Part 41 (2/2)

In thus sheltering himself behind Miss Ailie, where he had never skulked before, the dominie showed how weak he thought his position, and he added, with a brazen laugh, ”Then if he does distinguish himself at the examinations I can take the credit for it, and if he comes back in disgrace I shall call you to witness that I only sent him to them at her instigation.”

”All which,” maintained McLean, as he put on his top-coat, ”means that somehow, against your better judgment, you think he may distinguish himself after all.”

”You've found me out,” answered Cathro, half relieved, half sorry. ”I had no intention of telling you so much, but as you have found me out I'll make a clean breast of it. Unless something unexpected happens to the laddie--unless he take to playing at scholars.h.i.+p as if it were a Jacobite rebellion, for instance--he shouldna have the ghost of a chance of a bursary, and if he were any other boy as ill-prepared I should be ashamed to send him up, but he is Tommy Sandys, you see, and--it is a terrible thing to say, but it's Gospel truth, it's Gospel truth--I'm trusting to the possibility of his diddling the examiners!”

It was a startling confession for a conscientious dominie, and Cathro flung out his hands as if to withdraw the words, but his visitor would have no tampering with them. ”So that sums up Tommy, so far as you know him,” he said as he bade his host good-night.

”It does,” Cathro admitted, grimly, ”but if what you wanted was a written certificate of character I should like to add this, that never did any boy sit on my forms whom I had such a pleasure in thras.h.i.+ng.”

CHAPTER x.x.x

END OF THE JACOBITE RISING

In the small hours of the following night the pulse of Thrums stopped for a moment, and then went on again, but the only watcher remained silent, and the people rose in the morning without knowing that they had lost one of their number while they slept. In the same ignorance they toiled through a long day.

It was a close October day in the end of a summer that had lingered to give the countryside nothing better than a second crop of haws. Beneath the beeches leaves lay in yellow heaps like sliced turnip, and over all the strath was a pink haze; the fields were singed brown, except where a recent ploughing gave them a mourning border. From early morn men, women and children (Tommy among them) were in the fields taking up their potatoes, half-a-dozen gatherers at first to every drill, and by noon it seemed a dozen, though the new-comers were but stout sacks, now able to stand alone. By and by heavy-laden carts were trailing into Thrums, dog-tired toilers hanging on behind, not to be dragged, but for an incentive to keep them trudging, boys and girls falling asleep on top of the load, and so neglecting to enjoy the ride which was their recompense for lifting. A growing mist mixed with the daylight, and still there were a few people out, falling over their feet with fatigue; it took silent possession, and then the shadowy forms left in the fields were motionless and would remain there until carted to garrets and kitchen corners and other winter quarters on Monday morning. There were few gad-abouts that Sat.u.r.day night. Was.h.i.+ngs were not brought in, though Mr. Dishart had preached against the unseemly sight of linen hanging on the line on the Sabbath-day. Innes, stravaiging the square and wynds in his apple-cart, jingled his weights in vain, unable to shake even moneyed children off their stools, and when at last he told his beast to go home they took with them all the stir of the town. Family exercise came on early in many houses, and as the gude wife handed her man the Bible she said entreatingly, ”A short ane.” After that one might have said that no earthly knock could bring them to their doors, yet within an hour the town was in a ferment.

When Tommy and Elspeth reached the Den the mist lay so thick that they had to feel their way through it to the _Ailie_, where they found Gavinia alone and scared. ”Was you peeping in, trying to fleg me twa three minutes syne?” she asked, eagerly, and when they shook their heads, she looked cold with fear.

”As sure as death,” she said, ”there was some living thing standing there; I couldna see it for the rime, but I heard it breathing hard.”

Tommy felt Elspeth's hand begin to tremble, and he said ”McLean!”

hastily, though he knew that McLean had not yet left the Quharity Arms.

Next moment Corp arrived with another story as unnerving.

”Has Grizel no come yet?” he asked, in a troubled voice. ”Tommy, hearken to this, a light has been burning in Double d.y.k.es and the door swinging open a' day! I saw it mysel', and so did Willum Dods.”

”Did you go close?”

”Na faags! Willum was hol'ing and I was lifting, so we hadna time in the daylight, and wha would venture near the Painted Lady's house on sic a night?”

Even Tommy felt uneasy, but when Gavinia cried, ”There's something uncanny in being out the night; tell us what was in Mr. McLean's bottle, Tommy, and syne we'll run hame,” he became Commander Sandys again, and replied, blankly, ”What bottle?”

”The ane I warned you he was to fling into the water; dinna dare tell me you hinna got it.”

”I know not what thou art speaking about,” said Tommy; ”but it's a queer thing, it's a queer thing, Gavinia”--here he fixed her with his terrifying eye--”I happen to have found a--another bottle,” and still glaring at her he explained that he had found his bottle floating on the horizon. It contained a letter to him, which he now read aloud. It was signed ”The Villain Stroke, his mark,” and announced that the writer, ”tired of this relentless persecution,” had determined to reform rather than be killed. ”Meet me at the Cuttle Well, on Sat.u.r.day, when the eight-o'clock bell is ringing,” he wrote, ”and I shall there make you an offer for my freedom.”

The crew received this communication with shouts, Gavinia's cry of ”Five s.h.i.+llings, if no ten!” expressing the general sentiment, but it would not have been like Tommy to think with them. ”You poor things,” he said, ”you just believe everything you're telled! How do I know that this is not a trick of Stroke's to bring me here when he is some other gait working mischief?”

Corp was impressed, but Gavinia said, short-sightedly, ”There's no sign o't.”

”There's ower much sign o't,” retorted Tommy. ”What's this story about Double d.y.k.es? And how do we ken that there hasna been foul work there, and this man at the bottom o't? I tell you, before the world's half an hour older, I'll find out,” and he looked significantly at Corp, who answered, quaking, ”I winna gang by mysel', no, Tommy, I winna!”

So Tommy had to accompany him, saying, valiantly, ”I'm no feared, and this rime is fine for hodding in,” to which Corp replied, as firmly, ”Neither am I, and we can aye keep touching cauld iron.” Before they were half way down the Double d.y.k.es they got a thrill, for they realized, simultaneously, that they were being followed. They stopped and gripped each other hard, but now they could hear nothing.

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