Warlock o' Glenwarlock, George MacDonald [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

of affection, for hers was the love so sure of itself that it maketh not ashamed, she threw her two strong, shapely honest arms round his neck; he bent his head, she kissed him heartily on the mouth, and burst into tears. Surely but for that other love that lay patient and hopeless in the depth of Cosmo's heart, he would now have loved Aggie in a way to satisfy her, and to justify him in saying he loved her! And to that it might have come in time, but where is the use of saying what might have been, when all things are ever moving towards the highest and best for the individual as well as for the universe! not the less that hell may be the only path to it for somethe hell of an absolute self-loathing.

Just at that moment, who should appear on the top of a broken mound of the moorland, where she stood in the light of the setting sun, but Elsie, neatly dressed, glowing and handsome! A moment she stood, then descended, a dark scorn shadowing in her eyes, and a smile on her mouth showing the whitest of teeth.

"Mr. Warlock," she said, and took no notice of his humble companion, "my father sent me after you in a hurry as you may see," and she heaved a deep breath"to say he doesn't think the bear o' the Gowan Brae,'ill be fit for cutting this two days, an' they'll gang to the corn upo' the heuch instead. He was going to tell you himself, but ye was in such a hurry!"

"I'm muckle obleeged to ye, Miss Elsie," replied Cosmo. "It'll save me a half-mile i' the mornin'."

"An' my father says," resumed Elsie, addressing Agnes, "yer wark's no worth yer wages."

Aggie turned upon her with flashing eyes and glowing face.

"I dinna believe ye, Miss Elsie," she said. "I dinna believe yer father said ever sic a word. He kens my wark's worth my wages whatever he likes to set me til. Mair by token he wad hae tellt me himsel'! I s' jist gang straucht back an' speir."

She turned, evidently in thorough earnest, and set off at a rapid pace back towards the house. Cosmo glanced at Elsie. She had turned whitewith the whiteness of fear, not of wrath. She had not expected such action on the part of Aggie. She would be at once found out! Her father was a man terrible in his anger, and her conscience told her he would be angry indeed, angrier than she had ever seen him! She stood like a statue, her eyes fixed on the retreating form of the indignant Agnes, who reached the top of the rising ground, and was beginning to disappear, before the spell of her terror gave way. She turned with clasped hands to Cosmo, and murmured, her white lips hardly able to fashion the words,

"Mr. Warlock, for God's sake, cry her back. Dinna lat her gang to my father."

"Was the thing ye said no true?" asked Cosmo.

"Weel," faltered Elsie, searching inside for some escape from admission, "maybe he didna jist say the verra words,"

"Aggie maun gang," interrupted Cosmo. "She maunna lat it pass."

"It was a lee! It was a lee!" gasped Elsie.

Cosmo ran, and from the top of the rise called aloud,

"Aggie! Aggie! come back."

Beyond her he saw another country girl approaching, but took little heed of her. Aggie turned at his call, and came to him quickly.

"She confesses it's a lee, Aggie," he said.

"She wadna, gien she hadna seen I was gaein' straucht til her father!" returned Agnes.

"I daursay; but God only kens hoo to mak the true differ 'atween what we du o' oorsel's, an' what we're gart. We maun hae mercy, an' i' the meantime she's ashamed eneuch. At least she has the luik o' 't."

"It's ae thing to be ashamed 'cause ye hae dune wrang, an' anither to be ashamed 'cause ye're f'un' oot!"

"Ay; but there compassion comes in to fill up; an' whan ye treat a body wi' generosity, the hert wauks up to be worthy o' 't."

"Cosmo, ye ken maist aboot the guid in fowk, an' I ken maist aboot the ill," said Aggie.

Here the young woman who had been nearing them scarce observed while they talked, came up, and they turning to go back to Elsie, where she still stood motionless, followed them at her own pace behind.

"I beg yer pardon, Aggie," said Elsie, holding out her hand. "I was ill-natert, an' said the thing wasna true. My father says there isna a better gatherer i' the countryside nor yersel'." Aggie took her offered hand and said,

"Lat by-ganes be by-ganes. Be true to me an' I'll be true to you. An' I winna lee whether or no."

Here the stranger joined them. She was a young woman in the garb of a peasant, but with something about her not belonging to the peasant. To the first glance she was more like a superior servant out for a holiday, but a second glance was bewildering. She stopped with a half timid but quiet look, then dropped her eyes with a flush.

"Will you please tell me if I am on the way to Castle Warlock?" she said, with a quiver about her mouth which made her like a child trying not to smile.

Cosmo had been gazing at her: she reminded him Very strangely of Joan; but the moment he heard her voice, which was as different from that of a Scotch peasant as Tennyson's verse is from that of Burns, he gave a cry, and was on his knees before her.

"Joan!" he gasped, and seizing her hand, drew it to his lips, and held it there.

She made no sound or movement. Her colour went and came. Her head drooped. She would have fallen, but Cosmo received her, and rising with her, as one might with a child in his arms, turned, and began to walk swiftly homeward.

Aggie had a short fierce struggle with her rising heart, then turned to Elsie, and said quietly,

"Ye see we're no wantit!"

"I see," returned Elsie. "But eh! she's a puir cratur."

"No sae puir!" answered Aggie. "Wad YE dress up like a gran' leddy to gang efter yer yoong man?"

"Ay wad Ifest eneuch!" answered Elsie with scorn.

Aggie saw her mistake.

"Did ye tak notice o' her han's?" she said.

"No, I didna."

"Ye never saw sic han's! Did ye tak notice o' her feet?"

"No, I didna."

"Ye never saw sic feet! Yon's ane 'at canna gather, nor stock, nor bin', but she's bonny a' throu', an' her v'ice is a sang, an' she'll gang throu' fire an' waiter ohn blinkit for her love's sake. Yon's the lass for oor laird! The like o' you an' me sud trible heid nor hert aboot the likes o' HIM."

"Speyk for yersel', lass," said Elsie.

"I tellt ye," returned Aggie, quietly but with something like scorn, "'at gien ye wad be true to me, I wad be true to you; but gie yersel' airs, an' I say guid nicht, an' gang efter my fowk."

She turned and departed, leaving Elsie more annoyed than repentant: it may take a whole life to render a person capable of shame, not to say sorrow, for the meanest thing of many he has done.

And now, Aggie's heart lying stone-like within her as she followed Cosmo with his treasure, her brain was alive and active for his sake. Joan was herself again, Cosmo had set her down, and they were walking side by side. "What are they going to do?" thought Aggie. "Are they going straight home together? Why does she come now the old laird is gone?" Such and many other questions she kept asking herself in her carefulness over Cosmo.

They passed the turning Aggie would have taken to go home; she passed it too, following them steadily.That old Grizzie was no good! She must go home with them herself! If the reason for which she left the castle was a wise one, she must now, for the same reason, go back to it! Those two must not be there with nobody to make them feel comfortable and taken care of! They must not be left to feel awkward together! She must be a human atmosphere about them, to shield them, and make home for them! Love itself may be too lonely. It needs some reflection of its too lavish radiation. This was practically though not altogether in form what Agnes thought.

In the meantime, the first whelming joy-wave having retired, and life and thought resumed their operations, they had begun to talk.

"Where have you come from?" asked Cosmo.

"From Cairntod, the place I came from that wild winter night," answered Joan.

"But you are. . . . when were you. . . . how long. . . . have you been married?"

"MARRIED!" echoed Joan. "Cosmo, how could you!"

She looked up in his face wild and frightened.

"Well, you never wrote! and"

"It was you never wrote!"

" I did not, but my father did, and got no answer."

"I wrote again and again, and BEGGED for an answer, but none came. If it hadn't been for the way I dreamed about you, I don't know what would have become of me!"

"The devil has been at old tricks, Joan!"

"Doubtlessand I fear I have hardly to discover his agent."

"And Mr. Jermyn?" said Cosmo, with a look half shy, half fearful, as if after all some bolt must be about to fall.

"I can tell you very little about him. I have scarcely seen him since he brought me the money."

"Then he didn't. . . . ?"

"Well, what didn't he?"

"I have no right to ask."

"Ask me ANYTHING."

"Didn't he ask you to marry him?"

Joan laughed.

"I had begun to be afraid he had something of the kind in his head, when all at once I saw no more of him."

"How was that?"

"I can only guess: he may have spoken to my brother, and that was enough."

"Didn't you miss him?"

"Life WAS a little duller."

"If he HAD asked you to marry him, Joan?"

"Well?"

"Would you?"

"Cosmo!"

"You told me I might ask you anything!"

She stood, turned to the roadside, and sat down on the low earth-dyke. Her face was white.

"Joan! Joan!" cried Cosmo, darting to her side; "what is it, Joan?"

"Nothing; only a little faintness. I have walked a long way and am getting tired."

"What a brute I am!" said Cosmo, "to let you walk! I will carry you again."

"Indeed you will not!" she answered, moving a little from him.

"Do you think you could ride on a man's saddle?"

"I think so. I could well enough if I were not tired. But let me be quiet a little."

They were very near the place where Cosmo's horse must be waiting him. He ran to take him and send the groom home with a message.

To Joan it was a terrible moment. Had she, most frightful of thoughts! been acting on a holy faith that yet had no foundation? She had come to a man who asked her whether she would not have married his friend!