Part 21 (1/2)
”Oh, I suppose he's no worse than many of his kind,” he said tentatively.
”Aye, but that is jist where you will be mistaken,” said Big Malcolm, a dangerous light beginning to leap up in his eye. ”If this place would be knowing the kind of a man he is, indeed it would not be Parliament he would be thinking about next fall, but----” He stopped suddenly.
”Och, hoch, the Lord forgive me, and he will be your friend, too, Mr.
Monteith,” he added hastily, with a return of his natural courtesy.
”Indeed I would be forgetting myself.”
”Why does your grandfather hate the Captain so?” inquired Monteith, as Scotty walked with him to the gate.
”I'll not know,” said Scotty morosely. ”I think they had some quarrel long ago, about land or something, when they came here first.”
”And did he never give any hint of what the trouble was?”
”Not to us boys. It was one of those things he would always be fighting against, and Granny kept him back, too. He would be often going to speak of the Captain, when she would stop him.” Scotty's tone was gloomy. This last surviving feud of his warlike grandfather weighed heavily upon his soul. For, indeed, matters had gone sadly wrong in Scotty's world lately, and life was proving a very hard and sordid business.
Monteith said no more, but the next morning he set off for his friend's house, determined to settle once for all those questions which had been troubling him ever since he had learned that young Ralph Stanwell lived. Something must be done with Ralph, and that right away. He had taught him as far as he could, and the boy must not be allowed to waste his talents in the backwoods.
The Grange, Captain Herbert's residence on the sh.o.r.e of Lake Oro, was a different building from the homes of the people among whom the schoolmaster lived; for its owner belonged to the fortunate cla.s.s for whom life during the early settlement of the country had been made easy by money and political influence.
The house, a long, low, white stone building with plenty of broad verandahs, stood close to the water's edge, sheltered by a stately oak grove. It was surrounded by wide lawns and a garden, all now covered with their winter blanket.
As Monteith went up the broad, well-shovelled path, a crowd of dogs of all sizes came tearing round the house from the rear with a tumult of barking. He stooped to fondle a little terrier, and when he looked up the master of the house was coming down the steps with outstretched hands.
”By Jove, Archie!” he cried, his face s.h.i.+ning with pleasure, ”I'd almost come to the conclusion that the Fighting MacDonalds had eaten you alive! Why, we haven't seen you since October, and I've been blue-moulding for somebody to talk to. Well, I _am_ glad to see you.
Get down, you confounded brute! Come in. Come in. Why, you certainly are a stranger. And just at the right moment, too! I'm all alone.
Brian drove Eleanor and Belle to Barbay this morning. Get out, you infernal curs! Those dogs all ought to be shot!”
And so, talking loud and fast, as was his manner, the hearty Captain led the way into the house. A small room at the left of the hall, with two windows looking out upon the ice-bound lake, const.i.tuted the Captain's private den. A bright wood fire blazed in the open grate.
The host drew up a couple of arm-chairs before it.
”So you've decided to immure yourself in the backwoods for another year, I hear,” he said, when his guest was comfortably seated and supplied with a cigar. ”Come, Archie, this will never do. Two years was the limit you set when you took the school, and there's no more the matter with you than there is with me. You're actually getting fat, man!”
”Why, I do believe I am,” said the other apologetically. ”I shall probably grow corpulent and lazy, and settle down in Glenoro to a peaceful old age.”
”Not a bit of you! You look like a new man, and you ought to get back to your law books.”
Monteith drew his hand over his grey hair with a meaning smile. ”It seems rather foolish at my age, but I believe I shall; the Oro air has really made a new man of me, as you say. I believe I should have gone long ago if I hadn't been interested in a certain young person there.”
”A young person! Thunder and lightning, Archie, don't tell me you've gone and fallen in love!”
Monteith laughed. ”Upon my word I believe I have,” he a.s.serted, ”but don't look so aghast, the object of my devotion is six feet high, and is cultivating a moustache.”
”Oh, that young MacDonald chum of yours. You gave me quite a shock.”
The guest noticed that his friend's face changed at the mention of Scotty; there was a moment's rather awkward silence.
”So the ladies are away,” said Monteith at last. ”I am unfortunate.”
Captain Herbert burst into a hearty laugh. ”Why, bless my soul, you've had the escape of your life! Eleanor has it in for you, for s.h.i.+fting your responsibility and sending little Bluebell home with your young MacDonald; an uncommonly handsome young beggar he is too, with the airs of a Highland chieftain, quite the kind calculated to be dangerous, Eleanor thinks. I'm afraid she wasn't as cordial to the boy as she might have been, and probably lost me a couple of good MacDonald votes.”