Part 12 (2/2)
”Don't talk about it, boy,” cried the oldup the past, Aleck, with all itshorrors I can't talk to you and explain It was at the end of a disastrous day Our badly led eh in position--and sooat, and I was the unhappy wretch upon whom the commander-in-chief's sins were piled up They said that the beating back of ht of our little army Yes, Aleck, they piled up his sins upon my unlucky shoulders, and I was driven out into the wilderness--hounded out of society, a dishonoured, disgraced coward Aleck, boy,” he continued, with his voice growing appealing and piteous, ”I was engaged to be irl I loved as soon as the as over, and I was looking forward to happiness on my return But for me happiness was dead”
”Oh! but, uncle,” cried the boy, excitedly, catching at the old man's arm, ”the lady--surely she did not believe it of you?”
”I never saw her again, Aleck,” said the old man, slowly ”Sixnantly
”Wait, my boy No; she never believed it of me She was forced by her relatives to accept this man I have her dear letter--yellow and ti-day which never dawned for her, my boy She died two days before, full of faith innow upon his uncle's arm, and his eyes looked dim and misty
”There, my boy, I said I could not explain to you, and I have uncovered the old wound, laying it quite bare Now you knohat it is that hasyou know--bitter, soured, evil-te in love for my kind that even you, my boy, my poor dead sister's child, can't bear to live with er”
”Uncle!” panted Aleck ”I didn't know--”
”Let's see,” continued the old man, with a resumption of his foro To sea, eh?”
”Uncle,” cried Aleck, ”didn't you hear what I said?”
”Yes, quite plainly,” replied the old man, bitterly; ”I heard I don't wonder at a lad of spirit resenting my harsh, saturnine ways What a life for a lad like you! Well, you've made up your mind, and I'll be just to you, o?”
”When you drive me away, uncle,” cried the boy, passionately ”Oh, uncle, won't you listen to me--won't you believe in me? How can you thinkwhat I do?”
The old th, and stood gazing fiercely in his eyes for a few ently:
”Aleck, when I was your age my sister and I were constant co in it so like--oh, so like hers! Yes, I heard, and I believe in you I believe, too, that you will respect ht shall be held sacred I do not wish the world to know our secrets But, there, there,” he said, in a totally changed voice, ”what a day this has been for us both! You have suffered cruelly, my boy, for my sake, and I in my blindness and bitterness treated you ill”
”Oh, uncle, pray, pray say no more!” cried the boy, piteously
”I must--just this, Aleck: I have suffered too, my boy Another black shadow had coainst you as I did Aleck, boy, your uncle asks your forgiveness, and--now no ht, and we ain?”
”Yes, uncle,” cried the boy, eagerly, ”I feel as if it will be easy now
Good-night, uncle”
”Good-night, my boy,” whispered the oldwords of thankfulness to himself; but they ords the nephew did not hear
As the door closed Aleck sprang off the bed on to his feet, his knuckles shtly clenched his fists, seeing in iain
”You cowardly brute!” he ht shed by the candle, for there was a look of joyous pride in his countenance, disfigured though it was, as he said, hurriedly: ”I didn't half tell uncle that I thoroughly whipped hier--he'll be as pleased as Punch”
It was rather a distorted s, he fell fast asleep, but it was a very happy one all the saht Captain Lawrence as he stole into the roo free fro a sound
CHAPTER EIGHT
The breakfast the nextwas rather late, consequent upon Captain Lawrence and his nephew dropping off each into a deep sleep just when it was about time to rise; but it was a very pleasant ht from Aleck's mind allowed some other part of his economy to rise rampant with hints that it had missed the previous day's dinner There was a pleasant odour, too, pervading the house, suggesting that Jane had been baking bread cakes and then frying fish