and journeys up Calabrian mountains -and through defiles in the Abruzzi, all -indicative of returning health and strength, -filled the heart of his father with joy, as -his son, the heir of his house and name, -was the veritable apple of his eye. -</p> - -<p> -His letters from Rome teemed with his -enthusiasm about the objects of history, -the ruins of the past, and his ecstasies over -the treasures of the innumerable <i>studii</i> of -painting and sculpture; and then came -much about a painter whose acquaintance -he had made at the Academy of San Luca, -and whose daughter was one of the most -beautiful girls and accomplished musicians -in that city of pilgrimage to all lovers of -art. -</p> - -<p> -After this Sir Piers grew painfully and -suspiciously conscious of the fact that his -son's correspondence became irregular, his -epistles constrained and brief, while more -than one incidental reference to the artist's -handsome daughter caused alarm in the -parental heart, all the more as young -Piers had said that her father, 'though a -man of humble origin, was an emperor -among artists.' -</p> - -<p> -'Piers,' said the baronet to his confidential -friend and local factotum, John -Balderstone, 'refers to this girl oftener -than I quite relish or like; and his letters -are vague and odd as—if—as if—he had -something to conceal. I wish he were -back to his regiment at Gibraltar.' -</p> - -<p> -'Young men <i>will</i> be young men,' replied -the other; 'the girl may have picked -up some pretty tricks of foreign manners, -and thus interested him.' -</p> - -<p> -'There are four months of his leave to -run; surely he will not spend them all -among these painter-fellows in Rome?' -said the baronet, grimly. -</p> - -<p> -For one moment, however, an idea of -what was really the case never entered -the haughty mind of Sir Piers -Montgomerie. He only feared an -entanglement—as a subaltern, he had often -been in such scrapes himself—but nothing -<i>more</i>! -</p> - -<p> -And now a month elapsed without any -letter from Rome, and genuine anxiety -filled the mind of Sir Piers, whom a -temporary illness confined at Eaglescraig, -and prevented from coming swoop down -upon his son in the Eternal City, and seeing -how 'matters were' for himself. -</p> - -<p> -At that very time there arrived at a -country hotel, within a few miles of -Eaglescraig, a young married pair, with a -valet and a little French soubrette. Both -were singularly handsome—the lady, -indeed, was a very beautiful girl with minute -and delicate features, dark eyes and rich -brown hair; and in her husband, whose -face and figure were alike striking, but for -the ample beard he now wore, the people -of the hotel would have had little trouble -in recognising young Piers Montgomerie, -for he it was, with his bride, the penniless -daughter of 'the emperor among artists!' -</p> - -<p> -He was one who could scarcely fail to -make himself agreeable to all women, as -he excelled in that half-flirting manner -which some young men can cultivate with -skill; and borne away by a great love for -the girl on one hand, and dreading his -father's opposition on the other, he had -married her clandestinely, and had now -brought her with him to Scotland, trusting -that her beauty, sweetness, grace and -virtue would open the heart of his father -to them both, and pardon the fact of his -having had, as he would have phrased it, a -'stolen march made upon him.' -</p> - -<p> -The homeward journey had been but a -portion of their honeymoon tour, and safe -in her young husband's love, the girl -seemed to see only a brilliant and happy, -if somewhat vague, future. Aware of his -father's temper, spirit, and infatuated pride -of family, young Piers was not without -some genuine anxiety as to the result, -when the issue of his rashness seemed so -close at hand. -</p> - -<p> -'If your father is so proud as you say, -Piers,' said the young wife—still a bride—as -she nestled her sweet face in his neck, -and his arm went caressingly round her, -'and if he will not forgive the <i>mésalliance</i> -you have made with poor me——' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, my darling, what then?' -</p> - -<p> -'You may repent it,' said she, her dark -eyes filling with tears, and her voice -trembling with anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -'Never, my own little wife—never! and -by this time to-morrow I hope to see you -taking your place at his table, as the future -mistress of Eaglescraig; though long may -the time be ere you are so, for my father is -a dear old fellow—twice my age, at all -events!' -</p> - -<p> -The girl sighed softly, and hoped that all -might be as they wished it. -</p> - -<p> -'Welcome back, my boy!' exclaimed Sir -Piers next day, when his son appeared -(but alone) at Eaglescraig; 'why have you -been so long in writing me? Why do you -come thus suddenly? and where is your -baggage? But how well you are looking; -and, by Jove, you have a beard like a -Brahmin!' -</p> - -<p> -'I have a long story to tell you, sir, -about all my adventures: one in particular, -that may take some time to tell——' -</p> - -<p> -'Then keep it till after dinner: let us -have it with the Chateau Margaux,' said Sir -Piers, laughing; and being timidly willing -to delay till the last moment the revelation -that was <i>inevitable</i>, his son—even with the -sweet face of her who, at that moment, -was alone in his memory—was glad of the -little reprieve. -</p> - -<p> -Anxious to make a good impression, he -made a more than usually careful toilette -in his own old and familiar room; but when -he took his seat at table, the presence of -Tunley and the servants, and also of John -Balderstone, who had dropped in on business, -and whom the baronet had pressed to -remain, precluded all reference to his secret -for a time, till the cloth was removed, the -dessert laid, the decanters ranged in -rank-entire before the host, and Tunley was told -he might withdraw till rung for. -</p> - -<p> -'And now for your story, Piers,' said -the elder Montgomerie: 'the claret stands -with you.' -</p> - -<p> -'I must first drink to you, and congratulate -you on your promotion,' replied his son. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, I am full colonel now, Piers, and -may fairly hope to be a lieutenant-general -some of these days. But now for the -story,' he repeated uneasily; 'I suppose -John Balderstone may hear it?' -</p> - -<p> -'Of course, sir,' said Piers, coughing -nervously, and twice draining his large -green claret-glass to gain time, while he -felt that his colour came and went, and his -father's keen eyes were fixed upon him -with equal scrutiny and affection. -</p> - -<p> -Young Piers glanced at the stately table, -with its massive plate, glittering crystal, -rich wines and luxuriant fruit, and thinking -with joy of her who would be the presiding -goddess there to-morrow, told his narrative -in a manly and honest manner, yet not -without some trepidation of tone, while his -father sat bolt upright in his chair, staring -at him with a face expressive of rage, -incredulity, and absolute grief, as if he felt -that his only son and heir had gone mad. -Worthy John Balderstone also looked -scared and bewildered. -</p> - -<p> -'And now, sir,' continued the son, despite -the terrible frown that deepened on his -father's face, 'I have told you all, except -my darling's name.' -</p> - -<p> -'Her name be——! what is her name to -me? Zounds, sir! I don't want to hear it—the -daughter of a beggarly painter—an -adventuress—to become in time Lady -Montgomerie of Eaglescraig! No, sir, no; -damme, I'll break the entail; I'll—I'll——' -</p> - -<p> -Sir Piers for a few moments was literally -choking with rage. -</p> - -<p> -'That my wife is poor and nameless, -according to your mode of thinking, father, -is no fault of hers; her beauty is great, her -goodness and accomplishments are rarely -surpassed, and surely you will forgive us, -we love each other so?' urged young Piers; -and as he spoke his heart was in his voice, -and his very soul seemed welling out of his -fine dark eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'May the moment that I forgive you -and her be my last on earth!' thundered -Sir Piers, smiting the table with his -clenched hand; 'forgive you—not if I -lived for a thousand years! Away—away! quit -my sight and never let me see your -face again!' -</p> - -<p> -And literally he began to tutor himself -to hate his son as much as he had idolised -him before. -</p> - -<p> -The latter rose from his chair; his handsome -face seemed as if petrified—turned to -stone, and with the colour of stone, his -nether lip began to quiver painfully, for -he too had a heart of fiery pride. -</p> - -<p> -Sir Piers rang the bell so furiously that -he nearly rent the wires. -</p> - -<p> -'What are you about to do, sir?' asked -his son. -</p> - -<p> -'I am about to expel you from this house -for ever!' replied Sir Piers. 'Order the -waggonette which brought Mr. Montgomerie -from his hotel round from the -stables instantly,' he added to the -astonished Tunley, whom the fierce summons—the -bell was vibrating still—had brought -up like a genius of the lamp; 'never again -is he to set foot in the house which he has -disgraced!' -</p> - -<p> -In vain did worthy John Balderstone -attempt to act the peace-maker; he was -silenced by an imperious wave of the -hand. -</p> - -<p> -'This vile adventuress, for I am sure she -is such, shall not quite gain her ends. I -shall break the entail, if I can!' exclaimed -Sir Piers, with growing exasperation; 'by -the God that hears me, I will!' -</p> - -<p> -'Father, see her once—only once—ere -you judge of her so cruelly! And, -oh! let us not part thus! One day you -may repent it,' urged his son piteously, -and yet not without some anger in his -heart. -</p> - -<p> -'Repent it? never!' replied his father, -with a wild and bitter laugh. 'Now -then, Tunley, is that waggonette at the -door?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, sir,' replied the butler, again -appearing, and very much scared. -</p> - -<p> -'Go!' said Sir Piers to his son; 'as -God is our judge, here for ever ends all -between us!' -</p> - -<p> -He turned and left the room by one -door, while his son quitted it by another, -and from that moment the father and son -met no more. The latter's allowance was -cut off; he got into debt, sold his -commission, and with his young wife eventually -disappeared. Mr. Balderstone was -supposed to be cognisant of his movements -for a time under a false name; however, -the general never inquired, and after a -year or so all traces of him were lost. -</p> - -<p> -Proud of his ancient race, incapable -personally of a dishonourable thought or -guilty plan, his son's rash marriage, -without his consent, and with an obscure girl, -filled his heart with a species of black fury, -and gave his face a look of repellent pride -that was long its settled expression. -</p> - -<p> -The fate of Piers became a kind of -mystery—hidden; though it is the fate of -things in this world that, as a general -rule, nothing is hid for ever. -</p> - -<p> -There came a night which the general -never forgot! It was the night of an -event which he related only to John -Balderstone and one or two others, confidential -friends, who were now no longer in the -land of the living. -</p> - -<p> -On the night referred to, the lonely -general, then creeping up the vale of -years, was seated in the library, lingering -over his last glass of grog, and gazing, as -we last left him, into the glowing embers; -his thoughts wandered away from present -things to the past in spite of himself. He -reviewed the things of old—forgotten -sayings and doings in camp and quarters, in -the field and the Indian jungle; the faces -and the voices of the distant and the dead -came back to him, and among them, more -powerfully than usual, the face and voice -of his lost son, Piers. -</p> - -<p> -There was no sound in the room but the -steady and monotonous ticking of a great -antique clock on the black marble mantel-piece, -and the snoring of a Highland stag-hound -stretched upon a deerskin before the -fire, unless we add that the night wind -moaned shudderingly through a coppice of -red-stemmed Scottish firs, and the beech-trees -swayed drearily in the passing -blast. -</p> - -<p> -A sudden sense of some one being near -him—something intangible, too—came -over him; he seemed to hear a sigh, and -brave though he was, his heart felt as if -dying within him, and the hair of his head -stood up, or a prickly sensation pervaded -all his scalp. -</p> - -<p> -Beside his chair a kind of shadow -seemed to form itself, and become, with -each pulsation of his pulses, more distinct -in outline, till the face and form of his -son were before him—the former wasted -and pallid, his eyes full of sorrow and -reproach. His hands seemed unusually -white, wan, and the articulations of the -fingers were painfully distinct, as those -of one who had been wasted by fever, -toil, and want. -</p> - -<p> -A thousand maddening and terrifying -thoughts seemed to whirl through the -general's brain. He strove to start from -his chair, but remained in it as if -spellbound; he strove to cry aloud, but his -voice failed him, or the faint sound he -did utter seemed unnatural, and filled him -with greater fear. -</p> - -<p> -For a moment or two the upbraiding -spirit, if spirit it was, or a creation of his -own fevered fancy, stood before him, and -then slowly melted away. -</p> - -<p> -Sir Piers started to his feet. -</p> - -<p> -'I have been dreaming,' he said, with a -kind of gasping sigh. 'A plague on such -dreams and fancies!' -</p> - -<p> -But something seemed to tell him it was -<i>not</i> a dream, and not a fancy, and he -remembered that in the pale and wasted -hands of the figure were a sheaf of small -brushes such as artists use, and a mahl-stick. -Had Piers in his dire necessity -betaken himself to art to gain a livelihood? -</p> - -<p> -He sat for some time waiting and -watching, in a state of awe, terror, and -intense anxiety, for the appearance to -return, but it came no more; but from that -moment an assurance stole into his heart -that his son must be dead—that he -perhaps died at that particular moment: -and then he began to think, and think, -and think again, how hard and pitiless he -had been; and his handsome face grew -older and more lined, and wrinkles seemed -to come where none were formed as yet. -He might have said with Balder: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'I have lived in the past,<br /> - As by a deathbed, with unwonted love,<br /> - And much forgiveness as we bring to those<br /> - Who can offend no more.'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -So time passed on, and old age came -upon him—a childless old age. -</p> - -<p> -His son was gone—he had no doubt of -that! He had no nephew, no cousin, or -cousin's son, to succeed him in the lands -that had been in his family since the wars of -Bruce and Wallace—yea, since Norwegian -Haco's banner fell on the field of Largs; -and he began to fear that his title would -become extinct, when, in the 'Landed -Gentry of Grat Britain and Ireland,' -he found that Sir Bernard Burke had -assigned a place to a certain Mr. Hew -Montgomerie, then broiling in the Indian -Civil Service, proving that he was the -nearest living relative of the line of -Eaglescraig. -</p> - -<p> -His lawyers speedily communicated with -that amiable personage, whom we have -already introduced to the reader, and thus -it is that he came to be resident at -Eaglescraig as heir of entail, and to the -baronetcy. -</p> - -<p> -The poor old general strove his hardest -to like Hew, who also strove sedulously, -and pretty skilfully, to keep his many bad -qualities secret from him; but often when -Sir Piers was in his thoughtful or sad -moods, he would ask Mary to sing to him -certain old songs that were associated in -some way with the long-lost Piers, and as -her soft voice went to the old man's heart, -and her pretty hands strayed over the -piano-keys, she 'soothed him to peace,' as -Mrs. Garth was wont to say, 'as the harp -of David had soothed King Saul with the -holy spell of sweet music;' but it was a -spell that always sent the thoughts of Sir -Piers to wander in Shadow-land. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap14"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIV. -<br /><br /> -LESLIE FOTHERINGHAME. -</h3> - -<p> -'Welcome back to Dumbarton, -where I have been somewhat -rather of a hermit since you -left it—welcome back to pipeclay and all -the "pomp, pride, and circumstance of -glorious war!" The decanter is beside -you, and I think there are some prime -havannas left in that box. So, now, let us -be jolly,' exclaimed Leslie Fotheringhame, -as Falconer seated himself in the quarters -of the former, a curious-looking, -old-fashioned room—the same that had been -occupied by the little Queen Mary in her -twelfth year (ere she sailed to France, -after the battle of Pinkie)—one of the -oldest parts of the castle. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer cast himself with an air of -weariness into an easy-chair, though his -journey from Eaglescraig had not been a -very long one. -</p> - -<p> -'What about our fellows, Fotheringhame?' -he asked, manipulating a cigar. -</p> - -<p> -'The detachment?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'There is not much to report; two -fellows are in "the shop" for absence -from parade; one in the cells, for being -drunk and disorderly; and little Fuddie, -the drummer, has cut his stick—or sticks, -should I say? Probably finding, as Sterne -has it, that "the honour of beating a drum -was likely to be its own reward," he has -taken French leave and bolted. If caught, -we should duck the fellow in the Clyde, -but for the seventh clause of the sixth -section on "Discipline," which prevents -the adoption of punishments in detachments -that are at variance with those in -use at headquarters.' -</p> - -<p> -Falconer continued to smoke in silence, -so Fotheringhame spoke again. -</p> - -<p> -'England expects every man to do his -duty—but as cheaply as possible—for next -to nothing, in fact; so, after your late -surroundings, the luxury of my quarters will -fail to impress you as either being useful -or ornamental—as a certain poem has it, -here are— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"Apparatus for washing: a pail and a can,<br /> - Part of an Army List, half of a fan,<br /> - A fawn-coloured glove, a lock of false hair—<br /> - Both highly prized gifts from some lady fair;<br /> - A case of blunt razors, a shako and plume;<br /> - A fishing-rod, shot-belt, rifle, and broom;<br /> - An invite to dinner, the card of a priest,<br /> - A sketch of the colonel described as 'a beast.'"'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -While Fotheringhame ran on laughingly -thus, Falconer was silent and pre-occupied, -or replied only by a faint smile. -</p> - -<p> -Leslie Fotheringhame was a handsome -man, but of a different type from Cecil -Falconer. He was taller and more -squarely built, with deep-set and grave -dark-blue eyes, the expression of which -generally belied his merry manner; he -was dark-haired, with a firm mouth, a clear -dark skin and ponderous black moustache. -His manner was ever honest, frank, and -pleasant; and though his turn of mind -was somewhat cynical—as if he had met -with some disappointment in life—his face -at times wore a smile that lit it up like a -sunbeam. -</p> - -<p> -Though junior to Cecil Falconer in the -regiment, he was his senior by some years; -for he had once been a captain of Lancers, -but sold his troop, no one knew why, and -afterwards obtained a non-purchase -commission in the Cameronians. He was also -greatly Cecil's senior in experience. He -was wont to boast that he had, by a fluke, -escaped the perilous meshes of matrimony, -though the mess rather opined that he had -been disappointed, 'thrown over,' by some -girl, though none exactly knew the story. -</p> - -<p> -'What is doing at headquarters?' asked Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'Birkie of that Ilk has sent in his papers.' -</p> - -<p> -'Birkie—why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Lost a pot of money on a hurdle-race -at Streatham—it's a step in the regiment; -but everyone is very, sorry for poor Birkie. -Acharn has got into a scrape with a -widow, whose husband suddenly turned -up, so he has gone on leave, to be out of -the way, and Freeport too.' -</p> - -<p> -'Freeport—what was Dick up to?' -</p> - -<p> -'He proposed to three sisters in one -night—all the daughters of a commandant -of one of those confounded brigade depots, -and hearing that the adjutant might be -sent for his sword, Dick was off like a bird -by an early train for London. But we all -know that Dick has an engagement-ring -with a blue stone, which he gives to some -girl everywhere, yet contrives to get -back in a lover's quarrel when the route comes.' -</p> - -<p> -To Fotheringhame it was apparent that -his friend had come back to Dumbarton -in a somewhat taciturn mood—cloudy in -face and abstracted in manner. -</p> - -<p> -'What the dickens has happened?' thought he. -</p> - -<p> -'Was our colonel—the old general—kind?' he asked. -</p> - -<p> -'Very,' was the curt reply. -</p> - -<p> -'And the ladies—kinder still, I suppose?' -hazarded Fotheringhame, lying back -in his chair and shooting concentric rings -of tobacco-smoke upward. 'No answer—eh? -Now, apropos of the subject of your -remarkable letter, I hope that you have -left Eaglescraig without committing yourself?' -</p> - -<p> -'I played no more with that fellow Hew.' -</p> - -<p> -'I am not thinking of Hew.' -</p> - -<p> -'Committing myself—how?' -</p> - -<p> -'By a proposal.' -</p> - -<p> -'What had I to offer a girl so rich as -Mary Montgomerie—an heiress, in fact?' -</p> - -<p> -'All that a girl wants in a husband, I -suppose—a deuced good-looking and -presentable fellow of his inches.' -</p> - -<p> -'I could never sink to be a dependent on -my wife, Leslie. Had Mary been penniless——' -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, come—we have got the length of -calling her Mary, have we?' -</p> - -<p> -'Had she been so, I might not have -shrunk from asking her to share my -poverty—for such it is; but her fortune -is an impassable barrier between us—and I -would to heaven that I had never set foot -in Eaglescraig!' -</p> - -<p> -'This is rather Quixotic,' said Fotheringhame, -sipping his brandy and water, and -humming— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"'Tis madness to remember—'twere better to forget."'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'Moreover, if she marries without her -guardian's consent, "then in that case," as -the will has it, her money passes from -her.' -</p> - -<p> -'You seem to have had all the details -through hand,' said Fotheringhame, drily. -</p> - -<p> -'Not with her, at all events.' -</p> - -<p> -'And she is attractive?' -</p> - -<p> -'Attractive is not the word—she is -downright lovely, and good as she is -lovely! But her guardian, the general, -has decided on plans for her future.' -</p> - -<p> -'A peerage.' -</p> - -<p> -'Not at all. He resolves that she shall -marry the cub called Hew Montgomerie, -who is the heir of entail—a kind of distant -cousin.' -</p> - -<p> -'Does—Mary affect him?' asked -Fotheringhame, with a quizzical smile. -</p> - -<p> -'Not at all! But I cannot tell you how -much she has bewitched me.' -</p> - -<p> -'Aware all the while of the plan in store -for her.' -</p> - -<p> -'I know what a sceptic you are about -women, Leslie; but her face is ever before -me, by day and night. I can see it now -looking at me, out of that blank barrack -wall, as plainly as I see yours. She has -indeed bewitched me!' -</p> - -<p> -Fotheringhame looked at the wall indicated, -shrugged his shoulders, and said, -with a provoking laugh: -</p> - -<p> -'I can't help thinking, old fellow, that -the girl has been amusing herself with you, -from the details you give me, and that a -flirtation was all she wanted.' -</p> - -<p> -'Fotheringhame!' -</p> - -<p> -'Don't get excited. I am sure that, like -other dear creatures, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Her feet are so very little,<br /> - Her hands are so very white;<br /> - Her jewels are so very heavy,<br /> - Her head so very light;<br /> - Her colour is made of cosmetics,<br /> - Though this she never will own;<br /> - Her body's made mostly of cotton,<br /> - Her heart is made wholly of stone.'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'This may apply to some goddess of -yours,' said Falconer, becoming seriously -ruffled; 'but as for me——' -</p> - -<p> -'There will be no more larks or rows,' -continued Fotheringhame, laughing; 'no -more chance medley flirtations at picnics -or lawn tennis, or even in the conservatory; -our mind, or what is left of it, must run -only on one ideal, and on presents of dainty -gloves for lovely little hands, books and -bouquets, chains, lockets, and bracelets, -pressure of the taper fingers, perhaps even -a chaste kiss, as Byron has it——' -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove, Leslie, how you can gabble!' -said Falconer, but without a smile, for -something peculiarly uncomfortable and -damping in the closing details of his visit -to Eaglescraig haunted him. -</p> - -<p> -Perceiving this, Fotheringhame's banter -ceased, and after a pause he said: -</p> - -<p> -'Pardon me, Cecil, if my jokes annoy -you; but if she does not wish to marry -this fellow Hew, why should she?' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes; no power can compel her. The -day is passed when girls can be married -against their will, except in novels. There -may be, I am aware, a mild system of -domestic pressure, a steady and persevering -domestic tyranny, quite as mischievous -in the end, sometimes, as the brute force -of the terrible old baron or stern parent of -the Middle Ages; and I have even known -more than one case in which the feeble -opposition of a girl has been foiled under -the powerful home-current, as it flowed on -and bore her away with it.' -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove, Leslie, you <i>are</i> a Job's -comforter! And now, by-the-bye, there is -another girl at Eaglescraig of whom I have -not yet spoken—a lady on a visit.' -</p> - -<p> -'And your mind was divided between them?' -</p> - -<p> -'Not at all, though the beauty and style -of Annabelle Erroll are indescribable.' -</p> - -<p> -'<i>Who</i> did you say?' exclaimed Leslie -Fotheringhame, as his voice and face -changed curiously, he took the cigar from -his lips and sat bolt upright in his chair. -</p> - -<p> -'Annabelle Erroll; she knows you, by -the way, and I hope the general will, in -turn, invite you to Eaglescraig.' -</p> - -<p> -'I hope not,' said Fotheringhame, sadly -and fervently; 'by Jove, I hope not!' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'Why? Because I would not go under -any circumstances or pressure, from what -you tell me.' -</p> - -<p> -'As to what, or whom? Hew Montgomerie?' -</p> - -<p> -'Hew be hanged! No.' -</p> - -<p> -'Who then?' -</p> - -<p> -'Annabelle Erroll,' said Fotheringhame, -uttering the name sadly, softly, and -with unction. -</p> - -<p> -'So, thereby hangs a tale.' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, old fellow—a devil of a tale I -would rather not unfold.' -</p> - -<p> -'Then you have had your little weakness -too?' -</p> - -<p> -'Of course; I've been in love like -other—fools; who has not?' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil Falconer, however, was too full of -his own affair to ponder long over the -mysterious intimacy that existed, or had -existed, between Annabelle Erroll and -Leslie Fotheringhame. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap15"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XV. -<br /><br /> -SEPARATED. -</h3> - -<p> -Though grievously disappointed -that his late guest should have -proved the gamester Hew described -him to be, and not ill-pleased to -have a rival of the latter at a distance -from Eaglescraig, Sir Piers, to do him -justice, in the kindness of his heart, missed -his friend, the genial young officer, who -had been so patient a listener to those -dreary Indian reminiscences, over which -Hew openly groaned and secretly swore. -</p> - -<p> -Mrs. Garth and Annabelle Erroll missed -him for his musical accomplishments and -conversational qualities, and poor Mary -missed him more than all, while her -aversion to Hew became more undisguised -than ever, and he spitefully retorted by -saying more than once in her hearing that -'a deuced good lesson had been taught Sir -Piers never again to invite, without a due -and accredited introduction, any chance-medley -fellow to Eaglescraig.' -</p> - -<p> -Her manner to his heir at last drew -upon her the animadversion of Sir -Piers. -</p> - -<p> -'My dear girl,' said he to her one day, -'I must remonstrate with you, as the -betrothed wife of Hew.' -</p> - -<p> -'Betrothed! by whom?' asked Mary, -with mingled gravity and anger. -</p> - -<p> -'By me, my darling; as such, I say, you -owe him some duty, and some respect, and -a deference to his opinions. School -yourself to love him properly in the time to -come, and not distress your poor old -grand-uncle and guardian, who loves you so well -for your dead parents' sake.' -</p> - -<p> -'I do not, and cannot love him!' said -the girl, wearily. -</p> - -<p> -'Not now, you think; but in time, -Mary, in the good time to come,' he continued, -stroking her rich, dark hair caressingly, -as if she were yet a little child; and -when he adopted a pleading tone and -manner, rather than those of authority and -command, she felt a deeper emotion of -pain and annoyance. -</p> - -<p> -'There is no necessity for having -romantic notions, or being desperately -fond of your intended husband. The -notions and the love will come in due time -after marriage,' said the old man, who had -well-nigh forgotten all about his own -early love and marriage, which had come -to pass so long ago. 'You have wealth, -Mary.' -</p> - -<p> -'What is wealth, if linked with unhappiness?' -</p> - -<p> -'Hew will make you a good husband; -if he did not—if he did not!' and the -general paused, and grasping the knob of -his arm-chair, looked unutterable things -at the idea of such a contingency. 'As -I have said a hundred times since he -came from India, with your fortune added -to what I shall leave—all going to Hew -as heir of entail—the future baronet of -Eaglescraig will, in wealth, be second to -none, richer by far than half the peerage; -and marry you cannot, without my permission.' -</p> - -<p> -'But to marry when one cannot love is—is——' -</p> - -<p> -'What, girl?' asked Sir Piers, peevishly, -for he had not again referred to the -suspected fancy for Cecil Falconer, though -his mind was full of it. -</p> - -<p> -'Falsehood and dishonesty, rank injustice, -and shameful!' -</p> - -<p> -'Well—anything more?' he continued -angrily. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes—destruction of soul and body, -perhaps.' -</p> - -<p> -'Mary, you do not look beyond the -present,' said Sir Piers, with growing -sternness, to find his pet scheme so -vigorously opposed; 'hence it is my -imperative duty to do that for you, and with -a firm will and resolute hand to scheme -out a happy future.' -</p> - -<p> -'How miserably had he schemed out the -future of his poor dead son!' thought -Mrs. Garth, as she led Mary away in tears and -anger. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, if Hew looked upon himself -as the future lord and master of Mary -Montgomerie and her thousands, still more -surely did he look upon himself as the -future laird, lord, and master of Eaglescraig -and all that appertained thereto; and -while impatiently looking forward to the -day of his succession, gave himself, -unknown to Sir Piers, such airs with old and -valued adherents, such as John Balderstone -the factor, Tunley the aged butler, -whose taste in wine he scouted; Pate -Pastern the head groom, who was cognisant -of some of his tricks on the turf; old -Sandy Swanshott the head keeper, with -even Mrs. Garth and others, that, certes, -he won anything but golden opinions from all! -</p> - -<p> -Between him and John Balderstone -there was a species of smouldering feud. -The latter loved and revered Sir Piers, -and always winced when Hew showed, as -he had the coarseness and ill-feeling to do, -that he actually prayed for the sudden or -premature arrival of the time when he -should figure as Sir Hew Montgomerie; -premature it could scarcely be now, though -the hale old man seemed to have years of -life in him yet. -</p> - -<p> -Mr. Balderstone was not slow in perceiving -how Hew disliked their late visitor, -Cecil Falconer, and thus was disposed to -vaunt his praises in the mere spirit of -opposition. -</p> - -<p> -'I can't perceive the fellows' merits in -any way,' growled Hew with an oath, -as they entered the smoking-room one -evening. -</p> - -<p> -'That I can very well believe,' replied -the old gentleman, drily. -</p> - -<p> -'How—why?' demanded Hew, suspecting -something in his tone. -</p> - -<p> -'Plainly, then, to do so would argue the -existence of what you do not possess.' -</p> - -<p> -'What is that—perception?' -</p> - -<p> -'No.' -</p> - -<p> -'What then?' -</p> - -<p> -'Some refinement of taste,' replied -Mr. Balderstone, his dark grey eyes beaming as -he made a home-thrust, for which Hew -quickly revenged himself in a fashion of -his own, causing the portly Mr. Balderstone, -as he seated himself, to spring up -with a malediction. -</p> - -<p> -'What the devil is the row?' asked Hew. -</p> - -<p> -'Only this, sir, that you have placed a -pair of sharp jack-spurs upon the chair you -so politely accorded me!' -</p> - -<p> -'And you have a sanguinary sense of -sitting down on the rowels—eh?' said -Hew, laughing heartily, and not even -attempting an apology, while his shifty -eyes now beamed with delight. -</p> - -<p> -'I presume these spurs are a present to -you, from your friend Mr. Welsher Twigg, -the gentleman rider, whose peculiar riding -so favoured you at Ayr and York last -year,' said Mr. Balderstone, with some -contempt of manner, while Hew's parti-coloured -eyes now gleamed with rage, for it -was averred on the turf, that bribed by him, -the rider in question, when pretending to -give a horse a bucket of water, daubed his -nostrils with blood, to make people believe -the animal had broken a blood vessel, and -had secretly loosened the nails in the shoes -of another, at a hurdle-race, to prevent him -winning. -</p> - -<p> -As these black rumours had never -reached the ear of Sir Piers, Mr. Balderstone -felt that he had 'scored one' by the -taunt; but in a time to come, and by both -unforeseen then, he was to run up a terrible -and crushing score against Hew Montgomerie, -with a result that neither could -have imagined. -</p> - -<p> -Slowly passed the days now with Mary. -The spacious house was full of new guests, -and pleasant ones too, but it seemed dull -and dreary, since <i>he</i> was no longer there. -His place was vacant. The click of balls -came from the billiard-room, and the sound -of merry voices, but his was no longer -there, or at her piano now. All seemed -changed to Mary. Sir Piers never adverted -to his visit, his name or his existence; and -scarcely ever to the old and invariable -topic of the Cameronians. -</p> - -<p> -Why was this? Did he suspect their -secret, or was Hew the spirit of evil? -She could not doubt that; and her sympathetic -friend Annabelle Erroll, who was a -close observer of affairs, and had all Mary's -confidence, thought so too. -</p> - -<p> -But Annabelle Erroll had thoughts that -were peculiarly her own, over the departure -of Cecil Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'He has gone from me to Leslie,' she -said to herself; 'to Leslie Fotheringhame, -to tell him that he has spent a whole -month with me—a month in my society, -and I have given no sign that Leslie's -existence was ever aught to me—at least, -I hope so—and yet there was a time when -I was all the world to him! Yes—yes—it -is indeed over and done with, the love -that was once ours. Will Leslie ask him -how I am looking?' (she glanced at her soft -blonde beauty in the mirror). 'Or how I -am comporting myself—sadly or merrily?—if -I am unchanged from the Annabelle of -the time that can come no more?' -</p> - -<p> -For some mysterious reason she had not -taken her friend Mary into her confidence -at first, when Fotheringhame's name was -spoken of; and now she shrunk from doing -so, lest she might seem wanting in candour; -and, as the love she referred to was 'over -and done with,' what mattered it now?' -</p> - -<p> -And yet often Mary might have drawn -such a confidence from her. -</p> - -<p> -'Oh, Annabelle,' she would sometimes -say, 'so quick is fancy, that occasions there -are when I see a figure like Cecil's in the -distance—the figure of some one else, whose -walk or gesture recalls him vividly to me—that -I feel something like a sharp pang in -my heart.' -</p> - -<p> -As days passed on and became weeks, -Mary's movements and manner became -languid, and all her old occupations, if not -neglected, were pursued with a weary -indifference. She had lost interest even in -being dressed to perfection, as she had -always been, and spent hours in the -seclusion of her own room, or exclusively -in the society of Annabelle Enroll. -</p> - -<p> -Her eyes lost their clear brilliance and -became heavy in expression; her usually -gentle and playful manner was changed -for petulance and irritability, all signs of -where and how her thoughts were—signs -which Hew watched with jealous rage, -and loving, old Sir Piers with unaffected -solicitude, mingled with bitterness at -Falconer, and at himself for that which he -now deemed his own fantastic idea of -<i>camaraderie</i> and old military hospitality. -</p> - -<p> -'Never again,' he would mutter to himself, -'never again will I play the fool! -Hew is right—Hew is right!' -</p> - -<p> -His pet from her orphan childhood, his -artless, father-like experience of her, had, -until quite recently, prevented him from -remarking that she was no longer a -baby-faced girl, but a grown woman—a bird -that might leave him for another nest—and -then a kind of nervous thrill went -through his heart, when he thought a love -for another might take possession of her; -and thus he became doubly anxious to -secure her for Hew. -</p> - -<p> -'How pale and ill you look, my darling!' -said Mrs. Garth to her, at the close of a -day that had seemed a long and dreary -one to Mary. -</p> - -<p> -'What matters it?' said she, petulantly; -'Cecil cannot see me now,' she added -mentally, as her eyes wandered through -the window to the wooded walk that led -to the grotto—the grotto where Cecil had -first told her of his love, and where his -lips had touched hers for the first and last -time, and the host of tender recollections -that hallowed the place flowed full upon -her memory. 'Why are some people sent -into this world only to be miserable!' sighed -the lovely heiress, while surrounded by -every luxury that world could furnish. 'I -wonder if we ever lived before and were -happy—or if we shall live again, and -be happier still! Who can tell—who knows?' -</p> - -<p> -Then tenderly and fondly she recalled -the words of Cecil, when he spoke to her -of the mysterious sympathy that, in his -solitary moments, had seemed to link his -soul, or existence, with that of another, -and could she doubt now that it was her -own! -</p> - -<p> -And with this idea, a tender and loving -expression would steal over her delicate -<i>mignonne</i> face. -</p> - -<p> -'Rouse yourself, my darling,' Mrs. Garth -would say, 'ride or drive—read or work.' -</p> - -<p> -'Read—read! I hate books now—I -hate crewel-work, music, everything!' she -replied, almost snappishly; 'dear old -Garthy, I am no longer a schoolgirl, and -I never, at any time, was one cut to the -Hannah More pattern.' -</p> - -<p> -She had learned from his own lips how -Cecil loved her; but now Cecil was gone -and never could return, and all her little -world seemed sunless and cold—dark and -desolate. She was no longer alternately -amused and petulant, coquettish and -light-hearted, for a settled moodiness had come -over her—the gloom of sorrow, not anger; -and though no one, not even Annabelle, -surprised her in tears, her eyes sometimes -bore unmistakable traces of recent weeping. -</p> - -<p> -A wild longing would, at times, come -over her to see Cecil again—to hear his -voice—to know what he was doing, or with -whom he was at that particular moment; -but the days passed vaguely and drearily -on, while she thought of him, dreamt of -him, talked in fancy to him, and wove such -romances about him and herself, as only a -young girl can weave. -</p> - -<p> -He was not very distant from her after -all, and yet he might, so far as their -intercourse was concerned, have been at the -Antipodes; for no tidings, no news of him, -ever came to Eaglescraig, and at last, to -Mary, it began to seem as if the sweet -bright chapter in her life, about Cecil -Falconer, was utterly ended! -</p> - -<p> -And probably she would never love -again, she thought; for that she had given -him was the one love of a lifetime. -</p> - -<p> -But the general and Mrs. Garth thought -they knew better; and that her ailment -was only a girlish fancy, that naturally -would pass away and be forgotten. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap16"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVI. -<br /><br /> -ANNABELLE ERROLL. -</h3> - -<p> -Now Leslie Fotheringhame, though -disposed at first to be somewhat -reticent on the subject of his -previous intimacy with Annabelle Erroll, -after a time confided their mutual story to -Cecil Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -Thrown together as he and the latter -were, in that lonely and isolated fort, the -whole garrison of which, besides their own -detachment, consisted only of a master -gunner and a few old pensioners, it was -natural that they should have their mutual -confidences over their after-dinner cigars, -and thus Falconer heard all about it from -Fotheringhame. -</p> - -<p> -'You see, old fellow, it came to pass in -this way. -</p> - -<p> -'My troop of Lancers was quartered in -Perth Barracks, while the head-quarters -were stationed at Piershill. I soon tired -of all the little gaieties afforded by the Fair -City; but the season was summer, and the -Tay afforded me endless amusement for -fly-fishing and boating; and, as one of my -subs was on leave and the other on the -sick-list, I was somewhat thrown on my -own resources. -</p> - -<p> -'I had a swift light shallop, in which I -used to pull daily, when the tide or stream -served, from the bridge upward past the -wooded slopes of Kinnoull, and away for -miles amid the loveliest and most luxuriant -sylvan scenery in the world. -</p> - -<p> -'One day the heat was very great, and, -ceasing to row, I lay back in the stern-sheets -of my boat, with a cigar between -my lips, and let her float, lazily, on the -current of the stream, which flowed between -its wooded banks deeply, silently, and -majestically. On every hand around me -were a long series of varied hills covered -with picturesque foliage of every shade of -green, the vista everywhere terminated by -the more remote mountains, the rich tints -of which were softened in the blue haze -and by the distance. -</p> - -<p> -'At a bend of the river my boat partially -grounded, but I felt too lazy to shove -off, and lay there under the shadows cast -upon the bright stream by the overreaching -elms, oaks, and silver birches, among the -blended foliage of which the blue doves -were cooing, and where the wild violets and -jasmine grew close to the water's-edge. -On all the river I thought there could be -no lovelier spot than this. Save the -stillness of its flow, and the hum of the -mountain honey-bee among the wild flowers of -the wood, in and out of the gueldre-roses -and foxglove-bells, there was no sound in -the air, as I lay there in a kind of -daydream, with my arms resting idly on my -sculls, till the voice of a girl, singing close -by, roused me at once to attention. -</p> - -<p> -'Sweetly she sung, and seemed to give -her whole soul and pathos to the song. -She thought no ear save her own was -within hearing; but for a time the singer -remained unseen by me. -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"'Love me always—love me ever,'<br /> - Said a voice low, sad, and sweet;<br /> - 'Love me always—love me ever,'<br /> - Memory will the words repeat."<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'And in truth, Falconer, I give them by -an effort of memory now, it is so long since -I heard and read them: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"While in fancy still beside me,<br /> - Is her fair and graceful form;<br /> - And I hear the murmured love-words,<br /> - Gushing from her heart so warm."<br /> -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - '"From her heart, subdued by sorrow,<br /> - In its fond and trusting youth,<br /> - Till she trembles lest the morrow<br /> - Rob some idol of its—truth?"<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -'A slight impetus which I gave my boat -with one of the sculls, brought me quite -suddenly to the very feet of the singer, as -she stood on the edge of the stream, -embowered among foliage, and shaded by the -light aspen-like sprays of the silver birches, -regarding me with some surprise, for my -boating costume, I dare say, was novel in -that quarter, and seeming irresolute as to -whether she should retire—any way, -advance she could not. -</p> - -<p> -'I saw at a glance that the girl was just -at that age which is between childhood and -maidenhood, that she was perfectly lady-like, -delicate in form and figure, and possessed -of rare beauty of the fairest, or -blonde type; her hair of the lightest -brown, and shot with gold that made it -brilliant in the flakes of sunlight that -flashed between the trees; her eyes, of -dark-grey blue, had brows and lashes so -dark as to impart great character to her -otherwise soft and <i>mignonne</i> face; but you -know well who I am describing. -</p> - -<p> -'She had a bunch of wild-flowers in one -hand; the other grasped the ribbons of her -tiny hat, which she was swinging to and -fro, as she had come through the wood -bareheaded, and was evidently not far from -her home. -</p> - -<p> -'"Pardon me," said I, lifting my cap, -"but I am afraid that I am rather a trespasser -here." -</p> - -<p> -'"Not at all, sir; the river is free to -everyone." -</p> - -<p> -'"But I have been almost ashore, and is -not that presuming too far?" I asked again, -only for the pleasure of conversing with her. -</p> - -<p> -'"Oh no," she replied, with a charming smile. -</p> - -<p> -'"But I have disturbed you, I fear." -</p> - -<p> -'"How?" -</p> - -<p> -'"I heard you singing—need I say, how -sweetly!" -</p> - -<p> -'"An old song, quoted from some old -book, but the melody far surpasses the -words." -</p> - -<p> -'"Yes, as sung by your voice," said I, -gallantly. -</p> - -<p> -'"What a pretty boat yours is! Have -you rowed far?" -</p> - -<p> -'"All the way from the bridge." -</p> - -<p> -'"You must be weary, otherwise I -would ask you——" -</p> - -<p> -'She blushed and paused. -</p> - -<p> -'"I am not at all weary, and am every -way at your service." -</p> - -<p> -'"Oh, thanks; will you row to the other -side, and bring me some of the lovely—" -</p> - -<p> -'She mentioned some peculiar kind of fern. -</p> - -<p> -'"Permit me to row you across, and you -can select them for yourself." -</p> - -<p> -'Her eyes sparkled with pleasure, but -she hesitated. -</p> - -<p> -'"You mistrust a stranger," said I; -"and perhaps your papa might be displeased—" -</p> - -<p> -'"Poor papa is dead; but mamma -would, I know, be angry. She is full of -strict and strange notions; thus I can -never venture far alone." -</p> - -<p> -'"But the distance is so short—" -</p> - -<p> -'"And she is always busy at this hour." -</p> - -<p> -'"Come, then." -</p> - -<p> -'She confidingly put her little hand in -mine, sprang with charming grace lightly -into the cushioned seat astern, and -exclaimed with girlish delight: -</p> - -<p> -'"What a lovely boat! How delicious -this is! Though we live only a mile from -the Tay, I have never had a row on it." -</p> - -<p> -'"Permit me to give you a little one -now," said I, assuming my sculls, and shot -the boat out into mid-stream. I regarded -her beauty with growing admiration and -pleasure; but my Lancer experiences caused -the thought to occur, could she be so -innocent, so utterly guileless as she seemed? -</p> - -<p> -'Some ferns were speedily selected, and -uprooted by my knife, also some magnificent -water-lilies from a pool under the -trees; and, as she seemed thoroughly to -enjoy herself upon the sunlit river, I pulled -her to and fro, near the silver birches -where I first met her, and she chatted -away to me as if she had known me for -months. That she was a lady in birth and -breeding was indisputable; her accent was -highly cultivated and her manners refined, -and everything about the girl betokened -gentle blood; but there was an artlessness -combined with girlish abandon about her, -that made me curiously and uncharitably -suspicious, while deeply and suddenly -interested in her. Thus I said, after a pause, -while letting the boat drift with the -current, and keeping the blades of my sculls -just out of the water: -</p> - -<p> -'"You do me great honour, and must -have singular confidence in me, a stranger, -that you trust yourself with me thus." -</p> - -<p> -'"How we glide!" exclaimed the girl, -with childish glee. "Oh, I could sail here -for ever!" -</p> - -<p> -'"What would mamma think, if she knew it?" -</p> - -<p> -'"Being with you?" -</p> - -<p> -'"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -'"I scarcely know what she would think; -but I know what she would <i>do</i>," was the reply. -</p> - -<p> -'"Admonish you?" -</p> - -<p> -'"Yes; and lock me up for days to -come. But I can see, of course, that you -are a gentleman." -</p> - -<p> -'"Thanks for the compliment." -</p> - -<p> -'"But it is difficult to say what else; -your costume is so unlike anyone we see -hereabout." -</p> - -<p> -'I wore simply a rowing suit of white -flannel, trimmed and faced with blue, with -a skull-cap to match. -</p> - -<p> -'"I am a Lancer," said I. -</p> - -<p> -'"A Lancer!" she repeated, while her -blue eyes dilated. -</p> - -<p> -'"Yes; I command the troop in Perth Barracks." -</p> - -<p> -'I could see that the information pleased -her, for her colour rose and she looked -aside; and again I pondered as to whether -she was the hoyden by nature I suspected. -</p> - -<p> -'"I must return home now," she said -suddenly, as if she read my thoughts in my -face. -</p> - -<p> -'"So soon?" I urged, pleadingly. -</p> - -<p> -'"Yes; and thanks, so much, for your -row—it has been delightful." -</p> - -<p> -'"I shall be so glad to row you further next time." -</p> - -<p> -'"You talk as if you expected to see me -again—as if it were quite a matter of course." -</p> - -<p> -'"I can only hope to do so," said I, -handing her ashore and retaining her little, -ungloved hand, lingeringly in mine; "but I -row past here every day, <i>at the same hour</i>." -</p> - -<p> -'"Good-bye," said she, about to turn away. -</p> - -<p> -'"May I ask your name?" said I, cap in hand. -</p> - -<p> -'"Annabelle Erroll." -</p> - -<p> -'"Why do you start so?" she asked -laughingly, and, tripping up the bank, -vanished among the white stems of the -silver birches, leaving her ferns in the boat -behind her. -</p> - -<p> -'Start! Well might I do so; for I now -discovered that she was my cousin, the -daughter of a widowed maternal Aunt -Annabelle, with whom my parents had -ever been at enmity, about some money -quarrel, with her husband, Colonel Erroll—an -aunt whom I had never met, and of -whose existence I had but a vague idea. -</p> - -<p> -'My cousin she was, and proud, greedy -old Uncle Erroll's daughter! I would -rather not have heard this; for the girl's -rare beauty attracted me powerfully on one -hand, while the transmitted stories of the -family feud—stories which in boyhood -made me regard the colonel and his wife -as an ogre and ogress—on the other, had a -fatal effect upon me. -</p> - -<p> -'That her mother yet kept up the feud, -was evident from the circumstance that -she had never mentioned to Annabelle the -fact, which she must have known, that I -commanded the Lancers at the barrack -within a few miles of their own house. -Yet to have done so would have served no -end; though I thought not of that. -</p> - -<p> -'Would the young girl understand, or -accept, my <i>hint</i>? -</p> - -<p> -'When, on the following day, I betook -me to the bend of the river in my boat, -she was not there. I waited long, and -reluctantly pulled away with a certain emotion -of pique. But, on the <i>next</i> day again, at -the same hour, I saw her light skirt flitting -among the silver birches, and at once crept -inshore. I had cut some fresh fern roots for -her, in place of those she had forgotten. -</p> - -<p> -'"Ah, how thoughtful and kind of you," -she exclaimed, as she gave me her hand, -and allowed me to lead her on board, quite -as a matter of course. -</p> - -<p> -'"You will have a little row to-day?" -said I. -</p> - -<p> -'"A very tiny one it must be, then; I -am so afraid of mamma," she replied; and -in another minute we were skimming over -the silvery water. -</p> - -<p> -'"Have you mentioned to your mamma -your meeting with me?" I inquired. -</p> - -<p> -'"With you—a stranger? Oh, I dare -not, Captain Fotheringhame." -</p> - -<p> -'"You know my name, then!" -</p> - -<p> -'"I saw in a newspaper, by the merest -chance, that you were a guest of Lord -Rothiemay's." -</p> - -<p> -'For certain cogent reasons of my own, -I could not help colouring like a great -schoolboy at this peer's name, as I had -been involved in something closer than a -mere flirtation with a daughter of his; but -in the present instance, while feeling -already inclined to be rather cousinly, I -resolved to remain incog. as long as I could. -I knew that she would not mention my -name at home, and so resolved to abandon -myself to the perilous charm of her society -during the absence of the Rothiemays in -London. I admit freely that I was wrong, -selfish in this, and severely was I punished -in the end. -</p> - -<p> -'This second day on the river was -succeeded by many others, during which I -gave myself completely up to the fascination -of my new companion, who was so -bright, quaint, and <i>spirituelle</i>, and full of -enthusiasm for music, flowers, scenery, and -everything, that she was unlike any other -girl I had ever met—more than all, most -unlike in style of beauty and manner the -stately and patrician daughter of Rothiemay. -</p> - -<p> -The boat, in the blaze of the sunshine, -was drifting with the current; my sculls -in the rowlocks rested on my knees; my -cigar, the place and time, disposed me for -luxurious reverie; and opposite me sat this -beautiful girl, her hat beside her, her -golden hair and fair face shaded by her -parasol, while she sang in a low voice her -song, "Love me always—love me ever," -her eyes fixed dreamily on the wooded -shore the while. -</p> - -<p> -'"Annabelle," said I, softly. -</p> - -<p> -'"Who gave you leave to call me by -that name?" she asked, pouting. -</p> - -<p> -'"Is it not your name?" -</p> - -<p> -'"Yes, Captain Fotheringhame." -</p> - -<p> -'"And a very pretty one; yet not even -pretty enough for you. Why may I not -call you by it?" -</p> - -<p> -'"It sounds odd on your lips—already." -</p> - -<p> -'"But not unpleasant, I hope?" -</p> - -<p> -'She laughed, but became silent, and -glanced at me shyly under her long -lashes—shyly, and yet at times I thought half -invitingly, half defiantly, too. Was the -girl acting or not? I felt inclined to love -her one moment, and simply and selfishly -to amuse myself with her the next, heedless, -perhaps, of whether the poor girl -might learn to love me or not. -</p> - -<p> -'I was a young fellow then, Falconer—save -in experience, I am not an old fellow -yet—but she was younger still, a very -girl, on the borders between childhood and -womanhood, the "sweet seventeen" of the -inevitable love story. I was playing with -fire, and so was she; and in teaching her -to love me, I forgot all about an entanglement -elsewhere, and gave myself up to the -romance and intoxication of the time and -the episode. So we met and dreamed on -day by day, and she was so brilliantly -happy that her soft face at times seemed -to be singularly brightened by the very -gladness of her heart; for it seems so -natural for a young girl to mingle -something of idolatry with her first love. -</p> - -<p> -'It did occur to me that our love—hers, -at least—was somewhat of the rash and -romantic Romeo and Juliet, passionate and -unreasoning kind; while she was as young -and innocent as I was exacting, and even -suspicious that she was perfectly artless. I -pondered over the words of Shakespeare: -"Love sought is good; but given unsought -is better;" and I was cynic, casuist, and -egotist enough to doubt this. -</p> - -<p> -'When I kissed her, it seemed each time -as if all my soul went out to her with that -kiss; and yet—what idiosyncrasy of the -heart was it that made me wish to have -that kiss recalled! -</p> - -<p> -'"I seem to have no wish or desire in -the world ungratified," she whispered to -me, as she nestled her head on my -shoulder, while the boat drifted with the -current under the tremulous shade of the -silver birches, and the Tay rippled placidly -past them. -</p> - -<p> -'"You are so happy, Annabelle?" -</p> - -<p> -'"I never thought to be so happy as I -am now, Leslie; I could even die with -your arms round me! But—but are you -satisfied to have such an ignorant little girl -for your wife?" -</p> - -<p> -'<i>Wife</i>! I had not proposed yet; and -the word roused me to a selfish consciousness -of the rashness of the whole affair, -and so instead of replying I gave her a -tender caress, and said: -</p> - -<p> -'"You are too good for me, Annabelle!" -</p> - -<p> -'"I can scarcely believe it—you so -handsome, so rich—a captain of Lancers, -and all that! Oh, Leslie, God forbid you -should ever cease to love me less than you -do!" -</p> - -<p> -'This crisis in my river-cruising roused -me to think of what I was about; and still -more was I roused when at the barracks I -found a letter from Lord Rothiemay awaiting -me with an invitation to spend a few -days at his place. But to leave my troop -then was impossible, thus I wrote thanking -his lordship, and proposing simply to -gallop over on an evening named to -dinner, and as I despatched the missive, -the face and figure of his daughter Blanche -came reproachfully before me. -</p> - -<p> -'I have already referred to an entanglement—it -was simply that, though no promise -had been given, I deemed myself all -but engaged to Blanche Gordon, who, -some months before this time had -enchanted and spell-bound me. She was, -indeed, a beautiful girl, and is a beautiful -woman now, tall, slender, and graceful—a -finished creature in every way, and wielding -every natural and acquired accomplishment -with consummate and yet unapparent art. -</p> - -<p> -'She had given me every reason to -believe that the passion with which she had -inspired me was reciprocated, and we had -only parted with the mutual hope, -apparently, of meeting again; hence there -seemed an absolute necessity for breaking -off my philandering on the river. It is -said that a man cannot love two women at -once; and yet my heart ached for Annabelle -and the grief that was before her. -</p> - -<p> -'By some sophistry I nursed myself -into the idea that I, rather than she, was -the victim of circumstances; and as I went -to the trysting-place for the last time I -muttered: -</p> - -<p> -'"'Handsome, rich, and a Lancer,'" she -said. "Yes—yes, by Jove! she is not so -deuced artless, after all; and the very -proposal she made to me was in itself -unwomanly." -</p> - -<p> -'<i>Unwomanly</i>! I actually had the cruelty -to tell her so; and never shall I forget the -look of incredulity, grief, dismay, and -horror that appeared by turns, and then -all blended together, in her beautiful face -when I did so; and, already repenting -what I had said so capriciously, I would -have retracted my words if it were possible -to do so. -</p> - -<p> -'The phrase went through her loving -heart like a bolt of ice, though she seemed -to hear it indistinctly. -</p> - -<p> -'"Oh, Leslie!" she gasped, in an accent -of desolation such as human lips can utter -but once in a lifetime, while her hands -became cold and her face grew livid. She -bit her lips till the blood came, and clasped -her white hands until a ring I had given -her marked her tender fingers; and then -remembering it, she tore it off, cast it at -my feet, and after giving me one long -glance of anguish and reproval, tottered -away home; and I, my heart burning -with shame, shot my shallop out into the -stream, and pulled away from the spot like -a madman! -</p> - -<p> -'"She is young, poor girl, and will get -over it," thought I; while to nerve myself -I conjured up the presence of Blanche -Gordon in all her imperial beauty, while, -ingrate that I was! she that I had just left -possessed and showed all the qualities that -win love—and that love had, upon a mere -pretence, been coldly and abruptly thrust -back upon her heart. -</p> - -<p> -'The black "morrow" of her prophetic -song had come indeed, and an idol had -been robbed of its truth. -</p> - -<p> -'She was helpless to avenge herself, -suffering and so beautiful; so I prayed that -God might strengthen her, until some -other love consoled her for the loss of mine: -and even the thought of that stung me. -</p> - -<p> -'"Yes, yes," thought I, "if so ready -to love me, she will with equal facility -learn to love another." -</p> - -<p> -'There was no jealousy in the heart of -Annabelle, for she knew nothing of any -rival; but she was tormented by a sensation -of loneliness and utter desolation by -day and night, and disappointment was not -the least element of that torment. But -her time of vengeance was at hand. -</p> - -<p> -'Next day saw me at Rothiemay, and -at the feet, if I may say so, of Blanche -Gordon, who received me with one of her -usual bewitching smiles. My proposal -certainly pleased and agitated her, but she -told me with considerable confidence and -coolness that she was engaged to another, -and, indeed, was to be married in three -weeks! -</p> - -<p> -'The hollow damsel of fashion had -thrown me over for a well-gilded coronet, -just as I had thrown over—but coarsely -and suspiciously—the girl who only loved -me better than I deserved, and whose -sweet society I now missed fearfully. -</p> - -<p> -'But I was justly punished, you will -say; yet the story does not end here. -</p> - -<p> -'Some weeks after, when family misfortunes -came upon me, and I was compelled -to sell out—to leave the Lancers—impelled -I know not by what emotion or -motive, unless it were something like force -of habit and a restless craving, I roamed -towards the old trysting-place, beneath the -silver birches. -</p> - -<p> -'Things of love and joy seldom repeat -themselves, but my heart leaped on seeing -Annabelle seated on the bank of the -stream, half hidden by the wild rose-trees. -Thither, no doubt, to torment her own -heart, she had perhaps been in the habit of -repairing to dream over the love that would -never come again. She seemed lost in -thought, and neither saw nor heard my -approach; and I saw the sunlight flashing -on the bright, soft, golden hair, amid which -my fingers had so often strayed. -</p> - -<p> -'"Annabelle!" said I softly; and she -sprang up with a nervous start. "You see -I am here again, to crave your pardon and -to thank God that life has yet something -worth living for—your love, Annabelle!" -</p> - -<p> -'"And yours?" she said disdainfully; -then her fortitude gave way, and for a -moment she hid her burning face and her -hot tears in her white and wasted hands, -which, when I attempted to take them, -repelled mine. -</p> - -<p> -'"I will try to atone for the past, -Annabelle—forgive me," said I, humbly. -</p> - -<p> -'"I do forgive you," she replied with -sudden calmness, grace, and a bearing of -dignity I had never before seen in her; -"but you can never be to me what you -have been. You were the very idol of my -heart, and with all my soul I worshipped -you, Leslie; but that is ended now and for -ever." -</p> - -<p> -'"If a life of devotion, Annabelle——" -</p> - -<p> -'"Say no more—I will not listen." -</p> - -<p> -'"You decline my love, because ruin has -come upon me at the hands of others, and -I am compelled to leave the Lancers?" -</p> - -<p> -'Her eyes flashed, yet not with anger, -and her bosom heaved, as she replied: -</p> - -<p> -'"I grieve for what you say; and God -knows it is not so—but for the manner -in which you reproached me with -unwomanly conduct, that roused my proper -pride. I did love you tenderly, purely, -passionately, then; but in repelling you, -my conduct at least is womanly now! -Farewell then, for ever; we leave this -place to-morrow." -</p> - -<p> -'"For where?" -</p> - -<p> -'"That can be a matter of no interest to -you, Captain Fotheringhame," she replied, -turning to retire. -</p> - -<p> -'"Do not let us part thus, Annabelle. It -is for your sake as much as my own that I -sue thus." -</p> - -<p> -'She crested up her little head haughtily. -</p> - -<p> -'"Believe in my love," I urged. -</p> - -<p> -'"I neither believe in it, nor want it—now -at least." -</p> - -<p> -'"How pitiless you are!" I exclaimed. -</p> - -<p> -'"Just as you were; so to part is best -for us both. I once dreamt of being only -too happy; I am sadly awake now." -</p> - -<p> -'Our eyes met for the last time: the expression -of hers was passionless and decided. -I had nothing to hope from her; but I -sighed deeply, with sorrow, pique, and -even jealousy, as I watched her departing -steps and saw the last flutter of her skirt -between the stems of the silver birches, -and then pulled slowly away from the -trysting-place, never to seek it again! -</p> - -<p> -'I can remember yet how the woods -and lawns along the river's bank looked -dreamily indistinct in the evening haze, -as I pulled slowly and sadly homeward. -</p> - -<p> -'Never since, till you spoke of her, have I -heard aught of Annabelle Erroll, but I have -since had reason to believe that she heard, -in time, of my affair with Blanche Gordon.' -</p> - -<p> -So all this story of Leslie Fotheringhame's -was the secret so skilfully concealed -under the calm exterior of the beautiful -blonde whom Cecil Falconer had met at -Eaglescraig. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap17"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVII. -<br /><br /> -HOPES AND FEARS. -</h3> - -<p> -'That was the way our affair of -the heart came about, and was -ended by my pride, vacillation, -and suspicion,' said Fotheringhame; 'and -now I have little doubt that she is quite -aware that I—the Lancer lover—was her -cousin, though I never told her so.' -</p> - -<p> -'How odd of you to act so!' exclaimed -Cecil. -</p> - -<p> -'Odd—I was mad, I think!' -</p> - -<p> -'From her manner and words, I thought -that you and she possessed in common some -mysterious antecedents.' -</p> - -<p> -'An unpleasant way of putting it,' said -Fotheringhame, with a shade of annoyance -in his face; 'all that time was one of gloom -to me. When I had to leave the Lancers -I shall never forget the shock it gave -me—though of course expected—to see the -'Army List' without my name in it; nor -was I ever satisfied till I saw it there -again, as a Cameronian. So you see, -Falconer, that with all my general heedlessness -of bearing, my life has not been without -"its little romance, as most lives have, -between the age of teetotum and tobacco," -as George Eliot has it.' -</p> - -<p> -'I may yet be the means of relighting -this old flame again,' said Falconer; -'though it is said that there is nothing so -difficult to revive as an old flirtation.' -</p> - -<p> -'It was no flirtation——' -</p> - -<p> -'Save in so far as you were concerned.' -</p> - -<p> -'Until I lost Annabelle, I never knew -how much I loved her, and how dear she -was to me.' -</p> - -<p> -'If Annabelle Erroll ever loved you she -loves you still.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why do you think so?' -</p> - -<p> -'Because true love never dies,' said -Falconer enthusiastically, for his mind was -full of Mary's image; 'and I can now -recall much that was strange in her mode -and manner, if I mentioned you -incidentally—of which I thought nothing then, -but to which you have now given me a -clue.' -</p> - -<p> -'For all that you can tell, Falconer, she -may only remember me with hatred, therefore -it were better to forget the past and -all about it. After confiding the matter -to my two other friends—a quiet weed -and M. de Cognac—I'll turn in, and so -good-night.' -</p> - -<p> -Most uneventfully passed the early days -of spring, to Falconer, in the solitary -castle of Dumbarton, which shoots up -abruptly from a flat level, and stands -completely isolated, the most prominent -and picturesque object amid the beautiful -scenery of the blue and majestic Clyde, -into the channel of which it projects—a -channel through the clear waters of which -on a calm day, one may see whole forests -of luxuriant seaweed, waving fathoms deep -below. -</p> - -<p> -Perched in the hollow or rift between -the two great volcanic peaks into -which this singular, mitre-shaped rock is -cleft—the highest being five hundred and -sixty feet in height—the old-fashioned -barracks contain accommodation for only -about a company of soldiers, and an ancient -armoury (among the stores of which is the -blade of Wallace's sword, fitted with a new -hilt of a later period), and which is still -identified as having been the prison of the -Scottish Patriot, after his betrayal by the -infamous Menteith. The circumstance of -his sword having a hilt more modern than -the blade, has led to its identity being -doubted by those who are ignorant of the -fact, that in the accounts of the Lord High -Treasurer in 1505, we find mention made -of the 'binding of Wallas's sword (in the -castle of Dumbarton) with cords of silk and -a <i>new hilt</i> and plomet (pommel), new -skabbard and new belt to the said sword, -xxvj sh.' -</p> - -<p> -The entrance to the castle is by a barrier-gate -at the foot of the rock and fronting -the south east. It is defended by -ramparts and guns, and immediately within it -are the officers' quarters. A steep flight of -stone steps gives access to the barracks, -the well, and other batteries; from whence, -and especially from Wallace's Seat—the -highest peak of this stupendous rock—and -the circular Roman tower, or fragment, -perchance, of the days when Balclutha -was the abode of Roderick Hael 'the -Generous,' there is a glorious panorama -of scenery: the far expanse of the Clyde, -the sylvan vale of the Leven, the vast blue -mass of Ben Lomond and the mountains -of Arrochar, their peaks sometimes veiled -in silvery mist. -</p> - -<p> -On the giddy summit Falconer lingered -for many an hour, and fancied he could -see, more than twenty miles distant, as -the crow flies, the hills that looked down -upon Eaglescraig. There, when -Fotheringhame was absent on some duty or -pleasure, he smoked many a solitary -havanna in solitude, in the evening and -the gloaming, conversing in imagination -with Mary Montgomerie, with a fond -enthusiasm and a passion inflamed by -obstacles and opposition, long after the -shadows had deepened in the vale of the -Leven, and all around beneath the rocks; -after the drum had beaten tattoo, and the -lights of the last ocean-bound steamers -had faded out beyond the point of -Ardmore. -</p> - -<p> -Then he would skilfully torment himself -by recalling all that Mrs. Garth, with the -best intentions in the world, had said -concerning what Sir Piers would be certain -to insist upon and carry out—the union of -Mary Montgomerie, the heiress, with his -own heir of entail; and well Falconer -knew how Sir Piers would view his own -slender means and want of family rank. -And though he hoped much, he could not -know how, in the secrecy of her own room, -and in the long hours of 'the stilly night,' -Mary treasured the memory of the few -precious moments spent in the grotto, and -thought of him and him only—of the -influence he had exerted over her when -present, and the memory he had left of -himself when gone. -</p> - -<p> -At times there was in his manner a -passionate dejection, which quite -bewildered and provoked the more -matter-of-fact Leslie Fotheringhame. -</p> - -<p> -''Pon my soul, old fellow, you're in a -bad way,' the latter sometimes said; 'you -can't live on this Mary Montgomerie, and -nothing but Mary Montgomerie! You -must get up a relish for something else -when the drum beats for mess, or we shall -soon have you on the doctor's list.' -</p> - -<p> -So the days and weeks went by till the -middle of March came. Six weeks had -elapsed since he left Eaglescraig—six centuries, -apparently, as lovers count their time! -</p> - -<p> -The few words so hastily spoken in the -grotto were deeply graven in his memory, -and graven, too, was the kiss—the -unpremeditated kiss—pressed so passionately on -her unresisting lips. It seemed to haunt -him with joy, for ever and aye. -</p> - -<p> -'If she loves me, as I know she does,' -he often thought, 'I am a fool not to carry -her off in defiance of her guardian and all -the world. Heaven knows, it is not her -fortune I value, but of course that charitable -world would think otherwise, though -it is entirely in the hands of Sir Piers.' -</p> - -<p> -After the impression made upon him at -his departure from Eaglescraig, he felt -that he could go back there on no pretence -whatever, as no welcome, save from one, -would await him, and another invitation -would never be accorded. He knew that -too well. -</p> - -<p> -Times there were when he threw open -his desk, and thought he would write to -the general on the subject nearest his -heart, at all hazards, and cast himself upon -his generosity; and then hope died, and -his courage failed, as he remembered his -own slender exchequer, his humble rank, -apart from his commission, and the -general's inordinate pride of birth and -value of long descent. -</p> - -<p> -So he dared not write to Eaglescraig, -and from thence came no word, no news, -or sign. -</p> - -<p> -He remembered how Mary had, with -much agitation, interrupted his suggestion -that he should tell Sir Piers of his love for -her. What did she mean, then, unless it -were her dread of the latter's power and -influence over her, and his future plans -with reference to Hew? -</p> - -<p> -But what would he have thought, what -would his emotions have been, and how -great his indignation, had he known how, -thanks to the malignity and perfidy of -that personage, the good old general, a -mirror of honour himself, viewed him as a -trickster at cards, and a scandal to the -uniform he wore! Had Falconer been -aware of this circumstance, it would simply -have maddened him; but fortunately for -himself, and the bones of Mr. Hew Caddish -Montgomerie, he knew nothing of it. -</p> - -<p> -He was roused from cogitations such as -these by an order which recalled the -detachment to headquarters. -</p> - -<p> -'We start for Edinburgh to-morrow, -Fotheringhame,' he cried, hurrying into -his friend's room. -</p> - -<p> -'Hurrah!' responded the latter, springing -up; 'thank heaven we are to quit this -dull hole! The scenery, of course, is -picturesque, and all that sort of thing, but -the picturesque, is not in my line. The -weekly assemblies and all the gaieties are -on just now in 'Scotia's darling seat,' and -the regimental ball will soon be coming off, -so, with genuine satisfaction, I hail the -order to rejoin at last. Well, it is a jolly -change, anyway.' -</p> - -<p> -And as such, Cecil welcomed it too, -though it increased the distance between -himself and Eaglescraig, and he could little -foresee the calamities that awaited him in -Edinburgh, and the crisis that would come -in his affairs. -</p> - -<p> -The departure of the detachment was -not so duly chronicled in the local prints -as its arrival had been; thus Mary knew -nothing of Falconer's movements. -</p> - -<p> -In her own heart she fully conceived -herself to be engaged—tacitly engaged—to -him, and loved to think she was so. Long -engagements are perilous things, even -when the pair can see each other at will, -or freely correspond, daily or even weekly; -tiffs and petty quarrels, even little -bitternesses, may come to pass that weaken -regard, unless they be like 'lovers' quarrels, -love renewed:' but such a tie as that -which existed between Falconer and Mary -Montgomerie—never hearing of each other, -and debarred all correspondence, having -only hope for an anchor, was altogether -peculiar in its features. -</p> - -<p> -'She is always sad and weary now, Sir -Piers,' said Mrs. Garth one day; 'weary at -night, and weary at morning, though she -tries to conceal it, or deceive us, by -occasional bursts of gaiety.' -</p> - -<p> -'Poor little fool! Her mind is still -running on that fellow whom I should -never have brought to Eaglescraig. But, -with all Hew's faults of temper and so forth, -she had better think of him and my wishes, -Mrs. Garth; so lead her up to it, for that is -our <i>point d'appui</i>,' replied the general. -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove!' said the amiable Hew, with -one of his ugly grimaces, 'she has no more -brains than a hen pheasant, I think, to sit -as she does all day long looking like a sick -monkey.' -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Hew was having no better -success with his wooing, a fact which was -the more perplexing and even harassing -now, as he had resigned his Indian Civil -Service appointment, and had no dependence, -save upon the purse of Sir Piers, -who, as the former grudgingly thought, -seemed likely to live for ever; and who -hoped, and indeed never doubted, that -when Mary got over her girlish fancy for -Cecil Falconer all things would come right -in the end; and to change the scene, as the -Edinburgh season was then in its flush, -Sir Piers removed his entire household -from Eaglescraig to his town residence at -the west end of the grey metropolis of the -north, a few days after Falconer's detachment -had quitted the castle of Dumbarton. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap18"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVIII. -<br /><br /> -THE CAMERONIANS. -</h3> - -<p> -It was the morning after Cecil -Falconer's detachment had -come in to headquarters overnight. -</p> - -<p> -In the mess-room about a dozen officers -in their blue patrol jackets, all more or less -good-looking, even handsome young fellows, -each and all having a certain joyous -and straightforwardness of manner, were -at breakfast, singly or in groups, and all -greeted Falconer and Fotheringhame -warmly, for both were prime favourites -with the corps, and there was much shaking -of hands and slapping on the back, with -'Welcome, old fellow!' 'How goes it?' -and so forth, while an aroma of coffee and -devilled bones pervaded the long room -which had windows at each end, and where -each officer seemed to be economising time, -by reading during the meal, with a daily -paper or comic serial—<i>Punch</i>, of course—propped -against his coffee-pot or sugar-basin. -All were discussing the repast in -haste, as the hour of morning parade was -close at hand. -</p> - -<p> -'Here you are again, Falconer and -Fotheringhame!' cried one; 'the Damon -and Pythias—the David and Jonathan of -the Cameronians! The very men we -wanted; you have just come in time for -the ball committee!' -</p> - -<p> -'Heard the good news, Falconer, old -fellow?' asked Dick Freeport. -</p> - -<p> -'No—what is it? One of the three -girls you proposed to accepted you?' said -Falconer, leisurely tapping an egg. -</p> - -<p> -'Ah, you've heard that story; nothing -so stupid. But is it possible you don't know?' -</p> - -<p> -'What?' -</p> - -<p> -'That your name is in the <i>Gazette</i>; but -here you are, as large as life,' added -Freeport, reading aloud: '"Lieutenant -Cecil Falconer to be Captain, vice Brevet -Major Balerno seconded for service on the -Staff." I congratulate you.' -</p> - -<p> -'And so do we all!' cried Acharn, a -frank, jolly captain, though not yet -eight-and-twenty. -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks; I knew not that Balerno was -leaving us so soon,' said Falconer, whose -first thoughts were of Mary Montgomerie. -</p> - -<p> -'This will rouse your spirits,' resumed Freeport. -</p> - -<p> -'Do they want rousing?' -</p> - -<p> -'Well, you looked rather glum last -night. Been spoony on some girl in the -West, I suppose?' -</p> - -<p> -'Perhaps I was,' replied Cecil, laughing, -with a chivalrous idea that to deny his -secret love might prove that he was not -worthy of it; 'you know that I varied the -tedium of country quarters by a visit to -the general—old Sir Piers Montgomerie. -But I wish you would fall in love, in -downright earnest, yourself, Freeport.' -</p> - -<p> -'What harm have I done you that you -should wish me this, Falconer?' asked -Dick, drily. -</p> - -<p> -'Any fine girls there—at the general's, -I mean?' asked a cheeky young sub, of -Falconer, who coloured with annoyance, -though the boy—a man in his own -estimation and that of fast chums, touting -tradesmen and money-lenders—was but a -boy after all. 'I have heard that his -niece, or grand-niece rather, is a stunner. -By Jove, he grows absolutely red! Were -you writing verses to her eyebrows, and -sighing like a furnace, Falconer?' -</p> - -<p> -'You would have sighed like two or -three had <i>you</i> tried the process,' said -Falconer, turning away. -</p> - -<p> -'I do wish you joy, Falconer,' said his -friend Fotheringhame, in a low voice; -'and your promotion puts me one step -nearer the rank I held when I first knew -Annabelle Erroll, and—and—well, played -the fool, or worse!' -</p> - -<p> -Cecil thought, would Mary see the -<i>Gazette</i>? The general, he knew, was -certain to do so; and Mrs. Garth too, who -read it as regularly as an old Chelsea -pensioner; but neither might speak of the -event, or deem it wise to revive his name -at Eaglescraig. -</p> - -<p> -Falconer was somewhat of a pet among -the Cameronians. Excellence in all manly -sports ever makes a British officer a -favourite with his men; thus, as Falconer -could keep a wicket well, was also a prime -bowler, a good horseman (though he generally -owed his mounts to a friend), and -could pull a good oar; moreover, as he -joined his men in many a match at tennis, -football and shinty, he was popular with -them, and the eyes of his company seemed -to brighten that morning when he came -upon parade, and discipline alone repressed -the inclination to give him something like -a hearty cheer, and for nearly each and all -he had some kind word or inquiry—for the -officers and men of a regiment should ever -feel as one large family. 'Their hopes and -fears are similar,' says a writer; 'their -turns of exile will come at the same time. -Their good and bad quarters will be enjoyed -and endured together, and each one shares, -in common with the rest, the proud privilege -of perchance some day furnishing in -his own person that billet to which, the -proverb tell us, every bullet is entitled, or -of being "wiped out" by sickness in some -pestilential clime, or of going down to the -bottom of the sea in some rotten old -transport. There is something in their -order—a distinctiveness, a speciality about -it—which makes them cling together, and -stand by one another all the faster; for, -although mixing freely with the outer -world, there is yet an inner one that is -entirely their own.' -</p> - -<p> -All troops like Edinburgh, and the -national regiments, from their popularity, -more than all. The regimental ball was -on the tapis when Falconer and his friend -rejoined, and nothing else was spoken of -in the fortress, or the gay circle outside it; -for the corps, as a national and ancient -one, was deservedly popular in the Scottish -metropolis, the gay season of which is -during the winter, and ends with the -opening of summer—a metropolis where -the people are all devoted to music and -song, and where dancing is a passion with -all classes and ages, so that even a baby -has been taken from its cradle, that the -boast might be fulfilled of <i>four</i> generations -being on the floor at once. -</p> - -<p> -'Our regimental hop will be <i>the</i> ball of -the season,' said Freeport; 'so I am glad -you have come back, Falconer: the -committee could never have done without you. -But once it is over, I fear there will be a -general flight from town, and we shall be -reduced to the melancholy promenade of -the Scottish Academy.' -</p> - -<p> -'Is it open?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, with the usual kit-kats of local -nonentities, and the invariable yearly -amount of Bass Rock, Ben Lomond, and -the Water of Leith, without which no -exhibition of pictures here would be complete.' -</p> - -<p> -So Falconer and Fotheringhame were -put on the ball committee, and became -forthwith immersed in programmes, invitation -lists, and interviews with Herr Von -Humstrumm, the German bandmaster, the -quarter-master and messman. -</p> - -<p> -The castle of Edinburgh may well be -deemed the cradle of the Cameronian -Regiment, which received its first 'baptism -of fire' amid the fierce and protracted -siege endured there by the loyal and -gallant Duke of Gordon in 1689. The -corps, though now Cameronians but in -name, have in that title a glorious -inheritance of Scottish and military history, -that springs from Richard Cameron's bloody -grave in lone and wild Airs Moss, where -he fell with Bible and sword in hand, in -defence of an 'oppressed Kirk and broken -Covenant,' and fell bravely, with his face -to the enemy, in July, 1680. As a ballad -says: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Oh, weary, weary was the lot of Scotland's true ones then,<br /> - A famine-stricken remnant with scarce the guise of men;<br /> - They burrowed, few and lonely, in the chill, dark mountain caves,<br /> - For those who once had sheltered them were in their martyr-graves!'<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -When the landing of William of Orange -became known in the West of Scotland, a -great body of Cameronians assembled on a -holm near the village of Douglas, in -Lanarkshire, and, to the number of some -thousands, joined the revolted troops who -besieged King James's garrison in Edinburgh -Castle during the winter of 1688. -Out of these, two regiments, now -respectively the 25th, and 26th or Cameronians, -were constituted in the March and -April of the following year. The latter -stipulated that their officers should be -exclusively men 'such as, in conscience,' -they could submit to, as staunch Presbyterians, -and great care was taken in the -selection of them, while an 'elder' was -appointed to every company, so that the -whole battalion should be precisely under -the moral discipline of a parish, and a -Bible formed a part of the necessaries in -every private's knapsack. 'It is -impossible,' says the Domestic Annalist of -Scotland, 'to read the accounts that are -given of this Cameronian Regiment without -sympathising with the earnestness of -purpose, the conscientious scruples and -heroic feeling of self-devotion under which -it was established, and seeing in them -demonstrations of what is highest and best -in the Scottish character.' -</p> - -<p> -Their first colonel was James, Earl of -Angus, heir of the lordly line of Douglas, -who fell at their head in his twenty-second -year, at Steinkirk, but a mullet, or five -pointed star, in memory of him, is still one -of the badges of the regiment. Their first -lieutenant-colonel, Clelland, an accomplished -soldier and poet, who had fought -under the banner of the Covenant at -Drumclog and Bothwell, fell at their head, -defending Dunkeld; and their first chaplain -was Alexander Shiells, a well-known -Scottish divine. -</p> - -<p> -They were clad in red, faced with yellow, -the royal colours of Scotland; they wore -yellow petticoat-breeches tied below the -knee, with monstrous periwigs, and hats -of the Monmouth cock, and small Geneva -bands at the neck. The captains wore -gold-coloured breastplates; those of the -lieutenants were of white, and the ensigns -of black steel. A proportion of pikemen -and halberdiers were in every company, -and the bayonets were still cross-hilted -daggers, till the socket-bayonet, first -adopted by the 25th, or Edinburgh -Regiment, was introduced by its colonel, -Maxwell, in Flanders. -</p> - -<p> -The Cameronians fought with valour -and distinction in the wars of William and -Anne; James, Earl of Stair, commanded -them in the year of the union, and 1720 -saw them at Minorca, under Philip -Anstruther of that Ilk, three of whose -family have been at their head. Under -Preston of Valleyfield they fought valiantly -in the American War, and how their major, -the unfortunate André, perished is -well-known to the historical reader. John -Lord Elphinstone led them on the plains -of Egypt, and Colonel William Maxwell -amid the horrors of the retreat to Corunna. -In China, under Colonel Mountain, than -whom no better or braver officer ever wore -scarlet, they won the dragon which adorns -their colours, and the scene of their last -active service was amid the arid mountains -of Abyssinia. And now, as the Cameronians -were originally mustered on the holm of -Douglas, they are, at this day, linked in -brigade with the Lanarkshire Militia. -</p> - -<p> -Though changed in character and impulse, -the regiment is 'the Cameronians' still; -but its ranks are no longer manned by the -sturdy Covenanters—'men who prayed -bare-headed as the troopers of Claverhouse -aimed at their hearts—prayed a prayer -begun on earth and ended in heaven!' -</p> - -<p> -Local and national regard for the corps -caused, we have said, a deep interest to be -taken in the forthcoming regimental ball; -but, while working on the committee -therefor, Cecil Falconer could little foresee -the effect that festive occasion was to have -on his future career. -</p> - -<p> -He felt his hand actually tremble as he -addressed the invitation cards, handsomely -embossed with the crested sphinx of the -regiment, to Eaglescraig, for the general -and his family. He knew that the former -would be certain to appear, but felt doubts -if Mary Montgomerie would be permitted -to accept for herself; and great was his -surprise and joy when, next day, acceptances -came promptly from Sir Piers for -Mary, Miss Erroll, and Hew Montgomerie, -dated, not from Eaglescraig, but from the -general's town residence at the west-end of -the city. -</p> - -<p> -<i>She</i> was to be in Edinburgh for the -remainder of the season; balls, assemblies, -drums, and parties at which they would be -sure to meet, were before her and Falconer, -and he contemplated the coming weeks as -being pregnant with every enjoyment, with -many a charm and source of pleasure. -</p> - -<p> -And greater would his present joy have -been had he known how Mary treasured -the invitation his hand had addressed, with -a wistful yearning for his presence, for the -pressure of his hands, and the sound of his -love-words over again. For since his -advent at Eaglescraig, Mary had begun a -new existence—a new life of self-devotion -and romance. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap19"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIX. -<br /><br /> -THE PROGRESS OF EVENTS. -</h3> - -<p> -'A company—I am a captain -now!' thought Cecil, as he sat -alone in his quarters one evening. -Promotion brought him, he hoped, a -little nearer <i>her</i>; but she was far off from -him still, by her surroundings and the -influences that were brought to bear upon -her. -</p> - -<p> -He recalled the words of a writer who -says: 'When a young man wants to marry -a girl, he has already made up his mind -that she is worthy of him, otherwise he -would not wish to marry her. The next -thing to do is to make a rigid -cross-examination of himself, and see whether -he is worthy of her.' Falconer did so, -and, of course, deemed himself immeasurably -the inferior of Mary, but more than -all in worldly prospects and even social -position, albeit that he was now a captain -of the Cameronians; and yet only that -evening, in the mess-room, he had heard -rattling Dick Freeport say, that it was -'the duty of every man wearing a red -coat to hook an heiress, if he wanted one.' -</p> - -<p> -He looked around the room in which he -sat, his 'quarters,' and smiled, in spite of -himself, as he mentally contrasted its -appurtenances—its 'fixings,' as the Americans -say—with such as were deemed absolutely -necessary to the existence of one so refined -as Mary Montgomerie, and he began to -surmise whether or not his love was a -selfish one. -</p> - -<p> -The bare floor, scrubbed, however, as -clean as his servant, Tommy Atkins, could -make it, the walls white-washed, and -liable to impart their tint to everything -that came in contact with them; a couple -of Windsor chairs; a table liable to -unpleasant collapses, especially if sat upon, as -it often was; an iron camp-bed, wherein to -dream of Mary and glory, with a strip of -carpet, as a luxury, by its side; a -washstand that took the form of a square box -when the route came; a tin tub, tilted up -on end in a corner; an iron coal-box, or -scuttle, royally marked with 'V.R.' and an -imperial crown; a fire-grate full of torn -billets and cigar-ends; a rack containing -sticks, whips, a couple of swords; a little -narrow mantelpiece, littered with pipes, -cigars, and havanna boxes; but no flowers, -and not a single pretty knickknack suggestive -of female influences were there. Destitute -of all ornament, it was essentially a -man's apartment—a very barrack-room. -</p> - -<p> -Yet some feminine memorials of 'auld -lang syne' were not wanting; for in Cecil's -most secret repositories were the treasured -letters of his mother, her photos, a lock -of her dark hair, thickly silvered with -white, and a bunch of withered daisies that -he had gathered on her grave, which she -had found in a distant land—mementoes -treasured all the more that the story of her -life had been a sad one. -</p> - -<p> -If the interior of Cecil's apartment was -plain to excess, the view from its windows -was second to none in the world. On one -side, far down below, spread the Edina of -the Georgian and Victorian ages; on the -other towered up Dunedin, grey and grim, -in all the dead majesty of a grand, -historical, and royal past—the Dunedin of -battle and siege, yet instinct with life and -vitality in all its pulses still; and far, far -away, to where the golden sun was setting -at the gates of the west, spread the wondrous -landscape, till the green Ochil ranges -and the pale blue cone of Ben Lomond, -sixty miles distant, closed it in. -</p> - -<p> -And anon, when darkness falls, more -wondrous still is the beauty of the scene -when the broken masses and spiky ridges -of the old town sparkle with ten thousand -lights. 'High in air a bridge leaps the -chasm between,' wrote one who knew it -well; 'a few emerald lamps, like glow-worms, -are moving about in the railway -station below, while a solitary crimson one -is at rest. That ridged bulk of blackness, -with splendour bursting out at every pore, -is the wonderful Old Town where Scottish -history mainly transacted itself, while -opposite the modern Princes Street is -blazing throughout its length. During the -day the castle looks down upon the city, as -if out of another world; stern with all its -peacefulness, its garniture of trees, its -slopes of grass. The rock is dingy enough -in colour, but after a shower its lichens -laugh out greenly in the returning sun, -while the rainbow is brightening on the -lowering sky beyond. How deep the -shadow which the castle throws at noon -over the gardens at its feet, where the -children play! How grand when giant -bulk and towering crown blacken against -the sunset!' -</p> - -<p> -Gazing dreamily from his window, Cecil -sat lost in thought, with a note in his -hand—the acceptance to the ball invitation—a -note written, he knew, by the hand of -Mary, and which he had rescued from -Dick Freeport, who was sacrilegiously -about to tear and toss it into the -waste-paper basket; and at the time we may -suppose that our lover felt as Sir Robert -Cotton did when he rescued the original -Magna Charta from the shears of the -Cockney tailor, who was about to cut it into -yard-measures for doublets and trunk hose. -</p> - -<p> -But Cecil roused himself when the drums -beat on the slope below the citadel gate, -and donning his mess-dress, he betook him -to the dinner-table, where the trophied silver -plate added splendour to luxury. -</p> - -<p> -'So, as the general is in town, you'll -leave a card, of course, Falconer,' said -Fotheringhame, with a peculiar smile, as -Cecil took a seat by his side. -</p> - -<p> -'I am in duty bound to do so; though, -sooth to say,' added Falconer, for their -confidences had become mutual, 'the -coldness that accompanied my departure from -Eaglescraig gives me unpleasant doubts of -my reception; yet leave a card, of course, I -must.' -</p> - -<p> -Then he thought of Mary on the morning -he came away, and the farewell wave -of her handkerchief. -</p> - -<p> -'If I call, Fotheringhame, won't you -accompany me?' -</p> - -<p> -'Thanks; no. Old fellow, you forget.' -</p> - -<p> -'What?' -</p> - -<p> -'That Miss Erroll's acceptance for the -ball came from the general's house.' -</p> - -<p> -'A pleasant place it will be to visit,' said -Dick Freeport, striking into the conversation -from the opposite side of the table. -'I have had Falconer's confidential report -on the subject; he states that the general's -cellar is excellent, the sherry pale and -dry, the old port full-bodied, the Chateau -Lagrange unequalled, and Moët's Imperial -ditto! His cook is a regular French <i>chef</i>, -with a salary that exceeds the pay of Sir -Piers himself, no doubt; and then there is -his ward——' -</p> - -<p> -'Halt, Dick! how your tongue runs on!' -said Cecil, with some annoyance. 'His -ward is not to be lightly spoken of at any -mess-table—ours especially.' -</p> - -<p> -'I saw the general's carriage to-day in -George Street,' cried a cheeky sub-lieutenant -from the lower end of the table. 'I -knew it by the coat-of-arms; and, by Jove, -there were two stunning girls in it!' -</p> - -<p> -'Miss Montgomerie and her friend Miss -Erroll, no doubt,' said Fotheringhame. -'One dark—a brunette, and the other -brilliantly fair?' -</p> - -<p> -'Exactly; I took stock of them both. -Dick will be bringing his engagement-ring -with the blue stone into action now.' -</p> - -<p> -As this was a regimental joke it caused -a little laugh, amid which Acharn, the -sporting man of the corps, came in hastily -in his mess-jacket and vest, looking rather -grim and cross. -</p> - -<p> -'Late for mess, old man,' said Fotheringhame. -'What is up, eh?' -</p> - -<p> -'Wine!' said Acharn sharply, to a waiter, -and then replied: 'Only that I am rather -up a tree just now.' -</p> - -<p> -'You are rather fond of climbing,' said -Fotheringhame. 'Is it lofty?' -</p> - -<p> -'Lofty as a Himalayan pine, by Jove! -I say, Falconer, you were at the general's -place, Eaglescraig—or what's its name?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'Was there a fellow named Hew Montgomerie there?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes.' -</p> - -<p> -'Hew Caddish Montgomerie, as his -pasteboard has it—he is well named! and -from whom you won at cards?' -</p> - -<p> -'No; but who utterly rooked me at -cards!' said Falconer angrily, while he and -Fotheringhame exchanged glances. -</p> - -<p> -'Well, I met him at the United Service -Club this afternoon, though he is not a -member. We somehow got into play, and -I have lost enough to make my governor -pull a very long face when he comes to -hear of it—a cool £500. He is a fellow -whose shifty eyes and thin lips often smile, -but never in unison?' -</p> - -<p> -'I know that his face never wears an -expression of manly truth—for truth isn't -in him!' said Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'The fellow is a downright cad, I understand,' -said Fotheringhame; 'he will go to -the devil with the down-train, and never -know how to put on the brakes. Why -were you fool enough to play with a -stranger?' -</p> - -<p> -'And lose?' said Acharn, twisting his -thick black moustache. -</p> - -<p> -'By all accounts it would be a miracle if -you won.' -</p> - -<p> -'He has promised me my revenge to-morrow.' -</p> - -<p> -'At what game was it you lost £500?' -asked Fotheringhame. -</p> - -<p> -'At roulette, piquet, and écarté; but -most at écarté.' -</p> - -<p> -'By Jove! I should think so,' said -Falconer, remembering Hew's 'mild play.' -'Why didn't you look under the table?' he -asked in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -'For what?' exclaimed Acharn, with -surprise. -</p> - -<p> -'The cards he was dropping unknown to -you.' -</p> - -<p> -'Good heavens, do you say so!' -</p> - -<p> -'Why, the fellow's a regular leg!' said -Fotheringhame; but Falconer contented -himself by saying: -</p> - -<p> -'Your promised revenge will never come. -Next time he asks you to play, decline, and -say you do so by my advice—<i>mine</i>—don't -forget.' -</p> - -<p> -Acharn did so, and the fact did not -increase Master Hew's goodwill to Falconer; -but little indeed could the latter -guess how the good old general had been -led to view <i>him</i>. -</p> - -<p> -A favourite with the entire regiment he -was known to be, even to the very -school-children; thus it was with some surprise -the commanding-officer, some days after, -heard the remarks of the general at the -club, made privately to himself, however. -</p> - -<p> -'I have to thank you, Sir Piers,' said -the lieutenant-colonel, 'for extending the -hospitality of your house to one of the -best of my officers.' -</p> - -<p> -'Best—the smartest, perhaps you mean?' -said Sir Piers, coldly. -</p> - -<p> -'Smartest and best!' replied the -lieutenant-colonel, emphatically. -</p> - -<p> -'Sorry to hear it, sir; sorry to hear it. -When we were cantonned at Jodpore——' -</p> - -<p> -'Excuse me, Sir Piers; but I do not -understand.' -</p> - -<p> -'He is too fond of cards, sir—too fond -of cards for my taste, sir.' -</p> - -<p> -'I never saw a card in his hand!' persisted -the other. -</p> - -<p> -'Strange!' -</p> - -<p> -The lieutenant-colonel thought these -remarks more than strange, too; but Sir -Piers did not choose to inform him of -Hew's malevolent reports, and plunged at -once into sundry reminiscences of Jodpore -and its Rajpoots. -</p> - -<p> -Mary would certainly be the queen of the -forthcoming regimental ball, and Falconer -was full of the most delightful anticipations -concerning it. -</p> - -<p> -'Leslie Fotheringhame will be there!' -was the secret thought of Annabelle Erroll; -'how <i>are</i> we to meet? As strangers? -Would that I had not come to Edinburgh -at all—and yet!' -</p> - -<p> -Yet—what? She scarcely knew. -</p> - -<p> -Mary was in full anticipation also of the -ball—its joys and its brilliance, and nightly -laid her head on the pillow to sleep and -dream, if she could, of a region where all -was romance, light and splendour, bands -of music, festooned banners and brilliant -uniforms, with one central figure—Cecil -Falconer! -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap20"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XX. -<br /><br /> -THE OLD STORY AGAIN. -</h3> - -<p> -It may easily be supposed that -Cecil Falconer did not lose -much time in paying what was -to pass ostensibly as a ceremonious visit -to Sir Piers Montgomerie's family. -Evening parade was over, when he quitted -the fortress in a carefully assorted suit -of mufti, and betook him to the north-western -quarter of the New Town, in one -of the most fashionable streets of which -stood the stately house of the general, in a -situation of wonderfully picturesque beauty, -overlooking the deep ravine through which -the Leith flows under a noble bridge of -three arches, each of which is ninety-six -feet in span. -</p> - -<p> -On one side stands an ancient tolbooth, -with crow-stepped gables; on the other, a -steep green bank crowned by a beautiful -church and stately crescent. Between -these yawns the rocky ravine, wherein lie -an old bridge of other days, and a cluster -of quaint mills and dwellings, and the river -roaring in snow-white foam over a broad -and lofty weir; the whole place having in -all its features a marvellous resemblance to -the Spanish village of Banos in Leon. -</p> - -<p> -And now, when Falconer stood upon the -threshold of the mansion, there flashed -upon his mind the recollection that on this -very day it was that his father and mother -had both died—the latter on the anniversary -of the former's demise, eighteen years -before; thus he doubted whether he had -chosen a fortunate time, for it has truly -been said, that there are certain moods of -the human mind in which we cannot help -ascribing 'an ominous importance to any -remarkable coincidence wherein things of -moment are concerned;' and he was in this -mood then. -</p> - -<p> -In obedience to the sonorous bell, the -double-door was thrown open, revealing one -of those spacious entrance-halls peculiar to -Scottish houses, with tiger-skins—some of -Sir Piers' Indian spoils—and Persian rugs -covering the length of its tesselated floor, -and marble pedestals with tall Chinese and -Japanese vases standing on either side. -</p> - -<p> -The general had gone to his club, in -Queen Street; Mrs. Garth and Miss Erroll -were out in the carriage, but were expected -back soon; Miss Montgomerie was at -home. So said the valet, who remembered -Falconer, and smiled a welcome to him, but -said nothing of the whereabouts of Hew, -who was a favourite with none. -</p> - -<p> -Mary was then at home, and perhaps -alone, so Cecil's heart beat lightly and -happily as he was ushered into the stately -double drawing-room, which had hangings -of rose-coloured silk laced with white, -and was stately with crystal chandeliers, -Venetian mirrors, cabinets of rare china, -statuettes, and gems of art in the way of -pictures and jars, amid which the eyes of -Falconer saw only Mary Montgomerie—Mary -seated near an antique tripod table, -whereon was set out the dainty Wedgewood -china for five o'clock tea, and varying her -time between knitting soft woollen socks -for some old cotter of Eaglescraig, and -gazing from the window on the buds of -spring that were bursting in the warm -sunshine, and the sweet flowers that made the -parterres gay; but she started from her -chair when the servant announced, -</p> - -<p> -'Captain Falconer.' -</p> - -<p> -She repeated the name mechanically, and -grew very pale as she presented her hand. -</p> - -<p> -'Do not call me "captain,"' urged Cecil, -retaining it, while the thoughts of both went -naturally back to their last meeting in the -grotto, and the avowal made then; and -Mary grew shy in manner, for she had been -haunted by a dread lest her wave of the -handkerchief to Cecil on his departure -from Eaglescraig had been unladylike, -though Annabelle assured her that, after -all that had passed, any young girl would -have done precisely the same. -</p> - -<p> -'But you <i>are</i> a captain now,' she said, -smiling; 'and I congratulate you upon the -circumstance. It has given me real -pleasure, you may be well assured.' -</p> - -<p> -'I thank you, from my heart,' replied -Cecil, and she withdrew her hand, while -he was longing to take up the links of the -old story, gathering even courage from the -omen that Snarley, in a new blue and -silver collar, with his mistress's monogram -and a bell, barked, whimpered, and frisked -about him with delight. -</p> - -<p> -Snarley had an undoubted propensity for -worrying rats in the stable court, under the -auspices of Hew Montgomerie and Pate -Pastern, the head-groom; also proclivities -for the kitchen and low life generally: but -here he was in the drawing-room to welcome -the visitor. -</p> - -<p> -'You knew I would call?' said Falconer, -after a pause. -</p> - -<p> -'I—hoped you would,' said Mary, -timidly. -</p> - -<p> -'You did!' he exclaimed in a low voice, -as he started to her side. 'Oh, my darling!' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes—of course,' replied Mary faintly, -and blushing deeply now, as he took both -her hands in his and gazed into her eyes -with passionate tenderness; and somehow -it came speedily to pass that as they stood -so near, they were posed like the Black -Brunswicker and his love, or the Huguenot -and his guardian angel, in the well-known -pictures; but if the pose was delicious, the -speeches that accompanied it were a little -fatuous and incoherent. -</p> - -<p> -After a time, Falconer, still holding her -in his embrace and gazing tenderly into -her upturned eyes, made the somewhat -prosaic request: -</p> - -<p> -'You will keep some round dances for -me at the ball, of course, darling?' -</p> - -<p> -'Gladly would I do so, dearest Cecil—but——' -</p> - -<p> -'But what, Mary love?' -</p> - -<p> -'I am under such supervision—Hew, for instance— -</p> - -<p> -'It is intolerable!' said Falconer, as a -gesture of impatience escaped him. 'To -love you, and say that I love you, dearest -Mary, means views of marriage, and the -hope that you will be mine—mine for ever, -sweetest pet,' he continued, with infinite -tenderness of tone and manner, taking her -little face between his hands, after the mode -of the pictured Huguenot; but Mary -partially and nervously withdrew from him. -'You are free, Mary, are you not?' he -asked, with great and sudden anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -There was no answer, and she seemed -intently studying the pattern of the -carpet. -</p> - -<p> -'You are not, you cannot be, engaged?' -he exclaimed in a low and earnest voice, -and dreading some change since they -parted. -</p> - -<p> -'No, certainly—not of my own free will,' -was her curious reply, while tears trembled -on her dark lashes. -</p> - -<p> -'How then?' -</p> - -<p> -'Mrs. Garth told you all, did she not?' -</p> - -<p> -'Do you know your own mind, Mary?' -he asked, taking her caressingly in his -arms. -</p> - -<p> -'Yes,' said she, with a sob in her throat. -</p> - -<p> -'How is it to be, then?' -</p> - -<p> -There was no answer. -</p> - -<p> -'Mary!' -</p> - -<p> -She could scarcely have made any reply -just then, as Cecil closed her sweet lips -most effectually. -</p> - -<p> -'Hew actually takes his position with -me for granted,' said she, after a little -pause, with her head reclined on Cecil's -shoulder. 'He is absurd, and insolent as -a wooer, yet seems to think there is no -need for exerting himself to win a bride -that is bestowed upon him. He treats me -as if I were his property—a gift from Sir -Piers in fact,' she continued with an angry -little laugh. -</p> - -<p> -'And you, with all your beauty and -wealth too, Mary, are to become the -sacrifice of an old man's ambition to endow -his house, and a young man's avarice! Oh, -my darling, it is monstrous! and in this -age of the world, ridiculous too! But -perhaps the good old general may come -round in time, and see the folly of his -scheme.' -</p> - -<p> -She shook her head, and said brokenly: -</p> - -<p> -'You speak of wealth—I would I were -penniless, for your sake; it is as a millstone -about my neck; I think papa's will was -most iniquitous!' -</p> - -<p> -Until Mary Montgomerie met and knew -Cecil Falconer, she had lived like the lady -of Shalott, in a world of dreams—a young -girl's dreams of a lover; for even the -advent of Hew as an admirer—an intended—had -certainly not embodied the idea to her. -</p> - -<p> -She had read in Byron that a woman's -love was a woman's whole existence, and -such she would have made it now to -herself; and doubtless had Cecil chosen to -exert the power he had over her heart, and -lured her, as one less scrupulous might -have done, into risking the <i>esclandre</i>, he -would have persuaded her to defy Sir -Piers and fly with him; but he never for -a moment entertained the idea of a measure -that would have been such injustice to -herself, as it would have involved the loss -of her fortune, and perhaps its eventual -transference to Hew! -</p> - -<p> -Snarley now suddenly showed his teeth, -as if to announce the approach of the latter -through the outer drawing-room, where it -would almost seem that he had been -again an unseen listener, as at Eaglescraig. -</p> - -<p> -'<i>Petit chien!</i>' exclaimed Mary, as the -Huguenot pose was suddenly relinquished, -and she snatched up her dog to kiss it; -'<i>petit chien</i>—dear wee doggie, don't be -jealous of—oh, it's <i>you</i>, Hew—how -tiresome!' she added under her breath, as -that personage lounged upon the scene, -and drily gave his cold, fishy hand to -Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -'Hew again!' thought Mary with a -shiver of repugnance; and again, as in the -instance of the grotto, she marvelled, with -intense annoyance, how much he had -overseen and overheard, and how long he -had been <i>en perdue</i>! -</p> - -<p> -Nearly ignoring the presence of Falconer, -who assumed his hat and gloves, he bowed -coldly and said curtly: -</p> - -<p> -'I am about to have a canter down -Granton way: will you join me, Mary?' -</p> - -<p> -'I would rather be excused.' -</p> - -<p> -'Why?' -</p> - -<p> -'It is anything but a pretty road—all -stone walls and no trees.' -</p> - -<p> -Hew scowled. The answer showed -plainly that his company would not -compensate for the dulness of the road—'and -before that fellow Falconer, too!' -</p> - -<p> -'Annabelle will go, perhaps.' -</p> - -<p> -'She is out with the old soldier, Mrs. Garth.' -</p> - -<p> -'Hew?' she exclaimed, while with -curiously-mingled emotions of delight and -annoyance, Falconer, deeming that the -time had come to depart, bowed himself -out as Hew rang the bell. -</p> - -<p> -'Ha!' thought the latter, 'she will not -ride with me, and she has not driven out -with them, so she expected this fellow! -They have some secret understanding -unknown to Sir Piers, most certainly. But -they have not yet come to the third volume -of their little romance!' -</p> - -<p> -Mary read his thoughts and suspicions -in his face, and her heart swelled with -anger. -</p> - -<p> -'We must stop this nonsense, Hew—or -you must, I mean,' said she abruptly, and -with flashing eyes. -</p> - -<p> -'Stop it?' -</p> - -<p> -'Yes, as I mean to be the mistress of my -own actions; and the sooner your interference -with me ends, the better for us both.' -</p> - -<p> -'What do you mean?' -</p> - -<p> -'What I say, sir!' replied Mary desperately, -and with tears in her eyes as she -swept from the room; for though she -deferred to the years and affection of Sir -Piers, she was resolved now to have neither -mercy nor toleration for Hew, who eyed -her malevolently as she withdrew. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Sweet indeed had been the love-passage -between these two—Cecil and Mary—knitting -their hearts closer together. Affection -had been ensured to the full and -been accepted to the full; but no promise -had been given, and the future was vague -as ever. -</p> - -<p> -Cecil had a species of rival in Hew, -certainly; but one that, strange to say, -provoked no jealousy, anger, or sense of -suspicion, though there were the influence -and authority of Sir Piers to dread, -together with what might be their ultimate -result upon the gentle nature of Mary, -who might be bent to accept the fate -intended for her, as being but a portion of -the inevitable. Besides, if the regiment -were ordered suddenly abroad, the chances -of their ever meeting again would be faint -and few indeed. -</p> - -<p> -Though Hew, as we have already -indicated, had no genuine love for Mary, he -fully appreciated the wonderful beauty of -her person, and endorsed to the full the -general's desire that he should marry her, -and a creditable wife indeed she would be -to the future baronet of Eaglescraig; thus -his piqued self-esteem and his avarice -rendered him secretly savage that he made -worse than no progress with her in his -wooing. He felt as if placed in rather a -ridiculous position with his patron; and -thus the whole tide of his venom flowed -towards the innocent Falconer, though the -appearance of the latter on the scene had -not changed in the least degree Mary's -views of him—Hew Montgomerie. -</p> - -<p> -There was no open quarrel between the -latter and Falconer, but each had a very -decided repugnance to the other, and the -soldier knew and felt him to be his secret -enemy; and in their chance intercourse in -public places and at the U.S. club, whither -he came under the general's wing, the -veiled hatred of Hew grew deeper as he -felt instinctively that he was every way, in -tone, in bearing, and in mind, the inferior -of Falconer. -</p> - -<p> -He became more than usually boorish, -for about this time he had a curious run of -ill-luck in his turf speculations; 'straight -tips' had turned out the reverse of straight; -'good things' on coming events had -turned out badly too; he had been jockied -and wanted money sorely, having lost in a -few hours all that he had won from Acharn, -while the latter, instead of proposing to -have his revenge, mentioned incidentally -'his friend Falconer,' and declined all -play; the next time Acharn cut him <i>dead</i>, -and he began to find all players avoiding -him. -</p> - -<p> -Though Mrs. Garth was invaluable as a -chaperon, such a guardian is not so -necessary in the streets of 'the Queen of the -North' as in those of the sister metropolis; -consequently Mary could go abroad alone -whenever she chose, while curiously -enough she seemed to have lost all taste -for the use of the carriage now. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -END OF VOL. 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