Part 2 (1/2)
”Thou did right. Thy Aunt Barbara----”
”Is my aunt, and thy eldest sister. All she does is square and upright; what she says, it were well for the rest of the town to take heed to. It would please Aunt if thou showed Wolf Baikie thou had dancing shoes and also knew right well how to step in them.”
”Well, then, thou shalt have thy way. I will wash, I will comb my hair, I will put on clean linen and white socks and my buckled shoes.
That is all I will do! I will not change my suit--no, I will not!”
”Father!”
”Well, then, what call for 'Father' now?”
”I want thee to wear thy kirk suit.”
”I will not! No, I will not! The flannel suit is good enough for any man.”
”Yes, if it were clean and sweet, and had no fish scales on it, and no fish smell in it. And even here--at the very end of the world--thy friend, the good Bishop, wears black broadcloth and all gentlemen copy him. If Thora was thy sweetheart, instead of thy own dear daughter, she would not dance with thee in anything but thy best suit.”
”It seems to me, my own dear daughter, that very common people wear kirk toggery. When I go to the hotels in Edinburgh, or Aberdeen, or Inverness, I find all the men who wait on other men are in kirk clothes; and if I go to a theatre, the men who wait on the crowd there wear kirk clothes, and----”
”Thy Bishop also wears black broadcloth.”
”That will be because of his piety and humility. I am not as pious and humble as I might be. No, indeed! Not in everything can I humour thee, and trouble myself; but this thing is what I will do--I have a new suit of fine blue flannel; last night I brought it home. At McVittie's it was made, and well it fits me. For thy sake I will wear it. This is the end of our talk. No more will I do.”
”Thou dear father! It is enough! With a thousand kisses I thank thee.”
”Too many kisses! Too many kisses! Thou shalt give me five when we finish our dance; one for my curled hair, and one for my white, fresh linen, and one for my socks, and one for my buckled shoes, and the last for my new blue suit. And in that bargain thou wilt get the best of me, so one favour in return from thee I must have.”
”Dear Father, thy will is my will. What is thy wish?”
”I want thy promise not to dance with Wolf Baikie. Because of his sneer I am coaxed to dress as I do not want to dress. Well, then, I will take his place with thee, and every dance he asks from thee is to be given to me.”
Without a moment's hesitation Thora replied: ”That agreement does not trouble me. It will be to my great satisfaction. So, then, thou art no nearer to getting the best of the bargain.”
”Thou art a clever, handsome little baggage. But my promises I will keep, and it is well for me to be about them. Time flies talking to thee,” and he looked at his watch and said, ”It is now five minutes past five.”
”Then thou must make some haste. Dinner is set for six o'clock.”
”Dost thou think I will fiddle-faddle about myself like a woman?”
”But thou must wash----”
”In the North Sea I wash me every morning. Before thou hast opened thy eyes I have had my bath and my swim in the salt water.”
”There is rain water in thy room; try it for a change.” And he answered her with a roar of laughter far beyond Thora's power to imitate. But with it ringing in her heart and ears she saw him go to a spare room to keep his promises. Then she hastened to her mother.
”Whatever is the matter with thy father, Thora?”
”He has promised to wash and dress. I got all I asked for.”
”Will he change his suit?”