Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume II)

ng sun, stood the family waggonette which had just been filled by those of the house-party who were bound f

r headache by the time we get back." And therewith the carriage was driven away

ison strolled towards a hammock slung between two maples, and stood there for a moment, and considered. Should she attempt it? There was no onlooker, supposing some slight accident befell. Finally,

r: Lord Musselburgh made his a

cted surprise, "haven't you gone to c

" said the young man, with tender sympa

sed to be vexed

alk fast enough. If you stop here you know what will go on at lunch. Those Dr

s go for a walk rather. You know, a woman's headache is li

with something of offended dignity. "Do you thi

anything," said

xt that it was to have

dare to imagin

change to good-nature, as she rose from the chair.

r tall and slim and elegant figure she had added a bold-sweeping hat of black velvet and black feathers, while round her neck she had wound a black boa, its two long tails depending in

in fact, I rather admired his rage and disdain of me; it was part of the singleness of his nature; for he believes everybody to be as straightforward and sincere as himself; and he has a very fine notion of loyalty towards his friends. And vindictive, too, the young villain was; I can tell you I was made to feel the enormity of my transgression; I was left to wallow in that quagmire of unworthy doubt in which I had voluntarily plunged myself. So matters went on; and I could only hope for one of two things-either that he might find out something about those people that would sever his connection with them, or that his passing fancy for the girl would gradually fade away. I made sure he would tire of that oracular old humbug; or else he would discover there was nothing at all behind the mysterious eyes and the tragic sol

y the wide plain of the sea, ruffled into the intensest blue by a brisk breeze from the north. Still further away rose the great mountains of Mull, and the long stretch of the Morven hills, all of a faint, ethereal crimson-brown in the sunlight, with every glen and water-course traced in lines of pu

his splendid enthusiasm about fine things in literature; his magnanimity over the wrongs he has suffered; his pathetic affection for his granddaughter and his tender care of her-why, you would take him to be one of the grandest human creatures that ever breathed the breath of life! Then about the girl: don't I remember La Claire Fontaine? Oh, yes, I remember La Claire Fontaine-and little else! You see, that is just where the trouble comes in as regards my nephew. Hard-headed as he is, and brusque of speech-sometimes, not always-he is just stuffed full of Quixotism; and I daresay it is precisely because this girl is shy and reserved, and has rather appealing eyes, that he imagines all kinds of wonderful things about her, and has made a saint of her, to be worshipped. A merry lass, with a saucy look a

unate," her companion said, wistfully: whereupon the young wid

. "You! You needn't pretend to come i

you," said he, with a certain affectation of being h

oung innocent girls' hearts. Haven't we all heard of you? Haven't we all heard how you went on i

lly was, you would see that it was nothing to joke about. Some time I will tell you. So

nnocent! You forget that I have seen you in a good many houses; you forget that I have been watching your goings-on with Louie Dre

"If all tales be true you have a

d made bold to look at them.) "Who dared to say such a thing? And of course you listened without a word of protest: probably you assented! W

the sand, and with small outlying islands covered with orange seaweed where they were not white with gulls. And here was a further stretch of that wind-swept, dark blue, striated sea, with the lonely hills of Morven and Kingairloch, sun-dappled and cloud-dappled, rising into the fair turquoise sky. There was a

perial Review?" said Mrs. Ellison, fli

bout American State Legislatures, i

ilities. Now isn't that dreadful? I declare to you, Lord Musselburgh, that when I come down in the morning and find a letter from him lying on the hall-table, my heart sinks-just as if I heard the men on the stair bringing down a coffin. Because I know if he is captured by those penniless adventurers, it will be all over with my poor lad; he will be bound to them; he will have to support them; he will have to sacrifice friends and fortune, and a future surely such as never yet lay before any young man. Just think of it! Who ever had such possibilities before him? Who ever had so many friends, all expecting great things of him? Who ever was so petted and caressed and admired by those whose slightest regard is considered by the world at large an honour; and-I will say this for my boy--who ever deserved it more, or remained all through it so unspoiled, and simple, and manly? Oh, you don't know what he has been to

re was a ring of sincerity in her tone, sometim

wn I am a selfish woman; and hitherto I have kept aloof, as I did not want to get myself into trouble. I am going to hold aloof no longer. The more I hear the more I am convinced that Vin has fallen into t

d his Scotch plaid thrown over his shoulder-well, 'my heart warmed to the tartan'; and I was glad of the excuse for helping him. I did not want any book; and I certainly did not want the money back. But when Vin came to me, and made explanations, and finally handed me a cheque for ￡50, there was something in his manne

id you back the money makes it none the less a swindle. Now I will tell you what I am abo

orge?"

for my share in it. Here is Vin appealing to me to be his friend-as if I were not his friend!-begging me to come and take this solitary and friendless girl by the hand, and all the rest of it; and instead of that I go behind his back and try to find out what will destroy his youthful romance for ever. But it's got to be done," said the young widow, with a sigh. "It will be a wrench at first; then six

take part in it. Of course, you may be acting quite rightly; no doubt you are acti

f Vin's friend! Come, tel

he r

that he is the editor of a newspaper in New York-a Scotch newspaper: c

ok his

fair,"

faced him, and regar

erday morning, that you swore that there was no

some hesitation. "I meant as regards

and she walked on proudly.

her arm to

note-book?

urse and note-book; and without a wor

cotsman Office, New York,'"

n her pocket again. "That is as far as we can go in that matter at present;

anovan, I

ther one w

rt

ched to the robber's cav

told me the gardener kee

iently; and then she went on with her questions.

hey know we want the

we want the plac

nexpected.

ll your interest is centred on Vin. I suppose a woma

dow said, cheerfully. "Shall we go rou

pine; and without more ado he led the way, pushing through th

u don't know what is the greatest proof of affection th

he demanded, as she f

gh a wood, and getting all t

; while here and there a rabbit would scurry off, and again they would catch a glimpse of a hen-pheasant sedately walking down a glade betwe

l, and callous. Well, perhaps I have reason to be. I have had my little experience of womankind-of one wom

his companion

own here: it was all about the James river, Virginia, and a pair of southern eyes, and betrayal, and farewell, and black night. H

ast there was one thing spared yo

ed at he

d them-I believed them-like the fool I was! Oh, yes," she said, and she held her head high, for her breast was heaving with real emotion this time, "it is easy to say that every mistake meets with its own punishment; but I was punished too much-too much; a life-long punishment for believing what lying friends had said to me!" She furtively put the tips of her fingers to her eyes, to wipe away the tears that lay along the lashes. "And then I was mad; I was out of

ow who seemed so proud of her solitary estate and so well content. Feeble words of comfort were of small avail. And then, again, it hardly seemed the proper occasion for offering her more substantial sympathy-tho

bles when I stayed behind for you this morning. Come, shall we go out on

she together emerged from the twilight of larch and pine, and proceeded,

ange of the Kingairloch hills, deepening in purple gloom, or shining rose-grey and yellow-grey in the sun. In this solitude they were quite alone save for the sea-birds that had wheeled into the air, screaming and calling, at their approach; but the

rows and experiences had been thus unexpectedly disclosed? He really wi

tongues can

y lives in r

thorny; and

wroth with

ke madness i

lf ridiculous; and also he knew that the pretty young widow's eyes had a

church will say when they discover tha

g a crowd. And how could I ever have imagined that you, with your high spirits and merry temperament, and perpetual good

ho professed to be my best friends. There is intermeddling and intermeddling. You might say I was intermeddling in the case of my nephew. But what harm can co

esit

ings wear such a different complexion

e way or the other? Won't he find out just the truth? And that is all I honestly want Vin to know-the actual truth: then let him go on with his ey

if we are late for lunch, those Drexel girls will

sarcasm, for instead of hastening home, they quietly strolled up and down the smooth cream-white beach, now and again picking up a piece of rose-red seaweed, or turning over a limpet-shell, or watching a sandpiper making his quick little runs alongside the clear, crisp-curling ripples. They did not speak;

ed, and began pulling it to shred

be a good deal of sympathy-a very unusual sympathy-betw

with affected carelessness-her

in, "that I haven't the lea

y name is Madge

l M this way?" and therewith he traced on the sand

"but it is very pretty. H

e remaining letters, and seemed rather

, "I don't know your C

ber

ame fashion?" she suggested,

e immediately underneath her own. But that was not all.

names to regard her downcast face. "But-but I know a much smaller ring

ok he

said, in

those creamy sands, and went up by the edge of the blue-green turnip-field to t

but at all events there will now be one more on my side, to help me about Vin

as eager to pr

e are of him. And just fancy the four of us setting out on a winter-trip to Cairo or Jerusalem: wouldn't it be simply too delicious? The four of us-only the four of us-all by ourselves. Louie Drexel is rather young, to be sure; yet she knows her way about; she's sharp; she's cl

tion which he had just promised to her-being a very different t

say so by wa

aid so to you?" he d

e jealous, it is I, considering the way you have been going on with Louie Drexel. But of course if there's nothing in it, that's all well and done with

k at this moment; but, on the other hand, in the first flush of his pride and gratitude, any whim of he

him by other people. And besides you must remember, Madge, dear, that you are assuming

" she exclaimed. "Isn't the story

ble; he was a good-natured kind of person

to tell you that

that and everything else, haven't I-Hu

t it better than anyone else, even supposing the idea had occurred to some other person; he was anxious above all things that his poetical countrymen over there in the States

about the

have told you that that was a gift from me to him. I

moment: then she said

a girl who has been in the habit of going about with her grandfather while he begged

believe that he has been so completely imposed on. I confess I liked the old man: I liked his splendid enthusiasm, his magnificent self-reliance, yes, and

e clearly. And that little transaction about the book and the ￡50 gives me a key to the whole situation. You may depend on it, G

es are opened?" her

what a terrible pit h

isn't merely a pretty face that has taken his fancy, as you yourself

proper upbringing and surroundings. But even if it turned out that she was everything she should be, wouldn't it

him. And in the meantime," he continued, rather plaintively, "don't you think

s," said she. "And you know-Hubert-you've come into our fam

ive minutes more would bring t

d by the side of a little bit of plantation. "Don't

" she asked,

s! For example, do you wan

to know," she answered him, "but

u to tell Mrs. So

y we

all the people in the hou

e a burden to me! Fancy those Drexel girls: they would shriek with joy at the chance of torturing me!

oolness. "For I have been thinking tha

printed,

time. Now it is highly probable that some of our friends may be walking along to

iately after luncheon and score them out. I would not for t

with me, Madge,

g those sands all day li

you might com

, "I suppose I must b

me trotting down the road, stopped, looked, and glided noiselessly into the plantation. Two wood-pigeons went swiftly across an opening in the trees; a large hawk soared far overhead. On this still Sunday

secluded place; they went round by the front of the big grey

ted horror this time. "They're all in at lunch, every one of them,

en thought seem

room. Will you give my excuses to Mrs. Somerville? I'

e-paved hall. "Go to your room, if you like; and I'll tell Mrs. Somerville, and she'll send you

; and she herself went forthwith to Mrs. Ellison's room, to see what would most readily tempt the appetite

e young widow went instantly to the door and shut it. Then she came back; and

hich both her hands had been seized. "The headache is gone. I've-I've something else to tell you-oh, you'd never guess it in the world! My dear, my dear," she cried