Part 53 (1/2)

When Tommy was merely concerned with his own affairs he did not think much about G.o.d, but he knew that no other could console Elspeth, and his love for her usually told him the right things to say, and while he said them, he was quite carried away by his sentiments and even wept over them, but within the hour he might be leering. They were beautiful, and were repeated of course to Mrs. McLean, who told her husband of them, declaring that this boy's love for his sister made her a better woman.

”But nevertheless,” said Ivie, ”Mr. Cathro a.s.sures me--”

”He is prejudiced,” retorted Mrs. McLean warmly, prejudice being a failing which all women marvel at. ”Just listen to what the boy said to Elspeth to-day. He said to her, 'When I am away, try for a whole day to be better than you ever were before, and think of nothing else, and then when prayer-time comes you will see that you have been happy without knowing it.' Fancy his finding out that.”

”I wonder if he ever tried it himself?” said Mr. McLean.

”Ivie, think shame of yourself!”

”Well, even Cathro admits that he has a kind of cleverness, but--”

”Cleverness!” exclaimed Ailie, indignantly, ”that is not cleverness, it is holiness;” and leaving the cynic she sought Elspeth, and did her good by pointing out that a girl who had such a brother should try to save him pain. ”He is very miserable, dear,” she said, ”because you are so unhappy. If you looked brighter, think how that would help him, and it would show that you are worthy of him.” So Elspeth went home trying hard to look brighter, but made a sad mess of it.

”Think of getting letters frae me every time the post comes in!” said Tommy, and then indeed her face shone.

And then Elspeth could write to him--yes, as often as ever she liked!

This pleased her even more. It was such an exquisite thought that she could not wait, but wrote the first one before he started, and he answered it across the table. And Mrs. McLean made a letter bag, with two strings to it, and showed her how to carry it about with her in a safer place than a pocket.

Then a cheering thing occurred. Came Corp, with the astounding news that, in the Glenquharity dominie's opinion, Tommy should have got the Hugh Blackadder.

”He says he is glad he wasna judge, because he would have had to give you the prize, and he laughs like to split at the ministers for giving it to Lauchlan McLauchlan.”

Now, great was the repute of Mr. Ogilvy, and Tommy gaped incredulous.

”He had no word of that at the time,” he said.

”No likely! He says if the ministers was so doited as to think his loon did best, it wasna for him to conter them.”

”Man, Corp, you ca'me me aff my feet! How do you ken this?”

Corp had promised not to tell, and he thought he did not tell, but Tommy was too clever for him. Grizel, it appeared, had heard Mr. Ogilvy saying this strange thing to the doctor, and she burned to pa.s.s it on to Tommy, but she could not carry it to him herself, because--Why was it? Oh, yes, because she hated him. So she made a messenger of Corp, and warned him against telling who had sent him with the news.

Half enlightened, Tommy began to strut again. ”You see there's something in me for all they say,” he told Elspeth. ”Listen to this. At the bursary examinations there was some English we had to turn into Latin, and it said, 'No man ever attained supreme eminence who worked for mere lucre; such efforts must ever be bounded by base mediocrity. None shall climb high but he who climbs for love, for in truth where the heart is, there alone shall the treasure be found.' Elspeth, it came ower me in a clink how true that was, and I sat saying it to myself, though I saw Gav Dishart and Willie Simpson and the rest beginning to put it into Latin at once, as little ta'en up wi' the words as if they had been about auld Hannibal. I aye kent, Elspeth, that I could never do much at the learning, but I didna see the reason till I read that. Syne I kent that playing so real-like in the Den, and telling about my fits when it wasna me that had them but Corp, and mourning for Lewis Doig's father, and writing letters for folk so grandly, and a' my other queer ploys that ended in Cathro's calling me Sentimental Tommy, was what my heart was in, and I saw in a jiffy that if thae things were work, I should soon rise to supreme eminence.”

”But they're no,” said Elspeth, sadly.

”No,” he admitted, his face falling, ”but, Elspeth, if I was to hear some day of work I could put my heart into as if it were a game! I wouldna be laug in finding the treasure syne. Oh, the blatter I would make!”

”I doubt there's no sic work,” she answered, but he told her not to be so sure. ”I thought there wasna mysel',” he said, ”till now, but sure as death my heart was as ta'en up wi' hunting for the right word as if it had been a game, and that was how the time slipped by so quick. Yet it was paying work, for the way I did it made Mr. Ogilvy see I should have got the prize, and a' body kens there's more cleverness in him than in a cart-load o' ministers.”

”But, but there are no more Hugh Blackadders to try for, Tommy?”

”That's nothing, there maun be other work o' the same kind. Elspeth, cheer up, I tell you, I'll find a wy!”