Part 37 (1/2)

Though they were away for a long time, they found Mr Petrie sitting with Miss Jean when they returned.

”Come awa',” said Miss Jean. ”Where have ye been? and what can have keepit ye sae lang? Mr James and I have been wearyin' for our tea.”

”Oh! well, ye'll enjoy it all the mair for that, and so will we,” said Mr Dawson.

Marion went away to arrange her hair which the wind had blown about, and when she returned Mr Dawson was asking Mr James what news the afternoon's post had brought. But Mr James had left before the post came in.

”Then you must have been here a good while. It is a pity that ye hadna been in time to go with us. We went over to the brae to see the new plough that the farmer has gotten. Miss Marion explained the philosophy of the thing to us.”

”Miss Marion is in some danger of becoming a learned woman, I hear,”

said Mr James, with an uncomfortable smile on his lips.

”In danger? Oh! weel, I dare say ye're right. I'm no' sure but there is danger in it. I canna say that I think very learned women are best fitted for the kind o' work that most commonly falls to a woman's hand.”

”But for the work of a schoolmistress,” said Marion eagerly. ”I am going to be a schoolmistress,--not a governess, not a teacher in a school merely, but the mistress of a school.”

”You mean if you cannot do better,” said Mr Petrie. ”Better? But that is what I have been thinking about all my life. My plans are all laid-- only--”

”But then you could just let them all drop, if any thing _better_ should present itself, as James says. But what are your plans? if it be fair to ask,” said Mr Dawson. Marion did not laugh, but answered gravely, ”First I must make 'a learned woman' of myself, and that will take a good while. I used to think I would have a young ladies' school, but I have changed my mind. Young ladies are troublesome, and I think I would prefer to teach boys.”

Mr James whistled. Mr Dawson said, ”Well, and what would you teach them?”

”Whatever they needed to learn. I can hardly tell yet about it. But Mrs Manners has promised me her boys.”

”She is to lose no time it seems,” said Miss Jean smiling.

”Oh! but you forget, I have to educate myself first. I am afraid I should have to be a great deal older before people would trust their boys to me. But that is what I mean to do.” Marion spoke gravely.

”And ye'll do it too, if you set yourself to do it,” said Mr Dawson.

”And she could hardly set herself to a better work,” said Miss Jean.

But Mr Petrie by no means agreed with them, and expressed himself to that effect with sufficient decision. He ridiculed the idea, and being very much in earnest, he was not so guarded as he might have been, and allowed a tone of contempt to mingle with the banter which he meant to be playful, and at the same time severe. Marion answered lightly enough, and was in no danger of being angry as Miss Jean feared, and as, after a time, Mr James hoped she might be. The necessity of making his peace with her would have pleased the young man better, than her laughing indifference to his opinions, or to his manner of expressing them. But she was so friendly in her manner, and so willing to oblige him by singing his favourite songs when Miss Jean sent her to the piano, that he had no excuse for returning to the subject again.

His errand, he told them when he rose to go, was to ask Miss Marion to join his sisters and some of their friends in walking to the Castle the next day, and after an inquiring glance at Miss Jean the invitation was accepted with sufficient readiness.

”And if the day should not be fine, it is understood that you will spend it with my sisters, and the Castle can wait till fair weather.”

To this also Marion a.s.sented with a good grace, and the young man went away a.s.suring himself that he ought to be content. He might have been less so, had he seen the shrug of her pretty shoulders, and heard her voice as she said to Miss Jean,--

”What should the like of James Petrie ken?”

When she was gone for the night, Mr Dawson, laughing, told Miss Jean of the manner of their departure for the brae that afternoon. Miss Jean looked grave.

”Ye dinna mean to say that ye think the la.s.sie did any thing out of the way?” said Mr Dawson. ”She said she doubted she would need to tell you, though I'm sure I canna see why.”

”I wasna thinking about that I was wondering whether after all, I had done a wise thing in bringing her down here.”

”I have wondered at that myself, whiles, though I acknowledge I had a part in bringing her. But it depends on what ye brought her for.”

Miss Jean said nothing.