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 LIBRA FLY 
 
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 Of ILLI NOIS 
 
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 I 1 
 
 
 THE DAWSON'S OF GLENARA. 
 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 THE 
 
 DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ^V £t0ru 0f 9t*tti*U W ift. 
 
 7iV THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE & RfVlNGTON, 
 
 CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET. 
 
 1877. 
 
 {Ail rights reserved.)
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, 
 STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CRO
 
 
 
 ?23 
 
 v.l 
 
 J. M., Jr. 
 
 To you — wise, judicious, and sympathetic — I gratefully 
 dedicate the following pages. The gift is, perhaps, a 
 meagre one : it certainly fails to represent the full 
 measure of my regard y but as on one memorable occa- 
 sion two mites, sincerely given, were held to be a goodly 
 offering, so I hope that, for similar reasons, you will 
 be pleased to accept of this humble tribute.
 
 CONTENTS OF VOL. I. 
 
 -•o*- 
 
 CHAPTER ?AGE 
 
 I. A Midnight Adventure ... ... i 
 
 II. Glenara ... ... ... 18 
 
 III. The Morte Safe Society ... 32 
 
 IV. Herbert Rodger ... ... 49 
 
 V. A Favourable Impression ... 69 
 
 VI. The Dawn ... ... 83 
 
 VII. The Priory Wood ... ... 102 
 
 VIII. Unexpected Visitors ... 126 
 
 IX. The Secret Tryst ... ... 145 
 
 X. An Important Operation ... 162 
 
 XL The Misfortunes of Genius ... 180 
 
 XII. An Unwelcome Visitor ... 199 
 
 XIII. A Compromise ... ... ... 211 
 
 XIV. The " Big Spate " ... ... 233 
 
 XV. An Alarm ... ... ... 251
 
 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 
 
 The last beams of the setting sun had 
 disappeared behind the Priory Wood, the 
 anvil had ceased to ring, and the Smithy- 
 fires were getting into the dreamy stages 
 of the night in the usually quiet village 
 of Glenara, as Willie Baird, shoemaker, 
 and Robert Herbertson, nailer, crept 
 stealthily out of the workshop of the latter, 
 and held their way past the wall of the 
 Manse and the premises of the Cartwright 
 towards the river. They carried between 
 them a light of ingenious framework iron, 
 
 VOL. I. b
 
 2 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 a long lever, and several strong rods, 
 pointed with spiral screws. The night 
 was very dark, there was a strong breeze 
 blowing, and dense clouds — reddened by 
 the glare of distant furnaces — floated 
 rapidly overhead, letting fall, ever and 
 anon, a few premonitory drops of rain. 
 
 " Did he tell ye what the corp was 
 worth ? ' inquired the Nailer, as they 
 marched quietly along by the Castle wall. 
 
 " No, I didna speir that ; but I think 
 we're in decent hands. He seems to be 
 anxious fort." 
 
 For a while they trudged on in silence, 
 each busied with his own thoughts. As 
 they reached the bridge, the brown water 
 of the Ara was dashing furiously through 
 the arches, foaming and circling and seeth- 
 ing down into the distance, where its com- 
 motion and trouble were hidden by the 
 shadow of the dense woods. 
 
 " It's an eerie nicht, Willie," remarked
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 3 
 
 the Nailer; "111 be surprised if we 
 havena a splash o' rain." 
 
 " A' the better for that, Robert. Folk'll 
 hae less mind to go abroad in a nicht o' 
 this kind, an' we're no needin company. 
 I hope Daniel has man'd the whisky." 
 " When did he go ? " 
 " At ten o'clock." 
 
 " I think there's no muckle fear o' 
 Daniel ; he's a gleg chap. Is he able 
 at his trade ? " 
 
 " Uncommon ; he can last and finish a 
 pair o' boots, even to the ca'in' in o' the 
 tackets, in twal hours. He's abler nor 
 ony 'prentice ever I had, an' he has 
 saxteen months to serve yet." 
 
 " I think, Robert, we'll better gang 
 through the park," said the Nailer, laying 
 down his load at a convenient part of the 
 wall for getting over. " Hech, but that 
 aim's heavy ! Gie's a hand owre. That's 
 the thing. Noo, Robert ! "
 
 4 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 The Shoemaker jumped, and they were 
 both in the field, at the other side of which 
 the churchyard was situated. To the left 
 they could see the lights burning in the 
 parlour at Blair Farm, and as they passed 
 on they saw the manse in the shadow of 
 its pleasant surroundings of poplar, elm, 
 and chestnut trees. Under cover of the 
 woods, they crept carefully up to the 
 churchyard wall. The wind was rioting 
 amongst the neighbouring trees, and large 
 drops of rain had begun to fall. The 
 clouds were becoming heavier and more 
 sombre, and the red furnace-glare on 
 the sky was waxing brighter as the 
 night darkened. Observing great caution, 
 they climbed the wall, which at this point 
 was of moderate height and at once en- 
 sconced themselves in the heart of some 
 thick shrubbery in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood. In the centre of the enclosure 
 was situated the Parish Church — a modern
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 5 
 
 structure but a few years old, built of red 
 sandstone, a well-known product of the 
 neighbourhood. The old Church still re- 
 remained in a state of ruin, with its roof 
 of curiously-shaped stones. Near the 
 eastern corner of the churchyard were two 
 majestic monuments erected to the Earl 
 of Forfar and his son. Lowly amongst 
 the grass many an antique epitaph re- 
 corded the virtues of humbler actors whose 
 last earthly scene had long ago been 
 played out. 
 
 Around the Church, there was almost 
 perfect silence, save for the sighs of the 
 wind among the shrubs, the drip of the 
 rain on the graves, and the dull heavy 
 swing of the pendulum in the steeple, with 
 its monotonous " cluck-clack, cluck-clack." 
 As the vestry was approached, the sound 
 of human voices fell weirdly upon the ear, 
 and a dim light flickered from the window. 
 Suddenly the door opened ; a head was
 
 6 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 thrust into the darkness, but was as 
 speedily withdrawn, and the door closed 
 again with a bang. The apartment had 
 a look of warmth and comfort about it. 
 A large fire blazed in one corner ; and 
 on a heavy oaken table which stood in 
 the middle of the floor, a lamp burned 
 in the centre of various articles of a nature 
 calculated to cheer the inward man, and 
 improve the moral courage. These con- 
 sisted of oaten cakes and cheese, a bottle 
 of the real 'mountain dew' from Ben Nevis, 
 and three loaded guns. The euard W as 
 composed of the Parish Beadle, the Groom 
 from the Bird in the Hand Tavern, and 
 the village Bellman. There was a fourth 
 individual present in the person of Daniel 
 M'llree, the shoemakers apprentice. It 
 was not an unusual thing for the 
 youngsters in the village to while away 
 an hour in the watchhouse between dusk 
 and bed-time. There was generally much
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 7 
 
 talk of a character which, if not profitable, 
 at least helped to lessen the tedium of a 
 leisure hour. 
 
 " I'll tell you what it is," said the Bell- 
 man, in winding up a brief argument 
 on national characteristics with the Groom, 
 who was generally called Ballynahinch, in 
 consequence of his having been born and 
 brought up in that part of the North 
 of Ireland, " there'll pe no dress in the 
 worl' so handy as the kilt." 
 
 "It may be handy," replied Ballyna- 
 hinch, with mock solemnity, " but do you 
 know the rason why your countrymen got 
 that dress ? " 
 " No," 
 
 " Because they were too ignorant to 
 button their own breeches." 
 
 In these rude encounters, the ability to 
 turn the laugh against an opponent was 
 infinitely more effective in settling dis- 
 puted points than all the hammers of logic.
 
 8 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " I was tellin' Daniel here," said the 
 Beadle, addressing himself to Ballynahinch, 
 after the laugh had subsided, " that I didna 
 think we'd have got the whisky frae you, 
 even though ye had lost." 
 
 " But you shouldn't judge any man 
 rashly," said the person addressed. "A 
 wager's a wager, and a bottle of whisky is 
 a bottle of whisky." With this clear and 
 convincing refutation of the Beadle's in- 
 sinuation, Ballynahinch helped himself, 
 while M'llree generously encouraged the 
 others to do the same. 
 
 " I'll give you a bit of advice, young 
 man," said the last speaker, laying down 
 his empty glass ; " never wager again till 
 you're sure you'll win." 
 
 " Eh, man ! there wad be nae fun if 
 everybody did that," said the Beadle, 
 helping himself to a farl of cake and a 
 substantial whang of cheese ; " but the 
 Minister says there should be nae wagerin' 
 ava."
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 9 
 
 In the pause of the conversation the rain 
 was heard dashing loudly against the win- 
 dow, while the wind, groaning hoarsely 
 through the ventilators in the steeple over- 
 head, intensified their feeling of comfort. 
 
 " It's easy for ministers to speak," re- 
 sumed Ballynahinch. 
 
 " That's true," said the Beadle. " I have 
 sometimes thocht, if I had the Minister's 
 gown an' the Minister's steepend, I could 
 wag a head owre the pu'pit mysel'. Of 
 course, he has better legs nor me," he con- 
 tinued, remembering the infirmity in one 
 of his nether limbs, " but ability doesna lie 
 a'thegither in the legs." 
 
 " Speaking of legs," said Ballynahinch, 
 " if I got my pick between a good head 
 and a good pair of legs, I don't know but 
 what I would take the legs. The head 
 takes a man into many a hardship that the 
 legs have to take him out of; and since 
 Adam's time the head has done more harm
 
 IO THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 in the world than ever the legs have 
 done." 
 
 There was another pause, during which 
 the Irishman helped himself. 
 
 " Take up a piece of bread and cheese," 
 continued the speaker, addressing himself 
 to the Bellman ; " see how the Beadle's 
 eatin'. The Beadle's greatest weakness is 
 his belly." 
 
 " Na, my leg whiles fashes me tae," 
 retorted that functionary, with a spark of 
 quiet humour in his eye. 
 
 " What apoot the dead ootside ? ' re- 
 marked the Bellman, who, after complyii 
 with the Irishman's request, was visited by 
 a momentary sense of duty. 
 
 "We must look after the living inside 
 first," said the ready Hibernian, with a 
 vigorous wink at his Highland friend. 
 " They'll maybe not be so particular about 
 you after you have given your last cry and 
 laid down the bell."
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. I I 
 
 "Ay," said the Beadle, philosophically, 
 helping himself as he spoke to another 
 piece of bread and cheese, " I reckon a 
 leevin' body is mair to be lookit tae nor a 
 dead ane. While there's life there's hope, 
 as the Minister says." 
 
 "Tak' up yer dram," said the Shoe- 
 maker's apprentice, addressing himself to 
 the Bellman, who had been somewhat 
 sulky since his altercation with Ballyna- 
 hinch about the kilt; "it'll warm your 
 mou 
 
 " And help his courage," said the old 
 antagonist, laughing. "A Highlandman is 
 always in great spirits when he's in 
 whisky." 
 
 " Will ye no let the Heelants a-pe, pe 
 tarn !" retorted the Bellman sharply, giving 
 full rein to his pent-up wrath. "What for 
 you'll aye speak apoot the Heelants ?' 
 
 " Hoot, hoot ! dinna fecht about yer 
 nawtionalities," interrupted the Beadle,
 
 12 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 hurriedly washing over a mouthful of 
 bread and cheese. "A Heelan man's as 
 guid as an Eerishman, an' an Eerishman's 
 as guid as a Heelanman. It a' comes to 
 the ane thing i' the end. If ye dinna 
 disgrace yer country, it's no like your 
 country will disgrace you. Hech ! Daniel 
 lad, that's a bit guid bread an' cheese, an' 
 no bad drink, though it's a pity ye lost the 
 wager. It'll tak' a wee while's heelin' and 
 solein' to mak' up for't ; but then, I sup- 
 pose, Willie Baird never fets ye want for a 
 guid jorum o' meat, an' that's the main 
 thing." This actually was the main thing 
 with the Beadle. It was said that there 
 was not a bigger eater in the parish ; and 
 in his capacity as " Chamberlain o' the 
 Lord's House," as he termed his beadle- 
 ship, this weakness was well indulged. 
 There were three terms in the year which 
 ministered to the Beadle's infirmity ; these 
 were the two Sacraments and stipend time.
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 1 3 
 
 All leavings on the first two occasions were 
 considered his by undisputed right, and it 
 would have been considered a mark of 
 disrespect, both to the Kirk and the man, 
 had any Heritor, while the Beadle delivered 
 the schedule for the Minister's stipend, 
 turned him from his door without sacrificing 
 some portion of his edible goods to the 
 other's abdomenal god. In truth, nobody 
 ever grudged this worthy his "bite," as 
 these pickings were called ; for though he 
 had this weakness, it was perhaps the worst 
 he had, and on the whole he was toler- 
 ably well liked in the parish. 
 
 " Hoot, mistress," he would say, as he 
 sat in the farmer's kitchen munching his 
 cake and cheese, " you've gi'en me owre 
 muckle cheese for my cake ; what'll I dae 
 wi' that ? ' The only remedy was of course 
 to add to the part that had the short- 
 coming. " Lod, mem, it's extraordinar' ! " 
 he would presently remark, with a puzzled
 
 14 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 smile ; " ye hae spoiled the thing on the 
 ither side : my cake doesna exactly tally 
 wi' my cheese." Speaking in a general 
 way, he was a very good man for his post, 
 and filled it to the satisfaction not only 
 of the Session, but of the parishioners 
 generally. 
 
 " That's a bit nice doggie," said the 
 Beadle after a pause, addressing himself to 
 the Bellman, whose terrier, roused to con- 
 sciousness by the smell of the eatables, had 
 placed himself on the loaded muskets, and 
 watched with patient mathematical eye the 
 rise and fall of the Beadle's hand to and 
 from his mouth, doubtless with hopeful 
 expectation at every movement. " He's no 
 an ill-mannert bruit. Whare did ye get 
 him ? ' 
 
 "He was pred in Skye, and I cot him 
 for apoot two years." 
 
 " Puir mannie," continued the Beadle, as 
 the animal came forward to be caressed.
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 1 5 
 
 " Puir fallow, then. Does he kill rat- 
 tens ? " 
 
 " Och yes." 
 
 " I suppose he can tak' the water, tae ? ' 
 
 " Ay, like a dog I once had," said 
 Ballynahinch. 
 
 " Hoo was that ? Man, ye hae aye 
 something droll." 
 
 "He always took the water when there 
 was male on it, but never unless." 
 
 For a little while there was a pause in 
 the talk, during which M'llree got to his 
 feet to go home. 
 
 " Are ye for awa', then, Daniel lad ? 
 What time is't ? Eh ! me, wha wad hae 
 thocht it was sae far on ? Half-past twelve 
 o'clock already ; man, the crack has been 
 extraordinar ! What do ye say to a turn 
 roon the yaird, men, while we let Daniel 
 oot ? A body maun aye keep up the form 
 o' the thing," continued the Beadle, open- 
 ing the door. " Eh, what a bonnie nicht ;
 
 1 6 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 the wind's fairly oot o' the steeple, and the 
 wee starnies are keekin' frae the blue. 
 This way, Daniel." 
 
 " By the L — d Harry, what's that ? " 
 ejaculated the Irishman suddenly ; — 
 " Whose grave is that ? " 
 
 " Oh ! the vagabons, the unmannerly 
 cowarts ! to gang an' violate a lone 
 woman's grave. It's puir Girzy M'Intosh. 
 I buried her yesterday in a parish coffin. 
 See hoo they've smashed the lid o't ! ' 
 
 " What'll pe done ? " cried the Bellman. 
 
 " I'll rin for the Minister," suggested the 
 Beadle. 
 
 " Will you run in the face of disgrace ? ' 
 inquired Ballynahinch firmly. 
 
 " What'll pe done then ? " asked the 
 Bellman impatiently. 
 
 " Done ! Let us fire off our guns one 
 after the other, and run intil the woods 
 after the villains. We'll not catch them, to 
 be shure ; but never mind ; we can give
 
 A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. I J 
 
 them a good chase, you know, and make a 
 fair story of it for the Session. Don't you 
 see, man ? — the unchristian blackguards 
 disappear amongst some bushes in the 
 wood just as we are about to lay hands 
 on them." 
 
 " Eh, man ! what a wunnerfu' capacity 
 you Eerish hae for tellin' lees. It's no 
 bad, ava, it's no bad, ava. But rin, ye twa, 
 an' I'll come after ye as fast's I can. Ay, 
 Daniel lad, gang hame like a man, but 
 dinna tell ye were here. Min' that, noo, 
 Daniel ; keep yer thoom on that, lad, or 
 we'll be a' disgraced. I'll no grudge to 
 pay the whisky mysel'." 
 
 As Daniel closed the gate the three 
 guns were discharged in rapid succession, 
 and the excited voices of the men rang 
 wildly out on the night air as they 
 scampered across the fields in the direc- 
 tion of the Black Quarry Wood. 
 
 VOL. i. c
 
 1 8 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 GLENARA. 
 
 Glenara did not, in its principal fea- 
 tures, differ much from the ordinary type 
 of Scotch villages. It consisted mainly of 
 a long winding street, which was one of 
 the highways to London, and in which the 
 principal buildings, such as the Parish 
 Church, the Bird in the Hand Tavern, 
 the Manse, the Smithy, and a few shops 
 were situated. Some of the more pre- 
 tentious buildings were roofed with red 
 " pantiles ; ' but the majority of the houses 
 were thatched, and presented a common- 
 place enough appearance. Its situation,
 
 GLENARA. 1 9 
 
 however, and the surrounding scenery 
 distinguished it from the ordinary Scottish 
 clachan. Nor was it without interesting 
 historical associations. The Ara Bridge, 
 well-known to the student of history, was 
 once the scene of a sanguinary struggle 
 between the Covenanters and the Royal 
 troops, in which the former were routed 
 with terrible slaughter. To the south- 
 ward stands the great mailed gate, with 
 superincumbent watch-tower, forming still, 
 as it has done for several hundred years, 
 the main entrance to Glenara Castle and 
 grounds. Beyond this imposing portal a 
 long brown avenue, flanked with stately 
 beech and lime trees, leads the imagina- 
 tion into sylvan and historic mysteries. 
 On either hand the eye rests on far- 
 stretching lawns, variegated with daisy and 
 golden buttercup, on which lambs play 
 and feed, and kine browse. At the end 
 of the avenue stands the Castle, haggard,
 
 20 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ivy-clad, and time-stricken, but strong in 
 its ruins. Beneath flows the rapid Ara, 
 pure and cool. On its sloping banks 
 are to be found the first primrose in 
 spring, the first violet in summer, and 
 the last bluebell in autumn. Here the 
 blackbird and linnet select their homes, 
 without dread of disturbance, and make 
 melody in the woods all day long. Here, 
 too, comes the crow with the evening 
 shadows, to find congenial society among 
 the windy woods. The monotony of 
 the rural silence is seldom broken by 
 human voice, unless when, by the grace 
 of the noble proprietor, a happy picnic 
 party disports itself on the green lawns, 
 or rambles with lightsome foot among the 
 pleasant intricacies of the woods. Here 
 you will find the meditative student of 
 history wandering, like a melancholy 
 ghost, through the dank passages and 
 ill-lighted chambers of the ruin ; and on
 
 GLENARA. 2 1 
 
 the opposite bank of the river, at all 
 seasons, may be found an easel, a camp- 
 stool, and an artist catching the lights and 
 shades. Looking from the eminence on 
 which the Castle stands, the scene is one 
 of surpassing beauty. From the farther 
 side of the river rises a huge precipitous 
 wall of rock, on the broad summit of which 
 stands the ruins of Chapel and Priory. 
 The rock and the ruins are laced with 
 ivy and holly, from which, in summer, 
 rich clusters of honeysuckle throw them- 
 selves in pleasant relief. Halfway down 
 the rock there is a cool recess filled with 
 lichens and ferns, wearing the most delicate 
 shades of green, into which fall incessant 
 drippings of water from a spring in the 
 rock above. Here the weary pedestrian 
 delights to rest, and here he finds ample 
 reward for his toils on the dusty road. 
 Here, also, he can slake his thirst, and 
 enjoy the beauty and repose of the land-
 
 2 2 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 scape. On either hand the Ara is en- 
 vironed by thick woods, and in summer 
 is deeply shaded by the sombre imagery 
 of leaf and bough. 
 
 As we look from the primrose bank 
 beneath the Castle we obtain a sight of 
 the Miller's house and the pleasantly hum- 
 ing mill with its dusty gables. An out- 
 side stair runs up the front of the building, 
 calling at a couple of doors on its way. A 
 cart-frame is thrown carelessly against the 
 wall, supported right and left by several 
 millstones of various sizes. The lar^e 
 box-wheel grumbles like a thing going 
 round against its will, and there is a con- 
 tinual noise of falling water. Now and 
 again the white head of a miller appears 
 at the door, and vanishes again into the 
 floury mist. The Miller's house is a plain, 
 substantial cottage of red sandstone. In 
 front there is a little plot of ornamental 
 ground, and behind a large garden, well
 
 GLENARA. 23 
 
 stocked with fruit, flowers, and other plants 
 suited to please the fancy or satisfy the 
 sterner demands of necessity. 
 
 As Philip Dawson, the miller, and his 
 family have no inconsiderable parts to 
 play in this brief history, it may be as 
 well to introduce them at once to the 
 reader. Philip Dawson was a keen, shrewd 
 man; a man who ground more grain, the 
 capacity of his mill taken into considera- 
 tion, than any other miller in the West of 
 Scotland. His dam seldom ran dry, and 
 the machinery, all made under his own 
 personal superintendence, was of the finest 
 possible order. Philip, barring a slight 
 impulsiveness of temper, and perhaps an 
 overweening estimate of the accuracy 
 of his own opinions, was all that a good 
 husband and father could be. In his 
 heart, the mill came next in order after 
 his family loves. It was his pride, his 
 weakness. Indeed, the nearest way to
 
 24 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 Philip's good opinion was through the 
 mill. His wife was a kind-hearted, thrifty 
 Scotchwoman — one who was careful about 
 many things, but whose greatest care 
 was the comfort and well-bein^ of the 
 family. Her age might be fifty — perhaps 
 a year or two more. She must have been 
 possessed of many natural attractions in 
 her youth. Even at the date of our tale 
 the outline of her. face was comely, and 
 there lingered in it traces of that beauty 
 which, thirty years before, captivated the 
 Miller's heart. Their courtship and mar- 
 riage were attended by a remarkable cir- 
 cumstance, which must not be omitted here. 
 The mill was built by Philip's father. 
 At his death it fell into the hands of his 
 surviving sons, Philip and Allan, who, by 
 praiseworthy industry and close personal 
 attention, succeeded in building up a pro- 
 fitable business. But the partnership was 
 doomed to be dissolved in a peculiar
 
 GLENARA. 25 
 
 manner. They fell in love with the same 
 maiden, and soon there followed a bitter 
 quarrel between the brothers, which re- 
 sulted in Allan's imprisonment for assault. 
 Allan, rightly, was held in much regard, 
 but his declaration of love had come too 
 late to secure the prize. On his liberation 
 from prison he sailed for California, and 
 for eighteen years his fate remained un- 
 known. 
 
 Mrs. Dawson had made a good and 
 careful wife ; and though she did not 
 place quite so much reliance on the in- 
 fallibility of her husband's opinions as did 
 that gentleman himself, he was thoroughly 
 satisfied with the choice he had made. 
 
 Annie was their only surviving child. 
 She was now nineteen years of age, and 
 was possessed of more than her mother's 
 beauty, with many of the best traits 
 of her father's character. Her figure was 
 tall and slender, with graceful, tapering
 
 26 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 shoulders. There was an easy jaunti- 
 ness about her gait, which was sometimes 
 mistaken for pride. Her complexion was 
 fair. Her cheeks were full, and glowed 
 with the well-diffused radiance of health. 
 Her eyes were neither grey nor blue, but 
 partook slightly of both shades, and were 
 expressive of much tenderness and delicacy 
 of feeling. She was the youngest of three 
 children. Her elder brother had gone to 
 sea, and was drowned on his first voyage ; 
 and her sister died five years ago, and 
 was the only representative of the family 
 in their plot in the parish churchyard. 
 Trained in a simple rural fashion, Annie 
 cared little for society. She loved her 
 parents and her home, and had no desire 
 for the happiness which lay in the un- 
 certain world beyond. The woods, the 
 river, the Priory, and the Castle, were her 
 daily friends. In these she found a con- 
 stant sympathy and a ready adaptation to
 
 GLENARA. 2 J 
 
 every mood. On quiet summer afternoons 
 she was frequently to be found sitting by 
 the broken walls of the Castle, or amongst 
 the ruins of the Priory, plying an earnest 
 needle. Thus engaged, she would linger 
 till the sun set behind the woods and left 
 a witching twilight in the glen. 
 
 Annie as yet had but one bosom friend 
 beyond the small circle of her home. 
 Nelly Lee, who was her senior by about 
 six months, was a very lovable girl. She 
 was an orphan, and lived with a maiden 
 aunt in Glenara. Annie and she had been 
 educated together at the village school, but 
 being possessed of means, she completed 
 her education at a private institution in 
 London, from which she had recently re- 
 tu ned under an engagement of marriage. 
 
 True love, however, did not promise to 
 run smooth, for since her return she had 
 been seized by a serious and subtle illness 
 which threatened to nip the flower of her
 
 28 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 dearly cherished hopes in the bud. 
 During her illness Annie Dawson tended 
 her like a sister, and felt deeply anxious 
 about her recovery. On the morning 
 after the events narrated in the previous 
 chapter, she had taken up a beautiful bou- 
 quet of fresh primroses from the Priory 
 Wood, but was unable to report any im- 
 provement in the condition of her patient. 
 
 " Indeed, Miss Mackenzie thinks Dr. 
 Calder is puzzled with her case," she said, 
 as the family sat at breakfast on her 
 return. "He had one of the Glasgow 
 professors out yesterday for consultation, 
 but her aunt did not hear the result." 
 
 " It will be a kittle trouble if it 
 puzzles Dr. Calder," said the Miller. 
 " But they say it's something like what 
 poor Girzy M'Intosh died of, though, poor 
 body, she was but indifferently cared for." 
 
 " It is rumqured that the body ofjjirzy 
 M'lntosh was stolen from the church-
 
 GLENARA. 2Q. 
 
 yard last night by some of the Glasgow 
 resurrectionists," said Annie, remembering 
 what the Beadle had told Miss Mackenzie 
 that morning. 
 
 "Stolen!' said the Miller, with some 
 surprise. " And where were the watchers ? " 
 
 " It seems they followed the men into 
 the wood ; but in the darkness and con- 
 fusion they made their escape." 
 
 " Ay, another feather in the cap of that 
 absurd Morte Safe Society," remarked her 
 father ; " they will no doubt make the 
 most of it ; but it never will be better till 
 proper provision is made for the dissecting 
 room. It is the old story of trying to make 
 bricks without straw." 
 
 The subject, however, was not one to 
 be discussed over the breakfast-table, so 
 the matter was allowed to drop. 
 
 " I have just heard," said the Miller by- 
 and-by, "that Mr. Rodger has sold a part 
 of his farm."
 
 30 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 Mrs. Dawson raised her hands signifi- 
 cantly, but did not look as if the news was 
 other than might be expected. 
 
 " Oh, you must not fancy he was 
 compelled to do so," said her husband. 
 " They say he has got a fabulous price 
 for it ; besides, he has two hundred acres 
 left, which is as much, doubtless, as he will 
 care to farm." 
 
 " Ah, very likely ; but I think it was 
 well his father left Mrs. Rodger pro- 
 vided for in his will ; she need not 
 expect much from her son." 
 
 " Now, my dear, you should not be 
 carried away by every idle tale you find in 
 the air." When Philip Dawson said " my 
 dear " in addressing his wife, it generally 
 meant that she was treading upon dan- 
 gerous ground ; that in fact he had studied 
 the point at issue — while she, possessing 
 only the silly weapons of gossip and im- 
 pulse, need not hope to make any impres-
 
 GLENARA. 3 1 
 
 sion on the strong- citadel of his opinion. 
 " I dare say he may have been foolish and 
 thoughtless on occasions, like other young 
 fellows," he continued, speaking from his 
 higher ground, " but we have never seen 
 anything amiss in Rodger's conduct, and 
 we ought to judge of a man as we find 
 him." 
 
 Mrs. Dawson, though she held her own 
 views, could see that nothing was to be 
 gained by a continuance of the discus- 
 sion, so, with her customary prudence, she 
 let the matter drop ; and Philip, satisfied 
 that he was not subject to the stupid 
 prejudices engendered by a "wheen," 
 popular village "clashes," walked across 
 the yard, and turned on the water at the 
 sluice. Then followed a gurgling, splashing 
 noise, and the mill became a thing of life.
 
 2,2 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 
 
 As was to be expected, the Morte Safe 
 Society did not fail to use the incident 
 of the lifting of Girzy M'Intoshs body to 
 their own advantage. Preparations had 
 been made some days previously for the 
 annual meeting of the society, and the 
 Bellman was instructed to announce with 
 all the emphasis of the two tongues at his 
 command that the meeting was a highly 
 important one, and that it would be held 
 in the laree meeting-room of the Bird in 
 the Hand Tavern. As public meetings in 
 the village were of rare occurrence, it was
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 33 
 
 not wonderful that the attendance on the 
 occasion in question was a large one. The 
 meeting-room of the Tavern was capable 
 of accommodating about fifty individuals, 
 and, considering that no females were 
 admitted (a by-law, by the way, which was 
 not well-pleasing to certain prominent 
 members of that sex), a full room be 
 tokened no ordinary interest in the affairs 
 of the society. 
 
 "We're like to have a guid meetin'," 
 said Will Tanner, the baker, to his friend, 
 the Grocer, who sat at his elbow. 
 
 " A gran' meetin', sir, ay/' replied the 
 man of tea, stroking his chin. The Grocer 
 was a member of committee, and felt that 
 his position justified the somewhat patron- 
 izing tone in which he spoke to his neigh- 
 bour who was but an ordinary member of 
 the society. 
 
 " The society has dune loyal service to 
 the parish," continued the Grocer ; " loyal 
 
 VOL. 1. D
 
 
 34 THE DAWSON S OF GLENARA. 
 
 service, sir, by preserving" the sanctity o' 
 the dead, an' keepin'doon a noxious traffic; 
 but it's a' in the report, sir, ay." The 
 member of committee stroked his chin 
 again, and drew himself suddenly up, lest 
 he should spoil the interest of the meeting 
 by divulging important information before 
 the time. 
 
 " Ye'll no hae heard M'Whannel readin' 
 an annual report ? " resumed the Grocer, 
 after a pause. 
 
 " No. He's guid at it, I reckon." 
 
 " Extraordinar' ! He has uncommon 
 tawlents for writin' reports." 
 
 "Ay." 
 
 "In fac', he can mak' a report oot o' 
 maist naething, ava." 
 
 " Ay, ay." 
 
 " An' his power o' elocution is something 
 by ordinar. I understan' the Minister 
 thinks there's no his eekwil in the parish." 
 
 The conversation was interrupted by an
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 35 
 
 infectious hubbub in one of the corners of 
 the room, which gradually spread over the 
 audience, culminating in a difference of 
 opinion not too politely expressed. This dif- 
 ference of opinion arose out of the simple 
 fact that William Simpson, the weaver, 
 who had come in late, was beckoned by 
 Jock Wilson, the beamer, to come up to 
 his corner, and, there being no seat, the 
 Weaver began immediately to eject a dirty 
 little character named Danny Macfarlane, 
 who occupied the next place to his friend. 
 There was a considerable commotion for a 
 few minutes, but, considering that Danny 
 was not a member of the society, and 
 further, that he was not an individual come 
 to the years of discretion, the majority 
 ultimately ruled that the Weaver should 
 take the seat. Danny Macfarlane, how- 
 ever, was determined not to lose what 
 he termed the " sport," and, seeing the 
 business was about to begin, he gallantly
 
 ^6 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 o 
 
 mounted the form before him, where sat 
 Sandy M'Lean, the Miller's gardener, 
 dressed for the occasion in a well-worn 
 green swallow-tailed coat, laying hold of 
 Sandys shoulders for the purpose of raising 
 himself. 
 
 " Haud aff the tails o' ma coat," cried 
 Sandy, indignantly. " Ye hae yer dirty 
 feet richt at the pooch mouth." Danny 
 shifted from the objectionable spot, but still 
 kept hold of Sandy's shoulders to enable 
 him to effect a balance. Sandy quietly 
 gathered the tails of his coat about him and 
 endeavoured to reconcile himself to the 
 position, rather than subject himself to 
 the gaze of a public meeting through an 
 altercation with the disreputable Danny 
 Macfarlane. 
 
 " Watch ma breeks noo," said Sandy, 
 humbly appealing to the finer sympathies 
 of Danny's nature ; " min ye dinna draigle 
 them wi' yer taes."
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 37 
 
 "Ou, ay," quoth Danny, who by this time 
 had begun to beat an imaginary drum 
 vigorously over Sandy's head, to the 
 supreme delight of certain parties amongst 
 the audience. This inaudible solo was 
 continued for a considerable time without 
 Sandy M' Lean's knowledge. At last the 
 mimic drummer, having reached a note in 
 the music doubtless intended to be loud 
 and solemn, smote heavily down on the 
 head of his victim, the result of which was 
 that thirty seconds afterwards Danny 
 Macfarlane was discovered in a corner of 
 the room, fully four yards off, ingloriously 
 rubbing a part of his corporeal frame which 
 had evidently been injured by a severe fall. 
 Just then there was a stir about the door, 
 and all eyes were turned in that direction, 
 and immediately the meeting broke into 
 a shuffling and clapping noise of appro- 
 bation, while Geordie M'Whannel, and 
 Thomas Elderson, the smith, marched
 
 38 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 forward towards the platform. Silence 
 having been restored, M'Whannel rose 
 gravely and said — " Men, I propose that 
 Thomas Elderson take the chair." This 
 proposition was agreed to unanimously. 
 Of course, it was a mere matter of form, 
 for everybody knew the Smith would take 
 the chair ; and the fact is he had his 
 speech in his pocket, which, however, 
 everybody did not know. Thomas Elder- 
 son was a person rather above the ordinary 
 stature, with a broad, grim face — made 
 somewhat grimmer by a thick outline of 
 black whisker running round the under 
 half of it. A full forehead, a dark saga- 
 cious eye, and short jet black hair, were 
 features of the Smith which any ordinary 
 person, seeing him once, could not fail to 
 carry away in his memory. It was a good, 
 sensible, shrewd face. When Thomas 
 stood up at the table and poured out a 
 tumbler of water, there was dead silence.
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 39 
 
 " Men," said the Smith, in a low, solemn 
 tone of voice, "you a ken what has 
 brought you here ; I need not tell you 
 that ; but before I ask my friend 
 M'Whannel to read the annual report, 
 I intend to address to you a word on the 
 objects o' the society, as weel as on twa 
 or three other points. Some o' ye ken 
 a' aboot the concern as weel as I do ; but 
 as it is no for the benefit o' ae section of 
 -the community, and as there are men here 
 who wad like to be informed, ye maun just 
 hae patience while I go into twa or 
 three fundamental principles o' its history. 
 ("Hear, hear!" from M'Whannel.) The 
 society was started three years sin' for the 
 purpose o' makin' iron safes, so as to pre- 
 vent the unnatural resurrection o' the dead, 
 which has been so common in this parish 
 for many a year, and I am sorry to say 
 is so still. The name it bears is sig- 
 nificant o' its nature. Safe means a
 
 40 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ' coverin'/ and morte, in the original 
 tongue, means ' to die.' " 
 
 " Comes from the Latin of mors, mortis" 
 explained the Secretary, " signifying death." 
 At this point the Grocer gave the Baker 
 a sharp nudge, as much as to say, " Just 
 think o' the scholarship o' the man ! ' 
 while the Baker drew himself up to 
 attention, and ejaculated " Wonnerfu' ! " 
 
 " Ye'll get the word in the dictionar," 
 continued the Chairman. " I am the author 
 o' the invention, and M 'Whannel here is the 
 inventor o' the name." (As the Chairman 
 showed some little heat in the delivery of 
 the last sentence, Daniel M'Nee, the cart- 
 wright, cried, " No bad, Thamas — it's easy 
 gieing a thing a name.") " There is the 
 safe," resumed the Chairman, pointing to 
 a full-sized specimen which lay before him ! 
 " it speaks for itsel'. Ye see it very much 
 resembles a coffin wantin' the sides, and 
 thae four screws, twa at the bottom and twa
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 4 1 
 
 at the tap, are there for the purpose of 
 fastenin' the coffin between, and when 
 secured in this way the body is ayont a' 
 scaith frae the doctors, and out o' the 
 power o thae cursed plunderers o' the 
 grave." 
 
 (Much applause, amidst which Danny 
 Macfarlane seized Sandy M'Lean's bonnet, 
 and, waving it in the air, cried " Hurrah ! ") 
 
 " The object, then, o' the society is to 
 gie ye assurance in death — assurance as 
 far as mortal man can assure ye, that if ye 
 lie doon wi' a' yer members ye'll no rise 
 wantin' a leg or an airm — assurance that 
 if ye are buried among friends ye'll -rise 
 among kent faces. A bonny like thing for 
 a man to lay doon the hammer wi' the 
 notion that his body is to lie beside the 
 nearest and dearest, and on the ' Great 
 Mornin' ' to find that he is gathering 
 himsel' oot o' a dirty sheuch or a doctor's 
 kailyaird ! (" Grand, Thamas, grand ! ")
 
 42 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 A bonny like thing that ! It is a possible 
 thing that ye might e'en rise among a 
 covey o' doctors, but then they canna 
 expect to gang the same gate wi' you, and 
 they wadna be safe company, although 
 they did. (Great applause.) This, then, 
 is the assurance we gie ye. What is the 
 matter o' tippence a week — a drap i' the 
 bucket, or a spark frae the het aim — com- 
 pared wi' the comfort o' lyin' in a Christian 
 grave ? In a word, before I sit doon, let 
 me coonsel ye against delay. The best o' 
 ye dinna ken what a day may bring forth, 
 an' it's aye safest to err on the richt side. 
 Just let me gie ye a single instance o' what 
 I mean. Three days sin' William Simp- 
 son cam' intil the smiddy wi' a face I hope 
 I'll never see on William Simpson again ; 
 an' he says, ' Thamas, ye maun gang doon 
 an' see Mary Wilson o' the Hough, for 
 she's seemingly nigh to death and in great 
 tribulation o' body an' min'.' ' Then gang
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 43 
 
 up for the Minister,' says I ; ' for though 
 I've been an elder for the last fifteen years, 
 he kens the near-cuts better nor me, and 
 may be able to gie the pair body a lift 
 intil the narrow road.' ' Oh, but,' says 
 William, ' it's no the saul, Thamas, it's the 
 body that's gieing her the fash ! ' So I 
 saw through the thing at ance, gaed doon 
 to the Hough, made Mary Wilson a 
 member o' the society, and the result was 
 immediate peace o' min' ! Dinna lea' this 
 matter to the last minute ! there's whiles 
 owre muckle to do then ; do't noo, and 
 when that time comes ye can lea the 
 parish wi' the sure hope o' a decent resur- 
 rection. Wi' these few words, I call on 
 my frien' M'Whannel, the Secretary, to 
 read the annual report." 
 
 Thomas Elderson resumed his seat 
 amidst a perfect ovation of applause — the 
 Beamer, the Weaver, the Grocer, and 
 the Baker, simultaneously getting to their
 
 44 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 feet and waving their red pocket-hand- 
 kerchiefs, the first three in honour of the 
 Chairman's speech, and the other because 
 Geordie M'Whannel had been introduced 
 to the meeting. The feature of the 
 evening was truly M'Whannel's report. 
 To say that the society commenced three 
 years ago ; that its membership then con- 
 sisted only of half a dozen, including 
 himself and the Smith, whereas now they 
 had fifty names in their books, duly quali- 
 fied, and entitled to all the privileges of 
 the association ; that they had five safes 
 in stock, and a balance to their credit of 
 15$. lod. to meet all ordinary liabilities, is 
 but giving a sorry idea of the report. Add 
 to this vidimus grandiloquent writing, some 
 classical quotations, well-directed elocution- 
 ary gesticulation, and half a dozen double 
 verses of original poetry, by way of pero- 
 ration, and you have a tolerably moderate 
 idea of the materials of which the docu-
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 45 
 
 ment was composed. After the Secretary- 
 resumed his seat, there was a pause for 
 a few moments, and Robert Herbertson, 
 the nailer, started to his feet. 
 
 " It's no often we are treated to such 
 gran' discourse, men, as we hae this nicht 
 heard frae the twa heads o' the society ; 
 but I canna lippen fine speeches. Truth 
 disna need to be bowstered on big 
 words. I wad like they had said less and 
 tell't us mair. Will Thamas Elderson or 
 Geordie M'Whannel tell us wha pays for 
 the whisky and the cake and cheese at the 
 committee meetin's ? There was nae word 
 o' that in the report. Will the Chairman 
 answer me that question ? " 
 
 The Smith had already said all he was 
 prepared to say. He was not quite ready 
 to meet and rebut such a disagreeable 
 insinuation as that which had just been 
 made by the Nailer. He was, however, 
 about to rise in confusion and anger,
 
 46 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 when his friend M'Whannel, fearing what 
 might ensue, started to his feet and at 
 once came forward to the rescue. 
 
 " As my name has been associated with 
 yours in this matter, Mr. Chairman, per- 
 haps you will allow me a single sentence 
 in reply to the unmanly accusation just put 
 forward by the last speaker. First of all, 
 sir, I would say that Robert Herbertson 
 has no legal right to occupy a seat in this 
 room, much less to make impertinent in- 
 sinuations, because he is not, and never 
 has been, a member of this society ; and, 
 secondly, I ask you, as discriminating 
 men, to consider for a moment what object 
 the speaker could have in view in starting 
 such a discussion on the present occasion. 
 What object, I ask, but to raise doubts in 
 the minds of non-members present, so as 
 to keep them from casting in their lot with 
 us, and participating in the benefits oi~ the 
 society? I don't say, Mr. Chairman, .that
 
 THE MORTE SAFE SOCIETY. 47 
 
 Robert Herbertson is a resurrectionist, nor 
 will I say he is here as their agent ; of 
 this the meeting must judge ; but I 
 will say, that his remarks are strongly 
 calculated to give them facilities for carry- 
 ing on their wicked and nefarious traffic." 
 This retort, which was delivered with 
 considerable warmth, was received with 
 great favour by the majority of the mem- 
 bers present, some of whom showed they 
 had a tolerably accurate idea of what had 
 been said by crying, " Put the resur- 
 rectionist oot ! " 
 
 " Aboot the whisky and the cakes and 
 cheese," said the Smith, who now got up, 
 with a confused notion that he was ex- 
 pected to say something. 
 
 " The subject, I hold, is not worthy of ex- 
 planation," said M'Whannel, again coming 
 forward in the nick of time. " If I under- 
 stand the feeling of this large and respect- 
 able meeting, it is that we have already spent
 
 48 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 too much valuable time in discussing 
 the factious opposition of one who is 
 not now, and is never likely to be, a 
 member of this society. I propose, there- 
 fore, that we proceed to the election of 
 office-bearers for the ensuing year." This 
 motion was seconded by the Beamer, who 
 was itching for office, and carried by ac- 
 clamation. 
 
 " What on earth were you going to say 
 about the whisky?' inquired M'Whannel 
 of the Chairman, as the meeting was sepa- 
 rating. 
 
 "Say!' said the Smith, "I believe I'd 
 have tell't the truth and made an ass o' 
 mysel'. M'Whannel, ye hae a tongue 
 wad fit ye for a Prime Minister or a Croon 
 advocat ! "
 
 ( 49 ) 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 
 
 The situation of Blair Farm was all that 
 could be desired. It was well watered, 
 the land was level, the soil was rich, and, 
 under fair treatment, productive ; but the 
 annual result was not equal to what one 
 would reasonably expect under such favour- 
 able circumstances. Herbert Rodger, if he 
 was not a successful farmer, ought to have 
 been, for his chances and his training were 
 such as warranted this expectation. He 
 had been bred in the parish, and taught 
 under the best agricultural skill. His 
 grandfather, by great expense and labour, 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 50 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 had made the soil productive, and from it 
 his father, by constant, plodding work, had 
 extracted a moderate fortune. Herbert, 
 however, unlike his predecessors, was a 
 gentleman-farmer — a man who, born with 
 a silver spoon in his mouth, was above 
 dealing personally with the soil, or with 
 those who laboured upon it. He had a 
 Grieve, to be sure ; but, then, hired servants 
 are not always careful about your interests, 
 especially when you are yourself indif- 
 ferent to them, and squander the precious 
 outcome of their labours in the pursuits 
 of a fast and unprofitable life. Herbert 
 Rodger had attended the Arts classes in 
 Glasgow College. He had also taken 
 some sessions of Agricultural Chemistry. 
 But during these years of absence from 
 home he learned more than was taught in 
 the lecture halls, and contracted some 
 friendships that had better not been formed. 
 While running his course of education
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 5 I 
 
 and youthful riot in the city, he was dis- 
 agreeably astonished to hear that a sharer 
 of what he looked upon as his future in- 
 heritance had been unexpectedly added to 
 the family in the person of a baby brother. 
 Greatly to his relief, however, the intruder 
 as mysteriously disappeared in the tenth 
 month of his age, to — nobody knew where. 
 A heavy shadow of grief- and mystery fell 
 upon the parents on the disappearance of 
 their child ; but with this event his hopes 
 secretly brightened, and a freer rein was 
 given to his youthful folly. At .his father's 
 death he was mortified to find by the will 
 that everything except the farm was left 
 under his mother's control, and that so long 
 as she lived he should have to make his 
 own way. It was earnestly hoped that 
 by this arrangement his mind would settle 
 to the work for which he had been trained, 
 and that habits wiser than those into 
 which he had fallen might be engendered. 
 
 UBRMti
 
 52 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 On the morning of which we are writing 
 the fields were rich with the promise of a 
 golden harvest. The wheat was bursting 
 into ear, corn and beans were well for- 
 ward, and even the potato-tops were some 
 inches above the " drills." The atmo- 
 sphere was pure and invigorating, and the 
 sunshine glistened amongst the fresh 
 leaves in the hedges, and gave them 
 a purer green. Its brightness imparted a 
 sombreness to the distant woods, and 
 brought the hills, with their varied tints 
 and shadows, nearer to hand. The heat 
 was tempered by a gentle breeze that 
 came balmily up from the south, and 
 fluttered the ivy which crept round the 
 windows and darkened the walls of the 
 old house on Blair Farm. Herbert 
 Rodger sat in the small front room up- 
 stairs which he used as a library. He 
 was a good-looking, well-made, plausible 
 man. He had a dark bushy beard, a
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 53 
 
 well-formed Grecian nose, and two small 
 grey eyes. That face had perhaps seen 
 the winters of well-nigh forty years, 
 though it looked somewhat younger. 
 His brow was short and sloping, but 
 there was a scarcity of hair on the fore 
 part of the head, which gave it an appear- 
 ance of intellectuality. He pulled out his 
 watch and looked at it uneasily several 
 times, and then walked to the window and 
 gazed over the fields. In the midst of 
 his uneasiness the prospect of a good 
 harvest imparted a degree of satisfaction 
 to his mind. The strong sunshine was 
 nestling amongst the green ears, melting the 
 gems of dew that glistened there ; but his 
 heart was not in the fields nor in the sun- 
 shine. In a few moments the door opened, 
 and a little man, with sharp grey eyes, 
 entered, slapped him on the shoulder, and 
 wished him a very good morning. 
 "You've slept long, Hobbs," he said.
 
 54 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " Oh, I was deuced tired after my ride 
 on that lumbering mail coach. From 
 London to Glenara at one sitting is quite 
 enough, I can tell you." 
 
 " Well, here, take a seat, and let us have 
 a talk." 
 
 The little man sat down rubbing his 
 hands. 
 
 " I have been anxious to see you for 
 some time back about that affair con- 
 nected with the Millers daughter." 
 
 " To be sure," interrupted Hobbs, en- 
 couragingly. 
 
 " You know I am desperately in want 
 of money. I lost a thousand pounds at 
 Hamilton races ; and my old lady here," 
 pointing with his thumb over his shoulder, 
 " positively refuses to give another penny. 
 It would save me bonding the farm. I 
 have already sold a portion of it to a sheep 
 farmer in order to keep things moving. 
 Are you sure there is no mistake about the 
 will ? "
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 55 
 
 " Morally certain. Could stake my neck 
 on't. Our old College chum, Dick 
 Williamson, who is confidential clerk in 
 the London office, showed me the deed. 
 ;£ 20,000 at his death in her own right. 
 In fact, I made a note of it," continued the 
 little man, producing a memorandum from 
 his pocket. " ,£20,000, sir, no doubt of it, 
 and without a single condition. Would 
 yield a glorious income in South Sea stock 
 or North American mines." 
 
 It will not forestall too much of the 
 interest of this history to say that Hobbs 
 was, and had long been, the evil genius of 
 Herbert Rodger. The acquaintanceship 
 had been formed in Glasgow. Hobbs was 
 also a University man, but had broken 
 down in his course previous to the date 
 on which Herbert entered upon his. He 
 was, however, the chief spirit in one of the 
 low tavern debating societies, so common 
 in the University city of that day. Here
 
 56 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 it was, during the long winter evenings 
 of social excess and riot, that Herbert 
 acquired Hobbs's friendship. Hobbs at 
 one time held a post in the office of an 
 accountant in Glasgow, but having been 
 dismissed for unsteady habits, he became 
 the shining centre of a coterie of youths 
 attending College, on whose bounty he 
 lived, and in return for whose liberality 
 he delivered brilliant tavern harangues, 
 instituted and took part in debates, and in- 
 itiated his pupils generally into the mys- 
 teries of his own vicious life. Herbert 
 Rodger was greatly charmed by the versa- 
 tility of his powers. His speech was ready 
 and pointed ; his intelligence and learning 
 were considerably beyond those pos- 
 sessed by his compeers. In particular, he 
 was ever ready with advice when they 
 got into a difficulty, and would not stick 
 at the carrying out of any plan whereby 
 he could do his disciples a service, and
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 57 
 
 earn a little money, of which he was so 
 frequently in need. Circumstances having 
 compelled him to leave Glasgow, he next 
 turned up in London as a commission 
 agent. Here, with brief intervals — 
 during which he acquired a practical 
 knowledge of the internal arrangements 
 of several metropolitan prisons — he carried 
 on his vocation, keeping up the while a 
 secret connection with Rodger, in whose 
 sporting and other interests he was fre- 
 quently engaged. 
 
 " I tell you, sir, go in for her strongly. 
 She is not a hag, I suppose ; but even in 
 a matter of this kind ,£20,000 is a wonder- 
 ful cosmetic." 
 
 After a pause : 
 
 " I fear I cannot do it, Hobbs — plainly 
 and honestly, it would be too bad." 
 
 " Bah ! don't speak like that. You will 
 get to like her by-and-by, and then it will 
 come all right."
 
 58 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 Herbert remained thoughtful for a few 
 moments, then, walking across the room, 
 he took a note-book from a side-table, and 
 consulted it. 
 
 " I have ^500 staked on Commodore at 
 the Elmshire races, which I am sure to 
 win; but then I have a bill for ^1000 to 
 meet, and what if I should lose ? In 
 three months the crops will be housed, 
 but though things seem to look well 
 enough, my Grieve tells me they will be 
 light, and the grain market is falling. 
 The fact is, Hobbs, I am getting embar- 
 rassed ! ' 
 
 " A splendid subject, then, you are for 
 ;£ 20,000. Ha! ha ! I say, you must 
 really take my advice, and go in for the 
 Miller's daughter. Is she oldish ? ' 
 
 " No ; a mere girl, and beautiful as an 
 angel of light." 
 
 " Capital ! then it need not be altogether 
 a heartless job. You have all the elements
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 59 
 
 of success — a good figure and a pleasing 
 tongue." 
 
 Herbert shook his head. 
 
 " I fear it will take more than that in 
 this parish. They don't like horse-racing, 
 and they consider gambling one of the 
 unpardonable sins. The fact is, no man's 
 ways are tolerable here unless he goes 
 to church twice of a Sunday, and can reel 
 off the Confession of Faith and Shorter 
 Catechism like a machine." 
 
 " Good ! ' said Hobbs, merrily. " I 
 believe you're pretty near the truth there ; 
 but girls like rakes — you know that." 
 
 " Yes ; but her parents, and public 
 opinion " 
 
 " Well, to be sure, these points must be 
 looked at. Why not become a saint for 
 the nonce ? Why not reform your life for 
 six months — or — a year ? Give over all 
 your little wicked transactions to me ; I 
 can do them in my own name, if necessary,
 
 60 THE DAWS0NS OF GLENARA. 
 
 to keep your precious finger out of the 
 impious pie. You know I am too old a 
 sinner to be injured by the additional 
 burden ; besides, I am sincerely anxious 
 to see you out of your present financial 
 difficulties." 
 
 " Well, we'll talk the matter over further 
 after breakfast. You don't mind meeting 
 the old woman, do you ? " 
 
 " Not in the least ! " 
 
 " Very well ; of course, you are a London 
 merchant." 
 
 " Ah ! Hem ! " said Hobbs, putting his 
 hand on his heart and bowing with mock 
 pomposity as he followed Herbert out of 
 the apartment. 
 
 Breakfast was set in the parlour, and 
 Mrs. Rodger presided at the table. She 
 was a quiet, motherly-looking person ; but 
 from the deep-drawn lines about her face 
 one could see that the ploughshare of 
 time had not dealt too lightly with her.
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 6 I 
 
 " I should suppose you have a very 
 quiet, pleasant kind of a life of it here," 
 said Hobbs after breakfast. " There is a 
 freshness and a charm about country life 
 all the year round." 
 
 " Times are very much changed," she 
 said, with a sigh. "When the old man 
 was here we had many happy days, but 
 Herbert has so many aims in the fire, 
 and is so often away from home, that it 
 is dreary enough sometimes. I often wish 
 he would settle down to the farm ; I'm 
 sure it's not for want of training : he was 
 bred to it by one who knew the value of 
 every foot of soil. There was no man in 
 the country like his father for that. He 
 knew the capacity of the, land, just as you 
 know the capacity of one of your clerks. 
 He could tell what would suit this sort of 
 land and what would suit that — potatoes 
 one year, barley next, oats next, and so 
 on, just as the ground would bear it; but
 
 62 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 he was never the same man after we lost 
 our little boy. Ay, it's an old story now," 
 said Mrs. Rodger reflectively, in answer to 
 an inquiry by Hobbs — " twenty-five years 
 sin'. He was lifted from the very door, 
 and we never heard of him again. My 
 poor man never got over it. For long he 
 went about as if there was something 
 which he had forgotten to do. Of course, 
 there were other griefs too," she con- 
 tinued, running off into another line of 
 reflection, " which altered his plans and 
 damped his hopes, and made him lose 
 heart in the farm " 
 
 " Tuts ! " interrupted Herbert. " Mr. 
 Hobbs has no wish to have a full, true, 
 and particular account of the governor's 
 history." 
 
 " Ah, you are mistaken," said Hobbs, 
 politely ; " I am indeed interested in the 
 story. He seems to have been a most 
 exemplary person. Nay, Mrs. Rodger, 1
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 63 
 
 should say he must have been a pious 
 
 man." 
 
 " No, not pious, sir, in the sense 
 understood in the parish ; but he was a 
 good man. To be sure, he had seats in 
 the church, and paid his teinds as regu- 
 larly as the time came round, and went 
 to hear a sermon now and again for that 
 matter, but he would never insist on any 
 set religious observance. His Sunday 
 service was often a walk round the fields, 
 or a quiet seat indoors on warm weather 
 to read. He kept his conscience aye right 
 with his Maker, sir, and his fellow-men. 
 He was kind to the poor, owed no man 
 anything, sold his crops fairly, and made 
 his purchases with ready money, on the 
 best terms ; for a really good man there 
 wasna many could equal him in the 
 country-side." 
 
 Poor Mrs. Rodger had the unhappy 
 knack of talking herself out of breath.
 
 64 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 Her physique was of the stoutish order, 
 with a strong asthmatic tendency ; and 
 as to years, she must have been consider- 
 ably over sixty. While Mrs. Rodger 
 paused to take breath, a messenger came 
 hurriedly to the door. 
 
 "Yer grey meer has fa'en on the Mill 
 Brae an' broken 'ts leg ! " 
 
 Herbert started to his feet with an 
 
 oath. 
 
 " The best draught horse in my whole 
 
 stable," he said to Hobbs, by way of 
 
 explanation. "Cost ^50 last autumn. 
 
 Where did you say she fell ? ' 
 
 " Jist at the rising on the Mill Brae, on 
 yon ugly stanes. Thomas Elderson, the 
 farrier, was sent for, an' he says the meer'll 
 need to be shot." 
 
 " D — the fellow ! — he was ordered to 
 take a load of grain to the mill this 
 morning, and that's the upshot of it. 
 Where's the Grieve ? '
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 65 
 
 " He's awa' to Bellshill on some private 
 business." 
 
 " Private business, you fool ! ' cried 
 Herbert, flaring into a passion, " and on 
 his master's time. Why, the place is 
 
 going to the d 1." The messenger 
 
 having withdrawn, Hobbs drew his friend 
 aside and whispered something into his 
 ear. 
 
 " But how could I help it? " he reasoned, 
 as they hurried along the road to the 
 scene of the accident. "It would ruffle 
 the temper of a saint ; the stoical indif- 
 ference of these wretches puts me out of 
 all patience." 
 
 " But you must be politic ; your new 
 role will not allow you to rage like a 
 jockey and swear like a moss-trooper." 
 
 Ere they reached the Mill Brae, Rodger 
 had time to regain some degree of equani- 
 mity. There was a large crowd collected. 
 By the assistance of some of the onlookers 
 
 VOL. I. !•'
 
 66 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 the cart had been removed, and was tilted 
 up with its shafts in the air and its 
 back against the hedge. In the middle of 
 the brae was the horse, a most miserable 
 picture, with its leg doubled beneath it. 
 The usually dull eyes were agitated with 
 unutterable suffering. All faces were 
 turned on the poor dumb brute with a 
 silent pity. 
 
 " I am very sorry at this misfortune," 
 said the Miller, going a few steps to meet 
 Herbert, as he approached. 
 
 " Well, it's a pity, certainly ; but I sup- 
 pose it cannot be helped. How was she 
 so footless ? ' he asked, turning to the 
 carter. 
 
 " Weel, sir, ye see we couldna help it, 
 neither o' us. We were comin' easy up 
 the brae ; I stood in the cart an' held the 
 reins, this way, when coup she geid owre 
 a stane, an' I whummul't owre her head, 
 an' I can hardly tell yet whether my neck's
 
 HERBERT RODGER. 6 J 
 
 broken or no. The biggest man in Glen- 
 ara couldna haud again' a beast like her." 
 
 " The lad's richt, sir," said the Grocer, 
 coming forward timidly. " I was standin' 
 i' the shop door when it happened, an' I 
 can certifee that every word he has said is 
 true, sir, ay." The man of tea stroked his 
 chin, and felt satisfied that he had borne 
 valuable testimony in an important cause. 
 
 " What do you say, Elderson ? " inquired 
 Herbert, addressing the Smith ; " is there 
 any hope ? " 
 
 " No, sir, nane ; in my opinion, the case 
 is hopeless. It's what is ca'd a compound 
 fractur', an' canna be men't. I wad recom- 
 mend to put the puir bruit oot o' pain at 
 ance." Herbert approached and clapped 
 the sufferer on the neck. As he did so, 
 the creature turned and gave him a look 
 which filled the eyes of the onlookers with 
 tears. It was at once a look of gratitude 
 and an inarticulate prayer for relief from
 
 68 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 an incomprehensible agony. After a few 
 minutes' consultation with the Miller and 
 the Smith, he agreed to the course 
 proposed, and left instructions that the 
 recommendation of the Smith should be 
 immediately carried out. 
 
 " Yon was the Miller," said Herbert. 
 
 " And the pretty creature at the 
 window ? " 
 
 " His daughter." 
 
 "Well, my friend, I believe that is the 
 most profitable fifty pounds ever you spent. 
 The fact is, you did the business with 
 admirable tact, and my belief is that you 
 have gained a point." 
 
 Just then a sharp report was heard ; 
 the intense agony which a minute before 
 agitated the dull eyes of the poor creature 
 they had left behind was over, and the 
 powerful muscular system was unstrung.
 
 ( 69 ) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION. 
 
 The Village Fair and the Annual Flower 
 Show fell this year to be celebrated on the 
 same day, and on the occasion there was a 
 special mark in the village calendar. It 
 was one of the few days of the year which 
 was observed in Glenara as a holiday, in 
 the modern acceptation of the word — a 
 week-day on which the Sunday clothing 
 was brought to light, brushed, put on — and 
 actually worn. The Smith extinguished 
 his fire the night before, and, with a stern 
 admonition to his 'prentices to "watch their 
 han' an' no get fou," locked up the shop
 
 70 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 for twenty-four hours. His friend, the 
 Cartwright, though busy with some heavy 
 carts for the Duke's farm, which compelled 
 his staff to work till near midnight, said, as 
 he gave the last touch to the job on which 
 he was engaged — " There, lads, ye'll get 
 ease the morn." 
 
 The custom of release from work on 
 such occasions was acknowledged on the 
 principle of use and wont. The day was 
 looked forward to with eagerness, especi- 
 ally by the younger people, as having 
 bound up in it all possibilities of great 
 and unknown happiness. 
 
 There never had been better weather 
 for the Fair — everybody confessed that. 
 The sunshine was warm and genial, but 
 happily the wind that blew from the east 
 gave warrant that the geniality of the 
 morning would not grow into oppressive 
 heat. On such a day nobody dreamed of 
 umbrellas, excepting of course, the few old
 
 A FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION. 7 1 
 
 people who, like Paul Pry, never ventured 
 out of doors without one. The intense 
 blue of the sky was chequered only by a 
 beautiful vision of light, fibrous clouds, 
 which weather-prophets knew very well 
 foreshadowed a splendid day. There was 
 a wonderful searching that morning in 
 drawers, presses, chests, bandboxes, and 
 other musty hiding places, in order that the 
 various nicnacs best suited to the personal 
 appearance and the day might be brought 
 forth and displayed to an admiring world. 
 
 Since early dawn itinerant merchants, 
 from the proprietor of the nut barrow to 
 the master of the more pretentious caravan 
 with its promiscuous stock of hardware, 
 had been crowding into the village and 
 taking up their places. Here was a booth 
 entitled " The Temple of the Drama," 
 where five-act tragedies were played every 
 half-hour. There were also a couple of 
 wonderful acrobats ; a juggler with a full
 
 72 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 complement of balls, knives, and zinc 
 plates ; a wizard professing to hail from 
 the " North ; " and a great many other 
 contributors to the merriment of a country 
 fair, not calling for special mention here. 
 It was a royal hour when the Strathavon 
 band marched in military fashion through 
 the street with its shrill fifes, its loud drum, 
 and its banners streaming gallantly on the 
 pleasant wind. 
 
 On its arrival, the gates of the Flower 
 Show were thrown open for the select 
 morning exhibition, and now all were 
 aware that the Fair had formally begun. 
 
 The Show, which was under the special 
 patronage of the Duke and Duchess of 
 Avon, was a great success. It was agreed 
 that there never had been such a display 
 of pinks and roses. The cut flowers were 
 beautiful, and the stove and greenhouse 
 plants were pronounced by the judges to 
 be infinitely in advance of those of any
 
 A FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION. J$ 
 
 previous year. The contributions from the 
 Ducal garden consisted of calceolarias, 
 fuchsias, achimenes, gloxinias, phloxes, 
 half-a-dozen pots of fern, three bunches of 
 black grapes, one large melon, two cucum- 
 bers, with a large case of rare mixed fruits, 
 and other equally important exhibits which 
 need not be particularized. The vegetable 
 department, in which her Grace took so 
 deep an interest, contained several items 
 thought to be worthy of note. It may 
 suffice to say that amongst these there 
 were a couple of wonderful cauliflowers, 
 two cabbages, six enormous turnips, three 
 lettuces, twelve potatoes, and a dish of 
 early peas. Indeed, from the generally 
 excellent character of the specimens sent 
 for competition, the adjudicators had no 
 easy task to perform, but although there 
 was some grumbling about the result, the 
 world on the whole was not seriously put 
 out of its way.
 
 74 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " What a wonderfully plain dress the 
 Duchess has on to-day!' said Mrs. Daw- 
 son, as the patrons passed round the 
 vegetable table. 
 
 " And how suitable ! " the daughter sug- 
 gested. " She shows such taste in colour ; 
 that red rose answers her complexion so 
 nicely." 
 
 " These people can teach some of us a 
 lesson worth learning," retorted Philip, 
 giving the conversation a practical turn. 
 " The human figure always looks best 
 when adorned the least. See, here is 
 Hugh Giffords collection of rhododen- 
 drons," continued the Miller. " There is 
 nothing like them for beauty in the parish. 
 I remember when Hu^h brought that 
 from Sussex. It arrived on the very 
 night Annie was born, and seemed little 
 more than a bit of withered root." 
 
 "And see what fine flowers they are 
 now!" said the mother, referring to the 
 human as well as to the other flower.
 
 A FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION. 75 
 
 " But it is so beautiful," replied Annie, 
 blushing. 
 
 " And you ; well, I'm not going to 
 
 praise you," Philip said, interrupting him- 
 self; " but you have no right to complain." 
 
 The grounds were now crowded by the 
 dlite of the neighbourhood ; fashion and 
 beauty moved about in the sunshine from 
 flower to flower, like summer bees. The 
 Strathavon band contributed greatly to the 
 enjoyment of the day by lively selections 
 from the best popular music ; and there 
 was much love-making, friendly inter- 
 course, and general enjoyment. 
 
 As the Miller and his daughter turned 
 away from amongst the rhododendrons, 
 they met Mr. Rodger and his friend 
 Hobbs — a circumstance not specially 
 striking, seeing that the Miller's move- 
 ments had been closely watched. Herbert 
 was dressed in a smart suit of light 
 tweed, which, in addition to renewing-
 
 j6 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 his youth, helped to improve his personal 
 appearance. For a moment he seemed 
 slightly embarrassed by the suddenness of 
 the meeting, but, soon recovering himself, 
 he expressed a hope that the ladies were 
 enjoying the Show. 
 
 " They seem to be," replied the Miller, 
 affably. " Have you seen the Duke ? ' 
 
 "Yes," said Herbert; " he shook hands 
 with me in the tent, and inquired about 
 the crops ; he takes a great interest in 
 agricultural affairs. Have you examined 
 those rhododendrons ? " 
 
 " I was just drawing the attention of my 
 wife and daughter to them," said Philip ; 
 " I think they are well entitled to the 
 award made to them." 
 
 " Ah, indeed ! " said Hobbs ; " we were 
 very much pleased with the beauty of the 
 flower. Are they natives ? ' Philip again 
 went over the history of the plant. 
 
 " I suppose you have not yet seen the
 
 A FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION. 77 
 
 cut flower department ? ' Herbert inquired, 
 addressing himself to Mrs. Dawson. 
 
 " Not yet, sir," she said, with some 
 reserve. 
 
 "Oh! they are exquisite this year, a 
 very decided advance on anything of the 
 kind they have ever yet had." Hobbs 
 engaged the attention of the Miller by 
 his ready and intelligent conversation, and 
 Herbert became the leader of the party. 
 
 Prepossessions are difficult to overcome. 
 Personally, Mrs. Dawson knew almost 
 nothing of the young laird of Blair Farm, 
 though, with that rapidity of conclusion so 
 characteristic of her sex, she had already 
 set him down as a person whom no mother 
 could venture to look favourably upon or 
 admire. It was therefore with some 
 reserve that she allowed herself and her 
 daughter to be led through the floral 
 labyrinth by the man whom she had 
 thus prejudged. Herbert knew the diffi-
 
 78 THE DAWS0XS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 culties of his position : he felt that there 
 was a critical eye upon him ; but he had 
 made up his mind to the task, and was 
 determined to succeed. 
 
 " I suppose you are fond of flowers ? ' 
 he said, by-and-by, addressing himself to 
 Annie, who had been observing his words 
 and actions with keen scrutiny. 
 
 " I am very fond of flowers," she replied 
 with caution. 
 
 " Have you any favourites ? ' 
 
 " I am fond of all flowers," said she. 
 " If I make any distinction, it is perhaps 
 in favour of the primrose. It is such a 
 lovable little thing, is it not ? ' 
 
 " I confess I have a weakness for the 
 primrose myself," said Herbert. " I can 
 hardly tell why — it may be because it is, 
 like the snowdrop, a kind of prophetic 
 flower, telling of the approach of summer. 
 You know we always like the prophet that 
 brings us good news," he continued, look-
 
 A FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION. 79 
 
 ing earnestly into Annie's face. " Isn't it 
 so, Mrs. Dawson ? " A smile was the only 
 response. 
 
 " Where is your father, my dear ? " 
 inquired the Miller's wife, looking behind. 
 " How easily one gets lost in a crowd ! " 
 
 " He is following. He and Mr. Hobbs 
 are examining that pot of musk with the 
 large flower. This is the department I 
 spoke of : aren't the bouquets beautiful ? ' 
 A careful examination of the specimens 
 exhibited ensued, during which Herbert 
 displayed much taste in discoursing on 
 the agreement and contrast of colour. 
 " Don't you like the deep rich hue of 
 that pansy, Mrs. Dawson ? " 
 
 " It is very pretty, indeed," replied she, 
 somewhat interested. "Your pansies are 
 nothing to be compared to that, Annie." 
 
 " I only wish they were," Annie said. 
 " Perhaps we could get a cutting, if we 
 knew to whom they belong."
 
 80 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " I shall be delighted if you will accept 
 the root," Herbert said, pleasantly. " I 
 believe these were contributed from the 
 garden at Blair Farm." 
 
 Annie, somewhat confused, begged his 
 pardon. " I did not know they belonged 
 to you, Mr. Rodger, but we really must 
 not deprive you of such a lovely plant." 
 
 " I have others equally good," replied 
 he, " and it will give me pleasure if you 
 will accept it." 
 
 The band in the immediate neighbour- 
 hood now struck up "Caller Herrin'," and 
 the din of the instruments drowned all 
 further conversation. They afterwards 
 visited the fruit, fern, and vegetable de- 
 partments, with which they were much 
 Gratified. Before the termination of the 
 select morning exhibition, a small party 
 of ladies and gentlemen, previously in- 
 vited, sat down to luncheon with the 
 Duke and Duchess of Avon, in the grand
 
 A FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION. 8 1 
 
 refreshment saloon. The Duke, in a short 
 speech, complimented the committee on 
 the great success of their exhibition. He 
 considered the exhibitors could not be too 
 highly praised for their industry and zeal. 
 He urged them to aspire after still greater 
 excellence, and concluded by handing the 
 committee a cheque for ^20 towards 
 strengthening the funds of the society. 
 George M'Whannel next spoke. He 
 proposed the health of the Duke of Avon, 
 and in the course of his speech, read an 
 original poem, written by himself, giving 
 the history of the House of Avon from 
 the reign of Edward III. 
 
 The most effective hit, however, in 
 the way of speech -making, was that of 
 Herbert Rodger, who, on the spur of 
 the moment, when observing a hitch in 
 the arrangements, got to his feet and 
 proposed the health of the Duchess and 
 the ladies. This speech was so well 
 
 vol. 1. G
 
 82 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 timed and so well put, that the Duke, 
 in responding to it, paid him a high com- 
 pliment. 
 
 " What did you think of Mr. Rodger ? ' 
 inquired the Miller of his wife, on the way 
 
 home. 
 
 " He seems to be an agreeable enough 
 person," the mother said cautiously. 
 
 " Not the horse jockey you believed him 
 to be, eh ? Oh, you women are so easily 
 led astray. If I had formed my judgment 
 of people from hearsay, I should have 
 found precious few worthy of my friend- 
 ship at the present time." 
 
 " He is very fond of flowers," said 
 Annie, who had been listening attentively. 
 " And what a nice speech he made about 
 the Duchess and the ladies ! I think the 
 Duke was very much pleased with him."
 
 ( 8 3 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE DAWN. 
 
 The morning was clear and warm, the 
 strong June sunshine had withered the 
 primrose in the Priory Wood and on the 
 bank beneath the Castle ; but the woods 
 had grown denser, and summer had taken 
 undisputed possession of the land. The 
 village gardens were in their prime of 
 flower, and the fruits were well forward 
 on bush and tree. The river murmured 
 on through the rich landscape, much 
 reduced by the continued heat, but suffi- 
 ciently deep and strong to drive the Mill 
 and to discharge the other duties incum-
 
 84 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 bent upon it as a providential power. The 
 warm light lay mellow on the floor of the 
 Millers parlour. Annie and her mother 
 had been engaged all morning in making 
 some pinafores for Mrs. Wilson's children, 
 in order that they might be able to go to 
 the Sunday school treat, which was shortly 
 to take place in the park adjoining the 
 Manse. For the last week a good deal 
 of the family conversation had turned on 
 the incidental meeting with Mr. Rodger 
 at the Flower Show. Additional interest 
 had been imparted to the circumstance by 
 a visit which Rodger and his friend 
 Hobbs made to the Mill a few days 
 after. Herbert came to pay an account, 
 but he was anxious that his friend, who 
 was much interested in machinery, should 
 see the admirable mechanical arrangements 
 of the Mill, which he understood had all 
 been planned by Mr. Dawson himself. 
 The Miller was much pleased with their
 
 THE DAWN. 85 
 
 attention. He showed them over the 
 various departments, and felt greatly grati- 
 fied by the very intelligent interest which 
 they seemed to take in the numerous 
 mechanical contrivances which were shown 
 to them. 
 
 " I have a plan," said the Miller to 
 Hobbs, " which I should like you to see, 
 though it is only yet on paper, by which 
 it will be possible, in the busy season, 
 to do double work by the same motive 
 power." 
 
 Hobbs expressed a strong desire to 
 understand the process. 
 
 " Very simple, sir ; but I shall be de- 
 lighted if Mr. Rodger and you will step 
 over this afternoon, when we can go into 
 the whole matter after a cup of tea. I 
 have never seen the idea worked out any- 
 where." 
 
 Hobbs consulted his diary. He be- 
 lieved he had arranged with Mr. Rodger
 
 86 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 to ride into Glasgow ; but if his friend 
 wouldn't mind postponing this journey, he 
 should very much prefer seeing Mr. 
 Dawson's scheme for economizing power. 
 
 Herbert gave a ready assent. 
 
 " Then we shall avail ourselves of the 
 opportunity of seeing your plans," said 
 Hobbs. 
 
 And the Miller turned in to his work, as 
 they departed, feeling that his hands were 
 strengthened by this intelligent sympathy. 
 
 " I am just thinking how happy the 
 children will be," Annie said, as she sewed 
 a tape on the back of the last pinafore. 
 " The little creatures so seldom get any- 
 thing new that there will be no limit to 
 their joy." 
 
 " It is a good thing that their mother 
 is getting round," replied Mrs. Dawson. 
 " If it be so willed that she is spared to 
 them, they will be of use to her yet. I 
 suppose her eldest boy is getting on well ?'
 
 THE DAWN. Sy 
 
 " I believe the Doctor has taken a fancy 
 to him, and Mrs. Wilson says he has 
 raised Johnny's wages twice since he went 
 to the shop." 
 
 " There ! ' said Annie, with a tone of 
 self-commendation, as the last stitch was 
 fastened, "we've done a good morning's 
 work, mother. It is not quite twelve 
 o'clock. I'll just run over and give them 
 a pleasant surprise, and see how the things 
 fit before I leave. I would like also to call 
 for a few minutes and see Nelly on my 
 way back ; she wearies so much when I 
 don't call." 
 
 " But you must remember the engage- 
 ment, my dear, which your father has 
 made for us this afternoon. You know 
 how thoughtless he is in asking people to 
 the house ; he never dreams of the trouble 
 it gives us. You had better bring some 
 things with you from the village, but mind 
 that you are back in time, for we don't
 
 88 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 know how soon the gentlemen may be 
 
 here." 
 
 Mrs. Wilson and the children were de- 
 lighted with the new peenies. 
 
 " I'm no rich in this worl's gear," said 
 the poor woman, as Annie was about to 
 leave, " but the Lord has ways o' lookin' 
 efter His ain. Ye hae been kin' to me 
 and mine, Miss Dawson, but it is written 
 that the cup o' cold water's no forgotten." 
 
 Annie felt happy as she left the widow's 
 house — happy because of the pleasure she 
 had been the means of bringing to that 
 humble household. In her pure and 
 simple heart there was a strong feeling 
 of gratitude that Providence had cast her 
 lot amidst so much natural beauty and so 
 many personal comforts. As she passed 
 up the lane her eye was pleased with the 
 various objects of tree, flower, and sky 
 upon which it rested. The hedges were 
 white with hawthorn-blossom, the perfume
 
 THE DAWN. 89 
 
 of which pervaded the warm air. Birds 
 darted in and out of the thick foliaee of 
 the trees, and chirupped and sang in happy 
 chorus. The world seemed to her invested 
 with a quiet beauty, but it was a beauty 
 which could only be seen by the single eye 
 and enjoyed by the guileless heart. Little 
 did she guess how soon the charms of 
 these lovely scenes were to be blurred by 
 the stormy life on the margin of which she 
 now stood. 
 
 Nelly Lee was delighted to see her. 
 Miss Mackenzie had removed her niece's 
 bed to the front parlour window, which was 
 more cheerful than her own bed-room, a«d 
 Nelly had watched all morning for her 
 friend's coming". 
 
 ' " I was just telling her that she was 
 looking a heap better," said Miss Mac- 
 kenzie. " What think ye, Miss Dawson ? " 
 
 " I do think she is mending," Annie 
 replied ; " she is more lively to-day. What 
 does the Doctor say ? "
 
 90 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " Toot ! thae doctors maun aye be sayin' 
 something. He's talking about an opera- 
 tion o' some kind ; he says it's a mere trifle. 
 I think the man kens better what he's 
 daeing noo. Talking o' operations," con- 
 tinued the spinster, " I believe that lad o' 
 her's in London is as much needin' an 
 operation as hersel'. I declare, Miss 
 Dawson, I never kent the like o't. Twa 
 letters in ae mornin' — just think o' that. 
 I hae a mind to write his landlady and 
 advise her to put him through the cauld 
 water cure. Ye may laugh, but I believe 
 it wad help him. In a' my experience 
 I never met twa young folk sae daft aboot 
 ane anither." 
 
 Miss Mackenzie was a good hand for 
 the sick-room. She had some humour, 
 with a rough and ready sympathy, and 
 these qualities did not suffer from lack 
 of exercise. The operation, however, to 
 which she referred was a matter of much
 
 THE DAWN. 91 
 
 greater moment than even she imagined ; 
 indeed, the operation was so important 
 that Dr. Calder deemed it prudent to delay 
 for a week or two, until the patient had 
 gathered sufficient strength to bear it. 
 
 " Mr. Sheffeld has a much juster opinion 
 of you than you have of him," said 
 Nelly, in reply to her aunt. " He says 
 in his last letter that I have much cause 
 for gratitude at being in such good hands, 
 as there is no other nurse in whom he 
 could place such implicit confidence." 
 
 " Ay, just hear that; there's a fine cheap 
 compliment ! but mind, I dinna think ill 
 o' the lad for a that," retorted Miss Mac- 
 kenzie. " Indeed, he's something by ordi- 
 nal, so far as that goes ; but twa letters in 
 ae morning — oh, the thing is rideeculous." 
 
 " There is the Beadle," said Nelly. " I 
 think he is coming here, aunt." 
 
 " Ay, what will the body be wanting the 
 day ? Jenny, open the door."
 
 92 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " Hech, mem ! but this is a braw day." 
 The Beadle came in, took off his cap 
 and wiped his brow with a large red 
 pocket-handkerchief. " Heigho ! and are 
 ye ony better this mornin', miss ? ' 
 
 " Thank you ; I think I am a little 
 
 stronger." 
 
 " Onything new, Andrew ? ' Miss Mac- 
 kenzie inquired. 
 
 " Eh, no mem ; naething by ordinar'. 
 We hae never gotten thae resurrection 
 loons. It's an awfu' time, mem ; folk are 
 no safe, leevin' or dead. What a gran 
 smell ye hae here ! ' The Beadle looked 
 about the apartment, as if to discover the 
 source of the pleasant odour. " I think 
 ye'r makin' kail, mem, if I'm no mis- 
 ta'en ? " 
 
 The girls smiled, and Miss Mackenzie, 
 knowing the infirmity of the man, brought 
 in a basin of steaming broth and placed 
 it upon his knees. He laid aside his
 
 THE DAWN. 93 
 
 broad-brimmed bonnet reverently, and in 
 an audible but solemn tone said, "Lord 
 bless the meat," and immediately began to 
 stir the broth. 
 
 " I hope ye will forgi'e me, mem, for 
 sayin' meat," he remarked, thoughtfully, 
 after a little while, " for I had my een shut 
 at the time, and didna ken there was nae 
 meat in't." The " Chamberlain o' the 
 Lord's Hoose" was sometimes rather bare- 
 faced in his suggestions, but they were 
 generally conveyed in such pawkie forms 
 of humour that nobody ever took them 
 amiss. 
 
 " But we can remedy that in the second 
 basin," said Miss Mackenzie, laughing. 
 
 " Oh, I see, mem, thank ye ; that'll keep 
 the grace a' richt." 
 
 " I suppose ye are kept gey and busy ? ' 
 Miss Mackenzie remarked, after she had 
 given him the second supply. 
 
 " Busy, mem ? — eh, no. Aboot the Kirk
 
 94 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 we're ordinar', but trade in the yaird is 
 gaun a' tae deuknebs. I've only had twa 
 beerials for the last fortnicht — just think o' 
 that — and I hinna put in a spade for the 
 last sax days. The Lord help puir folk 
 in thir slack times. Ye'll may be no hae 
 heard that Maister Rodger has gotten his 
 name painted on his pew in the Kirk?" 
 the Beadle continued, wiping his mouth 
 with his red handkerchief. 
 
 " On his pew?" said Miss Mackenzie. 
 " Did ye hear onything o' that, Miss 
 Dawson ? " 
 
 " No," replied Annie, colouring slightly. 
 
 " I saw him in the Kirk last Sunday, and 
 thocht the circumstance droll." 
 
 11 Ay, nae wonner, mem, nae wonner ; 
 but better late grace than nae grace, ava," 
 as the Minister says. He laid down the 
 empty basin, and deposited his red hand- 
 kerchief in his cap. " I promised to gang 
 owre to Mr. Clydedales's and get a bit
 
 THE DAWN. 95 
 
 denner," he said, " and I thocht I wad just 
 look in and speer for the young leddy before 
 gangin' across. Guid day, mem ; I'm glad 
 she's a kennin' better this mornin'." 
 
 When- Annie returned, her mother was 
 busy with preparations for the expected 
 visitors. Though Mrs. Dawson did not 
 like visitors, she had too much regard for 
 her husband's good name not to treat them 
 well when they did come on his invitation. 
 
 The Miller's plan for the improvement 
 of the machinery, the merits of which were 
 fully gone into after tea, was a subject of 
 very great interest to Hobbs. He highly 
 approved of the scheme, and offered some 
 suggestions which readily convinced the 
 Miller that the interest he took in the 
 matter was deep and sympathetic. Her- 
 bert, on the other hand, confessed that he 
 was no mechanic. He was, however, par- 
 ticularly fond of flowers, and Annie was 
 instructed to show him over the garden.
 
 96 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " I forgot till now," she said, unfastening 
 the garden gate, "to thank you for send- 
 ing such a beautiful pansy. It was so 
 stupid of me to speak as I did when it 
 belonged to you." 
 
 " I am only sorry," said Herbert, "that it 
 is not more valuable. It was a very 
 small favour." As they passed under an 
 apple-tree, loaded with young fruit, a low- 
 hanging branch caught in the intricate 
 braiding of Annie's hair. Herbert, with 
 ready gallantry, set her free, and had for 
 reward hurriedly expressed thanks, and the 
 sight of an innocent face suffused with 
 blushes. 
 
 " You are not hurt, I hope ? ' he in- 
 quired, tenderly. 
 
 " No, thank you, not in the least. It 
 was so silly of me not to stoop." 
 
 They strolled on, chatting pleasantly 
 over fruit and flower. Herbert culled a 
 pink, and requested liberty to place it in
 
 THE DAWN. 97 
 
 her hair, which, after a little blushful 
 hesitation, was half taken and half 
 granted. The evening had grown sultry 
 and dark. There was a dead stillness in 
 the air. 
 
 " I fear we shall have a heavy shower," 
 Herbert said, leading Annie towards the 
 laurel arbour, " we can take shelter here 
 till it passes. The ground will be nothing 
 the worse for it." 
 
 As they passed in, the heavy drops 
 began to fall thickly on the garden walk. 
 In another moment the full shower was 
 loosened, hissing among the branches and 
 beating on the fruits and flowers, till the air 
 was laden with a silvery mist. 
 
 "We are quite safe here," said Herbert, 
 as the rain dashed off the broad leaves of 
 the laurel. " It will soon be over. How 
 pleasantly the scent of that sweetbrier 
 comes out with the rain ! " 
 
 " Father got it from the Castle gar- 
 
 VOL. I. , H
 
 98 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 den," replied Annie, as she plucked a 
 spray from the bush and handed it to 
 Herbert. " It is a very fragrant species 
 of it, I believe." 
 
 " Delightful ! " They sat silently look- 
 ing out at the rain. 
 
 " You have quite a Paradise here," 
 Herbert said, breaking the stillness. 
 " Such seclusion ■ and such natural beauty 
 of situation ! You must be very happy, 
 Miss Dawson ?" 
 
 " We are very happy," the girl replied, 
 innocently ; " but do you not think our 
 happiness is much intensified by the 
 beauties of the situation ? " 
 
 " Yes, and by the simplicity and purity 
 of your lives ; these are essential elements 
 in happiness." 
 
 " Our habits are very simple," said she, 
 feeling sure that her companion should 
 know all about the usages of fine society : 
 <l indeed, we are rather primitive in our
 
 THE DAWN. 99 
 
 ways, Mr. Rodger ; but you see we have 
 few opportunities of knowing any better 
 here." 
 
 Herbert was charmed with the in- 
 genuousness of her manner. 
 
 " I like simplicity," said he, in reply ; 
 " I do not think the stupid convention- 
 alities of society by any means tend to 
 promote happiness. People were never 
 made to fall down and worship forms and 
 ceremonies. I believe we are capable of 
 the highest enjoyment when we are natural." 
 
 Annie was pleased that he should think 
 so, and Herbert did not fail to see the 
 sweet flush of satisfaction that came over 
 her face. 
 
 " Do you not feel life lonely here some- 
 times ? " he inquired, looking into her 
 face, after a short pause. 
 
 " No ; I like retirement. When I am 
 disturbed, nothing gives me peace like a 
 solitary ramble in the Priory Wood or a
 
 IOO THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 seat beside the Ruin. I think it is very 
 pleasant to sit there sometimes, and watch 
 the sunsets, with the pure river rippling 
 past the foot of the Rock. I don't 
 believe I could be so happy anywhere 
 else." 
 
 The rain was now over, and the sun 
 was just dipping behind the dark shadow 
 of Kelmore Wood. There was a creaking 
 noise at the garden gate, and when it 
 opened Hobbs and the Miller came in. 
 Hobbs reconnoitred the position, and 
 evinced the deepest interest in the green- 
 house, the sun-dial, and some other bits of 
 garden architecture. 
 
 " I never was much of a gardener," 
 Hobbs said, as the Miller and he sauntered 
 towards the summer-house, " but I always 
 do appreciate good taste and good ar- 
 rangement when I see them." 
 
 "We have no garden to speak of," the 
 Miller remarked modestly, "but I dare
 
 THE DAWN. 10 1 
 
 say we have made the best use of what 
 we have." 
 
 Herbert and Annie now came from the 
 arbour, and immediately thereafter the 
 visitors took their departure. Mrs. Daw- 
 son was left to the prosaic task of tidying 
 up the house. The Miller went over all 
 his plans again, feeling gratified that they 
 had been the subject of so much interest; 
 and Annie retired to her own room, sadly 
 puzzled with the mystery of feeling which 
 was beginning to dawn upon her young 
 life.
 
 ( 102 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. 
 
 When Annie awoke next morning, her 
 bed-room was filled with sunshine. A 
 linnet was swinging on the bough of a 
 rosebush outside the window, singing 
 a matin in the exuberance of its joy. 
 There was not a cloud in the sky, and 
 the woods on the other side of the river 
 were motionless in the heat. As she rose, 
 a blackbird came and perched on the 
 window-sill, and having whistled a few 
 liquid notes, fluttered away amongst the 
 branches of her favourite apple-tree. The 
 warm light touched her dainty feet as she
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. 103 
 
 stepped over the carpet, and imparted a 
 feeling of comfort. It was her custom to 
 arrange the work of the day in her own 
 mind while engaged in her morning toilet, 
 but now her thoughts were not obedient to 
 her will, and for the present she abandoned 
 the task. For a while she gazed dreamily 
 out of the window. The broken and irre- 
 gular walls of the Castle rose over the 
 tops of the trees, and the river projected 
 glancing lines of light through the close 
 environment of foliage underneath. The 
 grey line of the garden wall lay beneath 
 the window, enclosing flowers and fruits, 
 carefully arranged diamonds, hearts, and 
 crescents, beautifully edged with boxwood 
 and daisies. All this could be seen 
 at a glance, but Annie saw none of them. 
 Sandy M'Lean was raking about the roots 
 of a pear-tree, and whistling his feelings in 
 a broken medley of Scotch airs, but he was 
 unobserved. Her heart was in the laurel
 
 104 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 arbour at the far end of the garden, the 
 sight of which brought the pleasant con- 
 versation which had passed on the pre- 
 vious evening fresh to her recollection. 
 She was aware of a strange, new, listless 
 feeline — a feeling which she could neither 
 account for nor understand. Her eye was 
 on the arbour, but she was not contem- 
 plating the bright green leaves nor the 
 speckled honeysuckle that grew in fragrant 
 clusters around the entrance. Rousing 
 herself by a great effort, she proceeded 
 to dress, but the mood came on again, 
 and she stood for some minutes looking 
 at herself in the glass without being aware 
 of her own presence. 
 
 " You have slept long this morning, 
 Annie," said the mother, as she presented 
 herself in the parlour, where breakfast was 
 waiting. " I fear you caught cold last night 
 in the garden, with nothing on but your 
 light shawl. Did you get any rain ? '
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. IO5 
 
 " Oh, no, we took shelter in the arbour." 
 
 "Your eyes look heavy." 
 
 " I am only a little tired," said Annie, 
 assuming a cheery look ; " that's all. I 
 did not think it was so late, or I should 
 have been down earlier. Is father in the 
 Mill?" 
 
 " Yes ; one of the boxes came off the 
 wheel this morning, and he has been out 
 getting it repaired. This is rather unfortu- 
 nate, as he is so busy with the Duke's corn. 
 He has been at work from six this morning, 
 and got such a wetting. I never saw 
 a man like him ; he thinks nothing is 
 well done unless he does it himself." 
 
 " You were on fine terms with my 
 friend Rodger, last night," said the 
 Miller briskly, addressing his daughter 
 after breakfast. 
 
 "Me?" said Annie, slightly startled at 
 the unexpected remark. " Oh ! he seems 
 a nice enough gentleman — at least, as far
 
 To6 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 as I was able to judge ; but we have not 
 seen much of him yet." 
 
 " That's the man about whom you 
 women believe all sorts of unkindly stones, 
 simply because a few ill-tongued gossips, 
 who cannot understand the habits of an 
 educated young man, choose to circulate 
 them. Fie upon you womankind ! ' Speak 
 of a man as you find him,' is my motto. 
 I believe he is a good-hearted, genial 
 fellow. " 
 
 " The Beadle told Miss Mackenzie 
 yesterday that Mr. Rodger had got his 
 name re-painted on the pew in Church," 
 said Annie, unconsciously endeavouring to 
 foster the good opinion which her father 
 had formed. 
 
 " Ah ! that accounts for his being at 
 Church last Sabbath," said the mother. 
 " Several people remarked it. There is 
 no better sign of reformation than that. 
 Those who don't wait regularly on the
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. I07 
 
 means of grace can never expect to find 
 out the right way." 
 
 " That is where you go wrong again, 
 my dear," said the Miller, from his high 
 platform. " Your social and religious 
 notions are all old-fashioned and wrong. 
 Your opinions are much too narrow. Is 
 a man to be set down as a heretic and a 
 sinner because he does not worship his 
 Maker in your way ? Why, woman, you 
 only think it is right because you have 
 been trained to it, but if you had been 
 brought up a Brahmin or a Mohammedan 
 it would have been just the same thing. 
 Let us remember that every man has 
 a conscience, and let him worship the 
 Almighty in whatever way he thinks best." 
 
 These were common enough sentiments 
 in the Millers household, and he did not 
 fail to express them when occasion re- 
 quired. Annie sat listening dreamily to 
 the conversation.
 
 108 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 The only point that was specially clear 
 to her mind was this, that Mr. Rodger 
 was being brought out of past obloquy 
 with clean hands and a pure heart. Annie's 
 was a generous and sympathetic nature. 
 She was slow to believe ill of any one, 
 and particularly ready to accept evidence 
 calculated to remove misrepresentation or 
 wrong. She felt, from her own observa- 
 tion, that whatever his conduct might have 
 been, it could not be so bad as it was said 
 to be. " Simplicity and purity of life are 
 essential elements of happiness." Could 
 any man express sentiments like these, 
 and still be a bad man ? She did not 
 believe it. Then he was such a lover of 
 the pure and the beautiful in nature. How 
 prettily he could talk about flowers and 
 fruits and plants ! " There is no fruit so 
 delicately coloured as the cherry and the 
 peach." Talking of society, he said, " I 
 like simplicity ; I do not think the stupid
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. 109 
 
 conventionalities of society by any means 
 tend to promote happiness. People were 
 never made to fall down and worship forms 
 and ceremonies." Was his conversation not 
 more beautiful to her than it had been to 
 her parents ? She almost wished they had 
 heard him speak as he had done to her ; his 
 words were so noble, so good. When Annie 
 came out of her reverie she felt ashamed 
 of herself. During the time she was in- 
 dulging in it the Miller had been extolling 
 the clear head, the skill, and intelligence 
 of Hobbs ; but now he had gone to the 
 Mill, and her mother was superintending 
 the bleaching of some grey linen in the 
 green outside, while she sat alone in idle 
 and profitless meditation. It was her father, 
 however, who had opened up the question, 
 and it was he who was to blame. Rising 
 hurriedly, she brought down her seam, but 
 her mind did not lie to sewing. Being 
 milliner and dressmaker to the frugal
 
 IIO THE DAWSOXS OF GLENARA. 
 
 household, it occurred to her to make up 
 her mother's summer bonnet ; accordingly, 
 she set about the task, but as she arranged 
 ribbon and lace and flower, she could not 
 help wondering what he would think of 
 the harmony of colours. Mrs. Dawson 
 was too busy with her work outside to 
 observe her daughter's unusual absence 
 of mind and fickleness of manner, for 
 which Annie was thankful, as she was not 
 prepared to give a reason for them. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon she visited 
 Nelly Lee, and, under the lively conver- 
 sation of Miss Mackenzie, Annie thought 
 she had been cured of her meditative 
 trouble ; but when she returned to the 
 parlour window and saw the apple-tree, 
 and the drooping branch which had caught 
 her hair, and from which he had relieved 
 her, the mood returned, and she went 
 back again to the fascinating past of 
 yesterday.
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. Ill 
 
 Next day was cold and wet. From 
 early morning the rain came down in 
 drenching clouds of " Scotch mist," soaking 
 to the roots of the grass, and dropping in 
 continuous rills from the yellow pendants 
 of the laburnum. The garden was dull 
 and cheerless — the flowers hung their heads 
 under such unseemly abundance of rain ; 
 and the melancholy birds sat shivering on 
 the boughs, with not a warble in their 
 throats, disgusted, of course, with the incon- 
 gruity of the weather. Now and again a 
 restless sparrow would flutter to the garden 
 wall, or to a higher bough, as if to see 
 whether it were going to clear. A close 
 mist lay on the neighbouring woods, and, 
 distilling, fell in great drops from the 
 leaves upon the brown earth, which gradu- 
 ally darkened as the moisture spread. The 
 outline of the Ruin was hardly distinguish- 
 able, and the river moved gloomily on 
 between the hazy banks. The dull, grind-
 
 112 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ing, and chattering sound of the Mill, as 
 well as the general aspect of the landscape, 
 were very depressing to Annie, though 
 the Miller cheerfully said the rain would fill 
 the grain and improve his supply of water. 
 His wife thought it would do the linen 
 a world of good ; besides, the parsley and 
 the pease had all been languishing from 
 want of natural sap. 
 
 The following day made ample amends. 
 The sun had it all its own way from 
 early morning, and before mid-day the 
 superfluous moisture had been sucked from 
 the grass, the trees, and flowers, and 
 again the earth was brown and dry. 
 Annie felt much happier, but she could not 
 divest herself of the recollection of that 
 man whose manner and conversation had 
 so clung to her for the last few days. As 
 she wandered that afternoon through the 
 Priory Wood, the sun scattering, the while, 
 bright fragments of light on her path, and
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. I I 3 
 
 the blackbird and thrush piping melody 
 over her head — she could not but acquiesce 
 in his remark that she lived in a Paradise. 
 Why should he inquire if she felt lonely ? 
 Were there not evidences of tenderness in 
 his tone and voice as he put the question ? 
 Then she remembered how pleased he 
 looked when she spoke of the Wood, the 
 Priory, and the sunsets. 
 
 While thus meditating, the little brown 
 path in the Priory Wood indulged in the 
 drollest antics of twist and angle — now run- 
 ning on the margin of the River, and then 
 scampering up the shoulder of the Wood, 
 overhung by odd-looking roots of various 
 names — now darting through cool denies of 
 fern and lichen and moss, with soft drip- 
 ping springs of water, and anon over arid 
 beds of sand with no vegetation save a few 
 unhealthy spears of grass. By an effort 
 Annie suddenly brought her reflections to a 
 
 truce. Why did she thus allow Mr. Rodger 
 vol. 1. 1
 
 114 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 to tyrannize over her thoughts ? — a man 
 who was but casually known to her as a 
 neighbouring farmer, and who was reputed 
 to be a spendthrift and a person of question- 
 able habits. To be sure, his character had, 
 to her at least, been satisfactorily cleared. 
 He had shown that these charges were 
 either false or that he had mended his ways. 
 In any case, he was worthy of sympathy. 
 If the reports were false, he must have 
 suffered much from the circulation of the 
 lie ; if he had changed the course of his 
 life, then there was need for some one 
 to extend a kindly hand, and help him to 
 stand upon his new resolves. This touched 
 a tender chord in her heart, though on a 
 closer scrutiny of herself she doubted whe- 
 ther it were right to indulge the feeling. 
 She had been alone with him, doubtless, 
 and enjoyed his society ; but were not 
 these meetings accidental ? Why had she 
 been left with him in the garden ? Simply
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. 115 
 
 because he was no mechanic, and because 
 her father knew his fondness for flowers. 
 They were driven into the arbour by the 
 rain — there was no other choice. All these 
 circumstances occurred in the most natural 
 way. Besides, he must be at least twice 
 her age. She was but an undeveloped girl 
 — he was in his prime, with all the power 
 and wisdom of manhood. He was a man 
 of social position, with access to the best 
 society, and she was but a miller s daughter, 
 knowing nothing intimately but the simple 
 manners of her own home. It was not 
 likely that she, a poor simple girl, should 
 ever cross his mind again. Thus, pursuing 
 a process of antithetical reasoning, she 
 reached the Priory. 
 
 The Ruin was approachable only from 
 the south. The height from the River 
 to the top of the highest remaining wall 
 was about two hundred feet. A short flight 
 of steps, rudely cut in the face of the ascent,
 
 Il6 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 being scaled, two strong planks of wood, 
 closely set together, made a rustic bridge 
 across the deep ravine, and led by a narrow 
 pathway to the interior of the building. 
 The outer wall, which was still in fair 
 preservation, enclosed a large area of 
 ground, carpeted with grass, and orna- 
 mented with violets and daisies. Amongst 
 the stones grew the rank nettle and the 
 dusky sloe, and here and there within the 
 enclosure might be seen a wild cherry-tree 
 or a stunted elm. There was a weird light 
 within the Priory wall as Annie entered. 
 The sun was well down in the west, and 
 the walls cast long cool shadows over 
 the stones, the nettles, and the grass. 
 Annie's favourite seat was a clump of brown 
 moss, near a broken part of the wall which 
 overlooked the River. It was half in sun 
 and half in shade, but the air was rich and 
 balmy. On the opposite bank stood the 
 magnificent ruin of the Castle, with its
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. 1 1 7 
 
 surroundings of green lawns and deep 
 woods. Annie dreamily surveyed the 
 picture ; but there was a restlessness in 
 her manner which even the calm of the 
 landscape could not subdue. 
 
 Taking her knitting from her pocket, she 
 began to count the stitches on the wires, 
 as if mistrusting her own accuracy. For 
 a considerable time the needles twinkled 
 deftly about the points of the little white 
 fingers. 
 
 " I wonder who his friend is," she 
 thought ; " they are so unlike each other ; 
 there is such a difference in their manner, 
 and in the expression of their faces." 
 
 She did not understand how he could 
 make friends with one so unlike himself. 
 Annie could not quite define to herself the 
 cause of this aversion. His eye was not 
 good ; but it was not wholly in the eye. 
 His brow was full enough for his other 
 features ; but his mouth was large, giving
 
 Il8 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 indications of sensuality and coarseness. 
 There was also an unnatural redness about 
 his face which heightened the effect of this 
 impression. 
 
 The sun was now lying like a great ball 
 of fire on the tops of the woods, and the 
 western and southern walls of the Ruin 
 opposite were bathed in crimson. 
 
 While Annie was watching the beautiful 
 effect on the opposite bank of the River, 
 a rustling sound was heard amongst the 
 shrubbery a few yards off, and, on looking 
 round, a little grey dog pushed itself 
 through the branches of a wild currant 
 bush ; in a few seconds its owner entered 
 by a low arched door, and Annie stood 
 face to face with Herbert Rodger. There 
 was much confusion in her manner as he 
 approached. 
 
 " I expected to find you here, Miss 
 Dawson," he said, shaking her warmly by 
 the hand. " I was up at Mr. Howatson's
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. I 1 9 
 
 ordering some late grass seed; and remem- 
 bering what you told me about the sunsets, 
 I came down this way just with the hope 
 of meeting you here." 
 
 " Indeed," said Annie, colouring deeply, 
 and, in her confusion, not knowing what to 
 say. 
 
 "How diligent you are!" continued Her- 
 bert, taking up the knitting which had 
 fallen from her hand. " You like to im- 
 prove the time, Miss Dawson ? " 
 
 " I can knit and enjoy the pleasant land- 
 scape at the same time." 
 
 At this point an incident occurred which 
 for a moment interrupted the conversation. 
 Herbert's dog, in the course of its pere- 
 grinations through the Priory grounds, had 
 started a hare, which, in the hot haste of 
 desire to escape its pursuer, plunged into 
 the Ruin, and with one mad bound leapt 
 over the precipice and found instant death 
 in the River below. Annie shuddered and
 
 120 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 turned her back as the poor creature fell, 
 while Herbert, in a few sharp words, ad- 
 monished the dog, which stood on the 
 brink wagging a disappointed tail and 
 watching the fall of its victim with a 
 look of ill-concealed chagrin. 
 
 "Do you not feel chill ? ' Herbert asked, 
 " after sitting here in the shade ? " 
 
 " No, thank you, the air is quite balmy." 
 
 " But then you are such a lover of 
 nature, such a princess of the woods, such 
 a queen of all rural influences, that you 
 ought to be exempt from these little 
 inconveniences ! ' 
 
 " You are affluent in compliment, 
 Mr. Rodger," was Annie's reply, as 
 the blood again rushed to her cheeks. 
 * Please remember that I am the Miller's 
 daughter. " 
 
 "It is because you are so, that what I 
 have said is deserved." 
 
 As they talked, Herbert watched closely
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. 121 
 
 the effect of his words, and he was 
 pleased to find they were not distasteful 
 to her. He could see, moreover, that his 
 society was not disagreeable, so he re- 
 solved to proceed carefully. Annie's feel- 
 ings on his sudden appearance in the Ruin 
 were those of surprise and pleasure. 
 Though she had made up her mind to 
 the belief that their future intercourse 
 could be nothing more than that of mere 
 casual acquaintances, she had done so with 
 a slight degree of pain, and with an un- 
 conscious wish that it might be otherwise. 
 For the first time in her life she was 
 thoroughly alive to the fact that she was 
 alone with one of the opposite sex ; yet 
 she had no fear in his presence — she had 
 successfully fought down all scruples as 
 to the thorough honourableness of his 
 character. 
 
 " How would you like to leave your 
 native Woods, and the Priory, and the
 
 122 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 River ? ' said Herbert earnestly, as they 
 sauntered homeward through the Wood. 
 
 " I should not like to do so," replied 
 Annie. 
 
 " It is a pity to waste so much goodness 
 and beauty on solitude," continued the 
 suitor, looking earnestly into her simple, 
 earnest face. 
 
 Annie made no reply, but charmed him 
 with a look which was meant to convey a 
 reproach. 
 
 " To be plain, Miss Dawson, I cannot 
 express my estimate of you in compliment. 
 I must tell you that I love you — love you 
 as I never loved any one else ! I have 
 thought of you since our last meeting 
 night and day, and my happiness will not 
 be complete until you say you can love 
 me in return." There was more than 
 assumed earnestness in Herbert's tone — 
 there was true feeling. He did not intend 
 to be so abrupt ; he did not think of the
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. I 23 
 
 great risk he ran in pressing this important 
 question prematurely : the occasion was 
 a favourable one ; he was so charmed 
 with the beauty and simplicity of the girl 
 that he recklessly embraced it, and he felt 
 there was more at stake than he had 
 originally intended, in the uncertain silence 
 which followed this confession. 
 
 They had now reached the last stile in 
 the Wood, and they paused before going 
 over. The air was quite calm. As they 
 stood there, amongst the sounds that fell 
 pleasantly on the ear was the clack, clack, 
 of the mill-wheel beating its regular circuit. 
 But there were no sounds in Annie's ear 
 save the melody of the earnest words 
 she had just heard. A gap in the foliage 
 let through a beam of yellow sunlight, 
 which fell amongst her hair and made it 
 more golden. Her face was pale, and 
 she trembled from head to foot, unable 
 to utter a word in reply. Herbert put his
 
 124 TIIE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 arm tenderly about her waist and drew 
 her more closely to him, without resist- 
 ance. " Oh ! tell me you can love me ! — 
 tell me you can think of me as your com- 
 panion, your friend, your lover ! Come, 
 — speak to me ! " 
 
 Annie's face was averted, and her tears 
 were flowing copiously ; but as he finished 
 this passionate appeal she held up her 
 innocent face to him with one eloquent 
 glance which convinced him, more cer- 
 tainly than words could, of the conquest 
 he had effected. For some time they 
 lingered at the stile without speaking a 
 word, clinging close to each other — he, 
 really proud that so much youth, innocence, 
 and beauty were his ; and she, giddy with 
 a strange new happiness that had taken 
 possession of her soul. 
 
 At first she had thought of giving him 
 an evasive answer until she had spoken of 
 the matter to her mother ; but her whole
 
 THE PRIORY WOOD. 1 25 
 
 heart had dissolved under the tender 
 passion of his words, and how could she 
 say No ? 
 
 " Shall I break the matter to your 
 father?' inquired Herbert, as he pressed 
 a kiss upon her glowing brow. After a 
 long pause — 
 
 " It is all so sudden," she said; "but if 
 you think it is right, you may." 
 
 There was little spoken between them 
 after that. Annie dried her tears and 
 tried to look calm. As they reached the 
 Mill the sun went down, and twilight 
 enveloped the landscape in its dusky 
 mantle. With the gathering darkness, the 
 noisy rooks returned to their nests in the 
 Priory Wood, and precious dreams of a 
 wonderful new life nestled in Annie's 
 heart.
 
 ( "6 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. 
 
 Hobbs waited anxiously about the farm 
 all afternoon for Herbert's return. The 
 scheme he had propounded was deeply 
 interesting, as on its success his own future 
 very much depended. Few knew Herbert 
 Rodger's circumstances better than himself, 
 and he felt certain that, unless some such 
 timely relief as that he had proposed came, 
 he must soon become a financial wreck. 
 Mrs. Rodger had already, in order to 
 keep peace, given to her son a portion of 
 her own money ; but this he had squan- 
 dered on turf speculations in less than
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. 1 27 
 
 a couple of months. He had, moreover, 
 but two days ago, taken a heavy bond 
 on the Farm, with the view of keeping- 
 things moving with a show of respect- 
 ability. This step was taken entirely 
 unknown to his mother. Indeed, the only 
 person who knew, besides himself, was 
 Hobbs, at whose instigation it had been 
 adopted. Hobbs deemed this advice pru- 
 dent, inasmuch as he himself had got to the 
 bottom of his limited resources ; and from 
 the attitude in which he had left certain 
 of his creditors in London, he feared he 
 might have occasion to make a call upon 
 his patron to which it would be absolutely 
 necessary that he should accede. His 
 services, he knew, would meet with more 
 appreciation and a fuller reward if the plan 
 now in process of trial should prove suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 To break the severity of the suspense 
 he took down a novel, and, making himself
 
 128 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 as comfortable as possible at the library 
 window, tried to read. He could not, how- 
 ever, catch the interest of the story. He 
 turned over page after page, reading a 
 short sentence here and there. At length 
 he shut the book and gazed out of the 
 window. The wind was urging graceful 
 waves over a sea of wheat, and a dozen 
 earnest labourers were ricking the new-cut 
 hay in a distant field. Then he lighted a 
 cigar and opened the book again, but with 
 a similar result — the dialogues were inco- 
 herent, the descriptions were tedious and 
 prosy, and the plot was without any ap- 
 parent consistency. Finally, he put on his 
 hat and walked out into the farmyard. The 
 large eight-days' clock in the lobby pointed 
 to seven as he passed, and he knew it could 
 not be long till the result of Rodger's inter- 
 view should be made known. 
 
 " Twenty thousand pounds," he muttered, 
 smiling grimly ; " no mea^i stake to run
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. I 29 
 
 for." The shadows were fast settling over 
 the Wood ; and the tanned labourers, one 
 after another, came out of the fields, and 
 wended their way homewards with weary, 
 careless footsteps, having by the honest 
 labours of the day earned a humble suffi- 
 ciency for those dependent upon them, 
 and for themselves, a night's repose. As he 
 watched the apparent joy around the cottars' 
 doors at the return of these uncouth-looking, 
 footsore men, and saw the light which 
 dawned in their faces as they came within 
 sight of their little ones, who, with ruddy 
 cheeks, bare feet, wild yellow hair, and 
 joyous laughter, ran to get a place on the 
 paternal shoulder, or even a hold of the 
 strong leg, he felt a strange kind of un- 
 easiness in his heart. 
 
 Hobbs was very little given to philo- 
 sophical reflection, but as he went down 
 the loaning past the cottars' houses, he 
 involuntarily wondered if, with all his 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 130 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 educational and social advantages, life had 
 ever brought him one such gleam of pure 
 happiness as was the daily portion of these 
 simple men. Why had it not done so ? 
 " Bah ! " he articulated, suddenly breaking 
 the thread of his reflections, and chopping 
 off* the head of a wild thistle at the same 
 time, as if to confirm his determination. 
 11 The worries of the present are sufficient 
 of themselves ; the dead past will do little 
 for a man, so let it be buried." 
 
 He came back by a pathway leading 
 through the meadow, but Herbert had 
 tiOt yet returned. Entering the summer- 
 seat, he again lighted a cigar, and began 
 to build new schemes for the improvement 
 of his future, but the sound of footsteps 
 interrupted the process, and he went to 
 the gate. 
 
 " How far is it to Glenara, sir ? ' 
 This inquiry was made by one of a party 
 of two, whose accent soon clearly showed
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. 131 
 
 that they had not acquired their style of 
 speech in the Valley of Clydesdale. 
 Hobbs glanced hurriedly at the men from 
 head to foot, and, with affected indifference, 
 replied — 
 
 " About a quarter of a mile, or better." 
 
 " You are a residenter of this place ? ' 
 said the other. 
 
 "Yes," replied Hobbs, feeling a little 
 uneasy, not from having told the lie, but 
 from certain apprehensions which arose in 
 his own mind. 
 
 " You are strangers in these parts, I 
 presume ? " he said boldly. 
 
 " We are." 
 
 " From some part of England ? " 
 
 " Yes, from London ; we came by this 
 mornings mail." 
 
 " Ah ! then you haven't been to Glenara 
 before ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 "A most interesting place," said Hobbs,
 
 132 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " to strangers especially. Perhaps I can 
 give you some information about the 
 neighbourhood. You are on pleasure, I 
 suppose ? " 
 
 " Partly on business and partly on plea- 
 sure," replied the first speaker. " Have 
 you seen any strangers in these parts 
 lately ? " 
 
 11 Bless you ! " retorted Hobbs. " Stran- 
 gers ! Why, they are continually coming 
 and going here." 
 
 " The person we want may have been 
 here at least a fortnight." 
 
 " With whom does he stay ? " 
 
 "We have no information on that point." 
 
 "His name?" 
 
 " John Hobbs." 
 
 "Well, you had better call at the Bird 
 in the Hand Tavern," said Hobbs, with a 
 nervous twitch about the mouth which he 
 could ill conceal. " You'll find it about 
 ten minutes' walk farther on. They may
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. I 33 
 
 know something of the person you want." 
 Hobbs smoked vigorously as the footsteps 
 died away. 
 
 " Bailiffs ! " he said ; " no doubt of it. I 
 must see Rodger. They are sure to find 
 me out here." 
 
 After a few minutes' consideration, he 
 resolved to go and meet his friend, and 
 explain how matters stood. Hobbs knew 
 Herbert would return by the back way 
 over the bridge, rather than through the 
 village, so that there could be no danger 
 of his coming into contact with the men 
 who were in quest of him. It was fully 
 half-past nine o'clock when he started. He 
 took a near cut through the meadow to join 
 the road at the bridge. The path to the 
 mill struck off to the right after crossing 
 the River. He quickened his step, for it 
 was now quite dark, and the thick woods 
 on either hand made the darkness dreary. 
 The air was sultry, and the clouds were
 
 134 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 gathering as if foreboding rain. There 
 were no sounds on the way save his own 
 footsteps, or when a restless crow turned in 
 its slumbers amid the tree-tops and gave 
 a dreamy caw. His thoughts were not 
 of the most agreeable description as he 
 hurried sullenly along. 
 
 What if Herbert should be refused ? 
 It was more than probable that such a 
 .good-looking girl might be engaged, as 
 the manner is with good-looking girls. 
 A hundred chances to one arose before 
 him against the success of the scheme. 
 Or, even if she should give her consent, 
 the money might not be got hold of in 
 convenient time, while the expense of 
 wife-keeping would only add new troubles 
 to those already in existence. Herbert, 
 meantime, must give him a hundred pounds. 
 He was, fortunately, in funds, and could 
 not refuse. Then he reflected that he 
 ought to have changed his name when
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. 1 35 
 
 he cut his beard. Thus disguised, they 
 could not have found him out. He had 
 not supposed they would send so far 
 North for such a trifle, but — but 
 
 There was a stir on the other side of the 
 hedge, and, before he had time to think, 
 a sudden rush was made through a breach, 
 and he was in the iron grasp of a couple of 
 strong men. 
 
 " I will go peaceably with you," said 
 Hobbs, resigning himself meekly under 
 
 the firm hold. " I was under the impres- 
 sion you had gone on to the village." 
 
 The men, who held him tightly from be- 
 hind, looked at each other in astonishment. 
 
 " I suppose you are after that trifling 
 eighty pounds ? " 
 
 " We want your money," said one of 
 them gruffly; "all of it, too, and lose no 
 time ! " 
 
 " Oh, highwaymen ! Ho ! murder ! 
 robbers!" shrieked Hobbs, lustily, per-
 
 I36 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ceiving his mistake, and at the same 
 time making a desperate effort to escape. 
 "Rodger! Murder! Ho!" 
 
 " None of your cursed bawling," said 
 ruffian number two, " or we'll pitch you 
 into the quarry. Give us your money ! ' 
 
 " I am poor as Lazarus," replied Hobbs. 
 " Upon my soul I am, but I have impor- 
 tant work to do. Let me go." 
 
 " Where is the eighty pounds, you lying 
 scoundrel ? " 
 
 Hobbs struggled hard, but as he did so 
 he received a heavy blow from behind, and 
 he fell senseless to the ground. A hurried 
 search of his person only resulted in the 
 discovery of one shilling and some few 
 coppers. Their disgust at the emptiness 
 of fashion and foppery, however, reached 
 its climax when, on pulling the large 
 massive chain and seals out of his fob, 
 they found, instead of a watch, a goodly 
 sized brazen tobacco-box filled with small
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. I 37 
 
 twist. They had only time to make this 
 discovery when they heard the sound of 
 approaching footsteps, and two figures 
 came suddenly into view round the angle 
 of the wood. These were Herbert 
 Rodger and George M'Whannel. 
 
 "What is wrong?" cried M'Whannel. 
 " What are the fellows running for ? ' 
 
 " I'm afraid there's something wrong. 
 What is this ? " cried Herbert. " My God, 
 it's Hobbs ! John ! John ! have they hurt 
 you ? ' There was no response. They 
 stooped over his body and looked into 
 his face. It was very pale, and he 
 breathed heavily ; but there was a cut 
 on the back of his head which they did 
 not see, from which the blood flowed 
 profusely. Without further ceremony 
 they carried him home, and M'Whannel 
 went for the Doctor, who dressed the 
 wound. Herbert stood earnestly waiting 
 while the process was going on.
 
 138 THE DAWSON'S OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " I hope it is nothing serious," he said, 
 as the Doctor finished his task. In his 
 inmost heart he almost wished it might 
 be otherwise. Hobbs had a disagreeable 
 mastery over him which might one day 
 fall to be shown. Besides that, if ever 
 there was a time in his life when the 
 desire for reformation came over him with 
 anything like power, it was that night. 
 He had gained a most important point ; but 
 a feeling had been awakened in his bosom 
 which he did not calculate on being 
 roused, and the completeness of the 
 trust which had been reposed in him 
 made an appeal to his better nature 
 stronger than anything he had ever ex- 
 perienced before. 
 
 " Rest and quietness," said the Doctor. 
 " There is nothing specially wrong ; it is 
 only a flesh wound." 
 
 Next morning the news had spread far 
 and wide over the parish. The Bellman,
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. I 39 
 
 in his official capacity, offered a reward for 
 the capture and conviction of the offenders, 
 and the Beadle found it a convenient topic 
 to ensure him a good reception in several 
 farm-houses at meal-time ; indeed, by a 
 judicious selection of the localities, the 
 subject had the double effect of being 
 interesting to his hearers and beneficial 
 to himself for many days. 
 
 Regardless of verity of detail, Rumour, 
 that false-tongued expositor of events, 
 indicated that Hobbs had been robbed of an 
 immense sum of money which, unfortu- 
 nately, he had on his person at the time, 
 besides a handsome gold watch, with chain 
 and seals of fabulous value. As the news 
 circulated, a number of Bank of England 
 cheques for large sums were added to the 
 loss, though it was understood that these 
 would be found to be of comparatively 
 little value in the hands of the delinquents. 
 While all this had the effect of drawing forth
 
 140 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 a good deal of sympathy for Hobbs, and a 
 hearty denunciation of the wretches who 
 had been guilty of the treacherous and 
 wicked deed, two men at the Bird in 
 the Hand Tavern found without much 
 inquiry an easy clue to the whereabouts 
 of the person they sought. 
 
 " You are not much the worse," said 
 Herbert, as they talked the matter over 
 next morning in Hobbs's bed-room. " It's 
 an unfortunate thing you were not off to 
 Stappleton before these friends of yours 
 from London came. You could have 
 stayed there until the fellows had got off 
 the scent. What is your liability ? ' 
 
 " Over eighty pounds ; but there will be 
 expenses." 
 
 "Well, I suppose what will be, must 
 be. We cannot afford to do anything, 
 at the present stage, but pay. I fancy 
 you will be able to go to Stappleton 
 yet ? "
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. 141 
 
 " I think so ; barring that confounded 
 giddiness, I am perfectly well." 
 
 " Remember, you must bet cautiously on 
 that Grey Mare until you discover the 
 feeling." 
 
 Herbert's virtue of last night, like 
 the early cloud, had passed away, and he 
 was again in the giddy whirl of speculation. 
 
 " By the way," said Hobbs, " I have a 
 rare bit of information in one of my letters 
 from London this morning. It is one of 
 the funniest coincidences I ever knew." 
 
 " What is it ? " inquired Herbert, with 
 some curiosity. 
 
 " Sheffeld is desperately in love with a 
 young lady in Glenara, and is thinking 
 seriously of marriage." 
 
 " Good gracious ! With whom is he in 
 love?" demanded Herbert with impatience. 
 
 " A girl they call Lee, I think." 
 
 There was a knock at the door. 
 
 " Come in. Well, Betty, what is it ?"
 
 142 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " It's twa men, sir," said Betty, " twa gae 
 stoot-lookin' chiels, furriners, frae their 
 tongues, for if I hadna travelled a bit 
 mysel', and ser't in Glasca, I wadna hae 
 kent a syllable they said. I put them intae 
 the leebrary, though maybe I shouldna, as 
 in thir days ye can hardly tell a keely frae 
 an honest man." 
 
 1 ' What do they want?' inquired Her- 
 bert, who was accustomed to Betty's round- 
 about way of putting things. 
 
 " Eh, I forgot to tell ye that, sir. They 
 speer't kindly for Maister Hobbs. Maybe 
 they're frien's o' his. I beg his pardon, but 
 I told them that he had gotten an awfu 
 fraction on the brain, forby being robbed o' 
 a' his valuables, which was an unchristian- 
 like daeing ; but as to gettin' in to see him 
 was a thing I daurna alloo; but I said, says 
 I, 'I'll see.'" 
 
 After a brief consultation with Hobbs, 
 Herbert left the apartment. Hobbs's con-
 
 UNEXPECTED VISITORS. 1 43 
 
 jecture, while he stood at the gate on the 
 previous evening, was verified by disclo- 
 sures which were made to Herbert when 
 he reached the library. The trifle of eighty 
 pounds, by the various items connected 
 with the legal proceedings, had assumed 
 the shape of one hundred and five pounds 
 nineteen shillings and threepence half- 
 penny sterling, every fraction of which 
 fell to be paid, otherwise the demands of 
 justice would seek satisfaction in another 
 way. After a further conversation with 
 Hobbs, Herbert with much reluctance 
 adjusted the claim, giving as his reason 
 for doing so the fearful loss his friend 
 had sustained on the previous night, and 
 the humane pretext that imprisonment 
 under present circumstances would be as 
 much as his life was worth. The officers 
 were perfectly satisfied with these reasons, 
 more particularly when the claim had been 
 so promptly met, and in a manner involving
 
 144 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 so little trouble to themselves. Herbert 
 rang as they were about to leave, and 
 instructed Betty to see the gentlemen past 
 the dog. 
 
 " Gentlemen ! ' reiterated Betty to the 
 lame servant whom she found in the 
 scullery after she had obeyed her master's 
 behests. " Gentlemen, indeed ! I'm nane 
 for prophesying nor for clashin' or claverin' 
 aboot ither folk's concerns, ye ken that, 
 Jeen Armour, but if yon twa fallows the 
 Maister ca's ' gentlemen ' are no Shirra 
 offishers, my name's no Betty Broon."
 
 ( i45 ) 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. 
 
 Annie Dawson's new burden of happiness 
 became very heavy to bear, considering 
 that she had to bear it all herself. Herbert, 
 prudently for his own interests, forbade her 
 to name the matter to her parents until 
 they should have a longer and more inti- 
 mate acquaintance with each other. While 
 he had been successful in winning Annie's 
 heart, he felt satisfied that the half of the 
 work had not yet been accomplished, and 
 that what remained to be done would have 
 to be gone about with judgment and 
 caution. Annie at once saw the reasonable- 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 I46 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ness of this course ; she knew that her 
 father had a prepossession in favour of Mr. 
 Rodger, and that her mother did not now 
 think he was quite so bad as he had been 
 represented to be. Yet she saw the 
 course Herbert had proposed was politic, 
 and might turn out satisfactory in the 
 end. So, though she felt it was very 
 wrong, she made up her mind to keep the 
 secret and calmly await the issue of events. 
 This Annie found to be much more diffi- 
 cult than she at first anticipated. Her 
 head was full of a new joy — so full, indeed, 
 that her mind was occupied with nothing 
 else, night or day, until even the joy 
 became painful to her. She could not now 
 trust herself in her mother's presence, 
 where before she had found so much true 
 happiness. She felt sure that if her mother 
 scrutinized her too closely she would dis- 
 cover her secret, and find out how wicked 
 and undutiful she had been. Annie felt as
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. 1 47 
 
 if she had entered upon some new phase of 
 existence, her feelings were so different from 
 what they had been. The past pictures of 
 her life had been full of a pure, beautiful, 
 and uniformly warm light, but the present 
 was composed of sudden and sharp con- 
 trasts — keen light and sombre shadow. 
 
 Nelly Lee was too ill to bear any share 
 of her secret ; even Annie was not allowed 
 to do more than speak to her in the pre- 
 sence of her aunt, so that she had to bear 
 it quietly and alone. Annie had frequent 
 headaches during the early stages of this 
 new experience, which kept her much in 
 her own room, or at least somewhere out 
 of her mother's presence. She had seen 
 Herbert several times since his confession 
 of love. Twice she had met him secretly 
 in the Priory Wood, and twice he had 
 found occasion to visit at the Mill. During 
 the former meetings she had told him all 
 her difficulties, and he had spoken such
 
 I48 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 tender words, and given her such manly 
 comfort, that for the time she felt confi- 
 dent and strong. His visits to the Mill 
 had been, on the whole, successful. Her 
 father's good opinion of him was growing 
 stronger and stronger, and her mother's 
 prejudiced reserve was beginning to thaw. 
 During these visits she had to assume a 
 perfect indifference in his presence, and act 
 a part which was not in consonance with 
 her own feelings. Though Annie played 
 this part successfully, she often wept 
 bitterly in private over her hypocrisy, and 
 while she would not give up the newly- 
 acquired pleasure, she prayed earnestly 
 that the old love and confidence and single- 
 ness of aim might be restored. 
 
 This morning, Annie's mind was in a 
 more comfortable condition than it had 
 been for many days. She felt cheerful, 
 and could look her mother in the face with- 
 out any feeling of shame or fear. The
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. 1 49 
 
 annual trip of the Sabbath-school, which 
 had been fixed to take place a week ago, 
 but which was deferred in consequence 
 of the wetness of the weather, had been 
 arranged to come off to-day ; but not the 
 least part of the buoyancy and comfort 
 which the day brought arose from the 
 fact that Herbert had appointed to meet 
 her that evening in the Priory Wood. 
 
 Herbert Rodger's name was fast be- 
 coming a household word in the Miller's 
 family. Annie was much pleased by the 
 frequent recurrence to the subject, though 
 she had often the greatest difficulty in 
 hiding her confusion on these occasions. 
 During the morning meal, while talking 
 over the trip, the Miller made much head- 
 way against his wife's prejudices from the 
 fact that his protegd had voluntarily made 
 a contribution towards defraying the ex- 
 pense of a treat for the children. Philip 
 had ceased to taunt his wife on the subject
 
 150 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 of judging without evidence, but he always 
 took the trouble to say how he arrived at 
 his conclusions, and this he considered a 
 striking instance of the correctness of the 
 process. 
 
 "I believe," said the Miller, as he wound 
 up the conversation, " Mr. Rodger only 
 requires to find out that there is intelligence 
 in the parish, and a kindly sympathy with 
 him in his way of thinking, to become a 
 good, generous, and useful man." 
 
 At twelve o'clock the children met 
 in the school-house connected with the 
 Established Church. There were between 
 sixty and seventy present, in addition to 
 the teachers. The Rev. Mr Clydesdale, 
 the honorary superintendent, who had 
 been the direct means of instituting the 
 school, was present, and delivered a short 
 address to teachers and scholars. George 
 M'Whannal, the acting superintendent, 
 afterwards gave them instructions regarding
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. I 5 I 
 
 the order of march, and some advice as 
 to their expected behaviour during the 
 afternoon. The day was most favour- 
 able. In fact, as M'Whannel remarked to 
 the teachers afterwards, it was truly a day 
 worth waiting for. The order of march 
 was three deep, and the destination was 
 the Castle grounds, kindly opened for the 
 occasion by the Duke of Avon. On 
 arriving at the Ruin they were arranged in 
 companies on the grassy plateau inside the 
 walls. Four verses of a psalm having been 
 sung by the children and re-sung by the 
 echoes inside the Castle, Mr. Clydesdale in 
 a few words invoked the Divine blessing, 
 and afterwards the Miller's cart, which 
 accompanied the party, was wheeled into 
 the historical inclosure, and they were 
 sumptuously supplied with good things. 
 
 Now the sport began. There were 
 skipping-ropes for the girls and footballs 
 for the boys, and races for both sexes, old
 
 152 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 and young, for which suitable prizes were 
 offered. Jean Gardner and Beenie Geddes, 
 two of the spinster teachers, much to the 
 amusement of the whole party, ran a race 
 for half a pound of tea, which had been 
 kindly placed at the disposal of the super- 
 intendent by the Grocer. After the races, 
 the girls played at "Jingo-ring' and 
 " Campsie Dukes," while the boys indulged 
 in " Keep the Corbie frae the Craw' and 
 " Hot Pies." While the children were thus 
 enjoying themselves the teachers had some 
 pleasant games of forfeits, in which the 
 Miller's daughter had the prominent 
 honour of being kissed by young Mr. 
 Clydesdale, who, at the time of the trip, 
 was enjoying his college vacation at the 
 Manse. After forfeits, the game chosen 
 was " Ba-ba-babity," during which the fun 
 was climaxed by bachelor Davie Blair 
 spreading the handkerchief before Jean 
 Gardner, and the struggle that ensued
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. 1 53 
 
 before the spinster would yield to afford 
 the eager farmer the luxury of a kiss. In 
 the evening the party returned to the 
 school-house, much delighted with the 
 events of the day. 
 
 Though Annie Dawson had enjoyed 
 herself tolerably well on the occasion, it 
 is no exaggeration to say that her day's 
 enjoyment was all in store for her yet ; 
 indeed, the whole happiness of the day 
 had been heightened and charmed by the 
 thought that she had to meet Herbert 
 after it was all over. Having parted from 
 the teachers as quickly as she could, she 
 crossed the bridge above the village and 
 passed into the fir glen. The path which 
 led to the Priory was almost entirely 
 shrouded from the sunlight by the close- 
 ness of the foliage above, but the air was 
 balmy and soft, and laden with the scent 
 of wild myrrh. Annie's impatience led her 
 to start before the time, but she lingered
 
 154 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 over the scene with an enjoyment which 
 was made keen by the memories and the 
 expectations of the day. She hoped no 
 one would meet her in the glen, for though 
 the pathway led ultimately to the Mill, 
 she feared lest she might have to offer an 
 excuse for taking such an unusual way 
 thither. Pausing over a beautiful cluster 
 of harebells, she was examining their 
 tender shades and fragile texture when she 
 heard the sound of approaching footsteps. 
 Her heart beat fast. That was the way 
 by which he generally came. It was he. 
 She saw him, and approached with out- 
 stretched hand. Herbert saw the pure, 
 earnest, and simple faith in Annie's face as 
 she met him, and was touched by it. 
 
 " What a pleasant surprise ! ' said he 
 after the first greeting. " I am glad the 
 Priory Wood is nearer to me than I 
 thought. I have never been so purely 
 happy anywhere as when with you there ;
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. 1 55 
 
 but I can make a Priory Wood of any- 
 place when I have your presence. Did 
 you weary for me, dear ? " 
 
 "If you just knew how much!' said 
 Annie earnestly. " I don't know how I 
 should have passed the day had it not 
 been for the children's trip." 
 
 " Poor things ! I hope they enjoyed 
 themselves." 
 
 " Yes ; it was a most enjoyable day, and 
 your kindness was very much appreciated. 
 If you had just seen how the children 
 clapped their little hands and cheered 
 when Mr. M'Whannel told them how much 
 they were indebted to you for their treat, 
 it would have pleased you very much. 
 I felt so proud of what he said. Oh ! 
 Herbert, it is hard, hard to bear all this 
 happiness alone. I love you so much, 
 you are so good and noble, and yet I must 
 keep it all to myself without letting any- 
 body know." Annie spoke from the ful-
 
 156 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 ness of her heart, and tears came freely 
 with the words. 
 
 " Annie dear ! what is the matter, 
 Annie ? ' Herbert put his arms about 
 her and looked troubled. 
 
 " Nothing," Annie said, removing the 
 handkerchief and wiping her eyes ; " I am 
 better now. My heart was too full, and 
 the tears came in spite of me." 
 
 " Tell all your love to me," said Herbert, 
 kissing the upturned brow. 
 
 " You know it all already." 
 
 " But I never weary of it. Was any- 
 thing troubling you ? " 
 
 " No ; but I feel so lonely at home — I 
 cannot bear to think myself a hyprocrite, 
 you know — and mother must think me 
 so queer. I cannot sit with her and 
 work and talk as I used to do. I am 
 always glad to get out of her sight, for 
 fear she should look at me and see the 
 secret I am trying so hard to conceal. I
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. I 57 
 
 dare not speak about you, Herbert, and 
 it is very hard to prevent my love from 
 showing itself sometimes." 
 
 " I know it is hard, Annie, to an honest 
 nature like yours ; but isn't it best to carry 
 the old people with us ? " 
 
 Annie paused before making reply. 
 
 " You are very wise and good, Herbert, 
 and I am sure will do nothing but what 
 is right. I am impatient and foolish, and 
 ough not to complain. I wish I were 
 oftener with you, it makes me so strong." 
 
 " Do they think me a ' scapegrace ? ' " 
 
 "Oh! Herbert." 
 
 " I know some people in the village, who 
 don't understand me, think so." 
 
 "Just because they don't understand 
 you, but what people don't understand 
 they should not speak about. My father 
 is very proud of you." 
 
 " Your father ! " 
 
 " He is, indeed. My father will judge
 
 158 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 no one by hearsay ; he thinks you have 
 been ill-used by stupid people who can't 
 sympathize with your ways." 
 
 " Good ! And your mother ? " 
 
 " She also has a high opinion of you." 
 
 Annie's heart would let her say no less, 
 though she felt the statement she had made 
 required some qualification. 
 
 " Then you think, Annie, they would 
 not be averse to our marriage ? ' 
 
 " Oh ! I wish they knew you as I do, 
 Herbert ; but they could not say No." 
 
 " That is the point ; they don't know 
 me. Beside, old heads are hard to reason 
 with — they are full of laws and ceremonies 
 gathered from experience, and whatever 
 does not square with these is set aside. 
 When I next visit the Mill, however, I 
 shall break the matter carefully to your 
 father. Will that do ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 The sunset was burning anions the
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. 1 59 
 
 trees on the*Chapel Hill as they reached 
 the Priory. 
 
 " This is your favourite seat," said Her- 
 bert, leading her into the hallowed enclo- 
 sure. " Let us rest here. You seem 
 tired." 
 "Do I?" 
 
 " Yes ; you have not been ill ? 
 " No, Herbert. I am only too happy, 
 that's all." 
 
 For a long time they sat together on 
 that clump of brown grass. Annie was 
 happy, and his presence made her bold 
 and strong. She felt she could bear any- 
 thing if she only had his approval and 
 his love. Herbert was proud of her. 
 He discovered a tenderness growing upon 
 him which he had never experienced be- 
 fore. He was charmed, and, for a time, 
 purified, by the truth, beauty, and earnest- 
 ness of those thoughtful, innocent eyes, 
 into whose depths he looked, and in which
 
 l6o THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 he found such admiration and trust. In 
 her presence, his desire was to wipe out 
 all the past and open a fresh page for the 
 future. As they left the Ruin, Annie led 
 him round by the lower terrace, and showed 
 him the "Lichen Well," with its beautiful 
 shades of green and its clear cool water ; 
 then they wandered homeward by the 
 Priory Wood. The sun had set, but they 
 stood lingeringly in each other's arms at 
 the last stile. 
 
 " So you are happy, Annie ? ' said 
 Herbert, after a pause, looking tenderly 
 down upon her. 
 
 " Yes— but " 
 
 " But what, dear ? " 
 
 " It is so hard to part." 
 
 " It is, indeed," said Herbert; "but we 
 shall soon meet again — you will promise 
 to be strong and firm ? " 
 
 " Oh ! Herbert, it is so hard." 
 
 " But, dear, you must."
 
 THE SECRET TRYST. l6l 
 
 " Then I will." Annie summoned all 
 her firmness to aid in the articulation of 
 this last sentence, and Herbert sealed the 
 resolution with a kiss. As she hurried 
 through the Wood the distant future 
 seemed bright and beautiful with his 
 love ; but immediately before her there 
 was a fearful shadow, and that shadow 
 was her own home. 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 1 6?. THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. 
 
 It was never known whether the theft 
 of Girzy M'Intosh's body had any refer- 
 ence to the illness of Miss Lee and the 
 steps that were subsequently pursued by 
 the doctors with a view to her recovery. 
 It may be said, however, that Dr. Calder, 
 who had studied and taken his degree at 
 Oxford University, was a personal friend 
 of Mr. Sheffeld, and from this circum- 
 stance, as well as from the interest natur- 
 ally excited by the peculiarity of the case, 
 he was intensely anxious about the result. 
 It was a fact that immediately after the
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. 1 63 
 
 mysterious opening of the pauper's grave, 
 Dr. Fergusson and he had spent many 
 hours together in the pathological sanctum 
 of the latter in the Old College, High 
 Street, discussing the case, and while an 
 operation had been decided upon as the 
 result of their deliberations, they could 
 not but feel that the issues of the course 
 they proposed to adopt were of a doubtful 
 nature. 
 
 " I have secured the services of Profes- 
 sor Fergusson," wrote Dr. Calder to Shef- 
 feld, on the eve of this important event, 
 " and so far as human skill and care can 
 go to save a life, you may trust us ; but at 
 the best it is an experiment which, even 
 with the greatest watchfulness and atten- 
 tion, may fail." 
 
 The agony of the lover in London, 
 during the long days of anxiety that 
 intervened, was intense, but the eagerly 
 expected bulletin at last reached him —
 
 164 THE DAWS0NS OF GLENARA. 
 
 the work of the surgeons had been suc- 
 cessful. So the sun of hope once more burst 
 through the gloom, and the "grey bird 
 joy " again sang in the air. 
 
 The next post brought with it a little 
 note, hurriedly written. 
 
 It was as follows : — 
 
 " My dear, dear Edward, 
 
 " The dreaded crisis is over. The 
 Doctor says he has been successful, though 
 I am still very weak ; but, dearest, I would 
 willingly suffer it all over again for your 
 sake. I hope God will spare me to make 
 you happy. 
 
 14 Annie Dawson has kindly written this 
 for me. I shall never be able to repay 
 her for all her kindness. Auntie is quite 
 well, and is preparing a little wine toddy 
 for me. Poor dear creature, she has suf- 
 fered greatly too." 
 
 In six weeks Nelly Lee was so well as
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. 1 65 
 
 to be able to take her first walk. It was a 
 great morning, that, in the household. The 
 doctor had called on the day previous and 
 granted the joyous license for a short stroll 
 in the garden, with, if the weather should 
 prove favourable, a rest in the arbour 
 under the drooping willow. The pleasure 
 which the announcement brought was 
 about equally divided between the invalid 
 and her aunt. Miss Mackenzie, as might 
 be expected, was not idle on the occa- 
 sion. She was engaged all the morning 
 with matters pertaining to the comfort 
 and adornment of her niece. The blue 
 merino dress (that colour, she considered, 
 would suit her best) had hung on the 
 winter-dykes in the kitchen for hours, to 
 air, lest the shadow of dampness should 
 have passed over it, or lest the closeness 
 of the wardrobe should have robbed it of 
 that freshness which she deemed so essen- 
 tial to the personal comfort of her niece.
 
 1 66 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " We hae snatched ye, as it were, frae 
 the very fingers o' Death," Miss Mac- 
 kenzie said, as she put Nellys boots on the 
 fender, " and we maun tak' care o' ye noo. 
 Jenny, see that ye put the red cushion on 
 the summer-seat, and see til't that ye hae 
 the wee stool for her feet, as I telt ye. Eh, 
 lass, but Providence is kin' in sending such 
 a guid day." 
 
 The experiment in the garden was 
 repeated daily, when the weather was 
 favourable, with the very best results, and 
 Nelly's convalescence was both rapid and 
 satisfactory — so much so, indeed, that the 
 Doctor informed them his presence was no 
 more required, and that the gathering of 
 strength was simply a matter of time. 
 Annie and Nelly were now very much 
 together : a new sympathy had sprung up 
 between them, and they wandered fre- 
 quently, as of old, through the woods, and 
 visited the pleasant haunts which they
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. 1 67 
 
 used to know so intimately in childhood. 
 It was a happy time for these two 
 loving hearts, with their new hopes and 
 desires. When Nelly grew weary with the 
 exertion of the walk, they would rest 
 on the trunk of a fallen tree or on a dry 
 mossy bank, but most frequently of all 
 within the sacred walls of the Priory, and 
 there lay bare to each other their mutual 
 loves. 
 
 Annie's love was keen, impulsive, and 
 restless ; but Nelly's was deep and earnest, 
 interwoven so strongly and completely with 
 her whole being that all her thoughts and 
 feelings were steadily obedient to its 
 influence. 
 
 At this time Mr. Sheffeld enjoyed the 
 feast of correspondence to the full. It 
 was after one of Nelly's long forenoon 
 rambles with Annie early in September 
 that she wrote the following letter : —
 
 1 68 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 "Glenara, Thursday. 
 
 "My dearest Edward, 
 
 " I have just returned from a long 
 walk in the Castle grounds and through 
 the Priory Wood. I wish you could see 
 me sitting here in this little snuggery 
 as I write. My cheeks are quite tanned 
 with the sun, and I feel so very strong. 
 Aunt has gone to the village to buy 
 some wool. She says I am getting into 
 idle habits, and must do some knitting, so 
 until she returns I will dedicate the time to 
 you. I have tried your recommendation, 
 dear, as to early rising for the last week, 
 and find myself ever so much better. 
 Whether it be from the practice, or from 
 the fact of your having recommended it, I 
 cannot tell. How pained I have been about 
 your cold ! I hope you are taking some- 
 thing for it — some sirrup or cough mixture. 
 I only wish I were near you, that I might 
 nurse you when you are ill. Be sure and let
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. 1 69 
 
 me know in your next letter how you are. 
 I would prefer, dear, if you put off our 
 wedding till spring. I know how uncom- 
 fortable you must have been during my 
 illness, and how cheerless your life is all 
 alone by yourself; but I have such a lot of 
 things to get ready, and such a deal to 
 learn before entering upon so important 
 a duty, that I feel it will take me all this 
 time to prepare for it. Indeed, I some- 
 times wonder, if ever I can be worthy of 
 you — if ever I shall be able to do for you 
 all my heart would prompt me to do. I am 
 afraid not, but if you will kindly bear with 
 me in my shortcomings I shall do my very 
 best. I am glad your pic-nic came off well. 
 I should like to have seen you flirting with 
 your senior partner's daughter at Waterfall 
 Gardens on that beautiful July day. 
 Beware ! You know what Ruth did to 
 Boaz ; that would have been meet punish- 
 ment for such transgression. Shall I tell
 
 I70 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 you ? She pulled his ears and trod upon his 
 corn ! My old friends the Comptons were 
 there, too. I can imagine what a brilliant 
 galaxy of beauty and fashion you would 
 make. Poor dear Annie Dawson ! My 
 heart was sore for her to-day. Mr. Rodger 
 failed to keep his engagement yesterday 
 afternoon, and the poor creature is nearly 
 distracted. She is so fond of him. Her 
 fear is that some accident may have be- 
 fallen him at Glammerton Fair. You can- 
 not understand, dear, how prone we girls 
 are to invent horrors with which to tor- 
 ture ourselves when anything seems to go 
 wrong ; but that is one of our weaknesses, 
 you know. I don't think she closed her 
 eyes all last night, and you would have 
 been sorry for her if you had seen her to- 
 day. But I hope, for her sake, it may yet 
 all be well. Oh, Edward, I wish you had 
 been with me to-day in the woods. It only 
 required your dear presence to complete
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. 171 
 
 my happiness. If you could only visit the 
 Castle grounds, I know you would be so 
 pleased. The river is not like the one 
 we knew in Kent; nor are the banks here 
 like the dear banks with the moss and the 
 violets which heard our first confession of 
 love. They are much grander than any- 
 thing I ever saw in England ; but this 
 I know you will put down to provincial 
 prejudice. The trees, too, are so stately 
 and mature in their foliage, and the Sep- 
 tember sun has given a fine mellow colour 
 to the leaves. But, dear, it is sad to think 
 that this very beauty is the first stage of 
 decay. We visited the Lichen . Well, the 
 Trysting Tree, and the old Priory, to all of 
 which I shall lead you when you come. 
 The Sabbath evening school for the village 
 children, of which I told you a month ago, 
 is getting on most satisfactorily. The 
 Minister takes a deep interest in it, and 
 I believe it is likely to do much good. I
 
 172 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 have promised to take a class in the course 
 of a week or two. The Doctor called two 
 days ago. He says my health is likely to 
 be better now than ever it has been. Do 
 you know, Edward, I shall respect that 
 man as long as I live. I never shall be 
 able to tell you all he has done for me, but 
 I hope God will bless him abundantly for 
 it. I suppose you will be tired with this 
 long letter. I had much more to say, but 
 Auntie has returned with the worsted, and 
 I must try and make myself useful now. 
 As I write, she comes in to say that I am 
 to send her kindest regards to you, which 
 I beg to do herewith. Take care of your- 
 self, dear. Tell me early how your cold is, 
 and I'll write soon. 
 
 "Ever your own affectionate 
 
 " Nelly." 
 
 The new relationship which existed 
 between Annie Dawson and the young
 
 AN IMPORTANT OrERATION. I 73 
 
 laird of Blair Farm was now tolerably 
 well understood in the village. Perhaps 
 a careful analysis of the feelings of those 
 who knew the parties, and who took the 
 trouble of thinking over the matter at all, 
 would have shown that there existed some 
 regret that the Millers daughter had 
 thrown so much youth and beauty and 
 goodness away on a person so unlike her 
 in every way ; but as nobody felt specially 
 interested, this regret was never expressed 
 by any one in the presence of the Miller 
 or his family. So far as the Miller him- 
 self was concerned, it would have been 
 utterly unavailing. Mr. Dawson w»as not 
 the man to be easily turned aside by public 
 opinion. He had given his consent to the 
 match, not only because he understood there 
 was reciprocity of feeling, but in order also 
 to vindicate the wisdom of his choice. On 
 the whole, Herbert Rodger's reputation 
 was improving : his increased personal
 
 174 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 attention to the farm was commented upon 
 even by his own servants. Betty Brown, 
 who prided herself on her unfailing pre- 
 science of events, told the lame servant, 
 one morning as they sat together at break- 
 fast, that she believed the maister wad 
 come to something yet, but she didna like 
 that brandy-drinkin', tobacco-smokin', ill- 
 tongued bruit, Hobbs. 
 
 " Ye ken, Jeen, maisters hae a richt to 
 do what they like. Aye mind that, for 
 I wadna like to instil wrang thochts intae 
 onybody's head, far less intae a glaiket 
 head like yours ; but it is my opinion that 
 the maister wad hae less o' the deevil 
 aboot the hoose if Hobbs was awa'." 
 
 Herbert's attendance at Church crradu- 
 ally became more irregular ; but he had 
 entered his name as an annual contributor 
 to the Foreign Missions in connection with 
 the Church of Scotland, and had sent a 
 donation of ^5 to the Sick Ministers'
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. I 75 
 
 Relief Fund in Edinburgh, an act which 
 got into the Record, and was spoken of 
 with some favour in the village. During 
 all this time he was a frequent visitor at 
 the Mill, and every wise or benevolent 
 deed, as it became known, raised him in 
 the family estimation. Annie valued 
 Herbert's good name far above anything 
 else in the world. It may have been 
 partly because she herself once doubted 
 it. There was no discourse so sweet 
 to her ear as that which took notice 
 of any act that tended to elevate him in 
 public favour. She never was so truly 
 happy as when in his presence. There 
 was such a charm in his conversation, and 
 his admiration of her was so fascinating 
 and sweet. In addition to the formal 
 visits at the Miller's house, they had fre- 
 quent meetings in secret at the Priory, 
 and happy summer rambles by the river 
 and through the woods ; but these meet-
 
 I 76 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ings were all too brief and unfrequent for 
 the demands of Annie's love. Of late he 
 had seemed a little changed. He was 
 not quite so often at the Mill nor in the 
 Priory Wood ; but Annie knew he must 
 have been so busy in getting in the 
 harvest, which was said to be not so 
 abundant as had been expected. His 
 speech was not so direct now, nor his 
 conversation so well sustained : he would 
 sometimes walk by her side, looking 
 thoughtfully at the ground, without speak- 
 ing a word, until her voice would startle 
 him out of his reverie. But she loved him 
 all the same — nay, her love and sympathy 
 for him were increased. There might be 
 some pecuniary difficulty, of which he 
 would not tell her, weighing heavily upon 
 him. Many reasons came to her mind 
 to account for these unpleasant moods. 
 Annie's heart was as full as ever of hopeful 
 trust. She knew his affection for her was
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. I 77 
 
 so true, so tender, that he would not will- 
 ingly give her pain. The disappointment 
 referred to in Nelly Lee's letter was 
 keenly felt — one of the sharp incisive 
 pangs that make young people old. The 
 worst of it was she had to bear the whole 
 of it herself, as her parents were not aware 
 of the tryst. These rustic rambles were 
 not all under parental sanction. There 
 are doings of ineffable sweetness to youth 
 which age would write down as folly. 
 Annie kept all the secret sorrow in her 
 own heart. The day after Herbert's en- 
 gagement to meet her at the Priory passed, 
 yet there was no word from him. She 
 would fain have walked over to the farm, 
 but a sense of propriety held her in check. 
 Had her parents known what was preying 
 upon her mind, they could easily have 
 assuaged the anxiety ; but she had not 
 courage to tell the truth. The next day 
 
 came, but still there was no word, and her 
 vol. 1. n
 
 I78 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 conviction grew into a certainty that some 
 dreadful thing had come over him. Only 
 an accident or something worse could 
 deter him from breaking this terrible sus- 
 pense. She went to see Mrs. Wilson 
 early in the day, but her mind was so 
 unsettled that the customary chapter was 
 left unread. Mrs. Dawson marked her 
 nervous restlessness, and questioned her 
 closely about her health, but she was 
 ashamed to tell the cause of her anxiety. 
 That evening, after the mill stopped, there 
 came partial relief. Her father, in the 
 course of conversation, observed that he 
 had seen Mr. Rodger driving the bay 
 horse at a steady trot past Biglea Farm. 
 
 She breathed freely. He was safe. He 
 would come over immediately. What a 
 history he would have to tell her ! How he 
 would regret causing her so much anxiety ! 
 
 That night she slept soundly. Next 
 morning, after breakfast, she hurried over
 
 AN IMPORTANT OPERATION. 1 79 
 
 to tell Nelly that her fears had been 
 groundless — that, in fact, he was safe, and 
 must have been detained by some insur- 
 mountable obstacle. In the afternoon, 
 while going to the Priory, she met him 
 in the wood. After all, Annie was not 
 too exacting. She had thought to punish 
 him for disappointing her ; but in his pre- 
 sence her petulancy vanished. His simple 
 statement that business of importance had 
 detained him at the fair, was all the expla- 
 nation she received, or, indeed, cared to 
 have. Beside him, the past was forgotten, 
 and all that she knew, or desired to know, 
 was that the present was full of joy.
 
 l8o THE DAWS0NS OF GLENARA. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 
 
 All this time a genius had been growing 
 up in the parish within the humble outer 
 habiliments of a gingham weaver. John 
 Thomson had been born to make a " flying 
 machine, and make a flying machine he 
 would." On the whole, the weaving had 
 been pretty good during the spring and 
 summer, but the Weaver's family were not 
 exempt from the ordinary ills to which 
 flesh is heir. Jock was laid up with 
 scarlatina, and wee Jean had had a severe 
 attack of the measles. The neighbours 
 all said they were " bonny measles," but
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. l8l 
 
 John Thomson could not see the beauty 
 of anything that stood in the way of 
 the flying machine ; and, as misfortunes 
 seldom come in single file, his guidwife, to 
 crown the series, presented him with an 
 infant son, which Sandy M 'Lean's mother 
 declared was the "real pictur o' his faither; 
 far liker him nor Jock, wha was a mongral 
 bairn, and like naebody ava." Invention, 
 under these circumstances, he found to 
 be very uphill work. One day in Glas- 
 gow, for twopence, he had picked up a 
 ragged life of Bernard Pallissy, the potter, 
 which he nibbled like a sweet cake in 
 secret. He dared not show the volume to 
 his wife, for she had a favourite text which 
 she used to crack over his head like a whip, 
 and which smarted him almost as keenly, 
 and he knew that a sermon from this text 
 would be the certain result of an acquaint- 
 ance with the life of the French potter. 
 " Think on the words o' the apostle,"
 
 1 82 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 she would say when the family got into 
 straits through John's zeal for the public 
 good, " If a man neglecks the folk in his 
 ain hoose he's waur nor an infidel." 
 
 To do her justice, however, this strong 
 style of address was sparingly used, and 
 was called forth only by the severe pinch 
 of necessity. At heart she sympathized a 
 good deal with the project her husband 
 had in hand, and was not without hope 
 that the scheme might yet come to some- 
 thing ; but to confess as much to John 
 would have been equivalent to opening the 
 door to stark destitution. Though exposed 
 to much disheartenment, John always re- 
 covered patience and determination from a 
 fresh perusal of his book. 
 
 About this time a rather unfortunate 
 incident occurred in the history of the 
 scheme, which seriously damaged his credit 
 in the eyes of some who looked upon him 
 as a successful rising man.
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. l8; 
 
 J 
 
 Jock and Jean had recovered from their 
 ailments, and the little "pictur of himself 
 was thriving quite equal to expectation. 
 John had had a hard week's work, and to 
 his wife's great satisfaction he finished his 
 web on Friday afternoon in time for pay- 
 ment before the shutting of the agent's 
 office. It so happened, too, that John was 
 as well pleased with himself as his wife 
 was, and he considered that he had justly 
 earned a little liberty, which he decided 
 should assume the shape of a treat. 
 Having settled this matter, he next made 
 up his mind that the subject of this bene- 
 volence should be his intimate friend and 
 admirer, the Beamer, whom he speedily 
 sought out and conducted into the kitchen 
 of the Bird in the Hand Tavern. The en- 
 grossing subject of conversation was the 
 flying machine. The Beamer was the 
 only person of his acquaintance who 
 seemed fully to understand the utility of
 
 184 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 the invention, and who could enter into 
 the discussion of the subject with anything 
 like intelligent appreciation, so that John, 
 heated by the talk, stayed rather later than 
 he intended. During the course of the 
 evening the Nailer, the Shoemaker, the 
 Beadle, and Ballynahinch, were added to 
 the company and joined in the discussion. 
 Ballynahinch and the Nailer doubted very 
 much the practicability of the scheme, the 
 Shoemaker shook his head and declined 
 to offer an opinion either way, while the 
 Beadle and the Beamer were sanguine of 
 the ultimate success of the project. 
 
 " Sure, isn't it against all rason yez are 
 talkin'," said Ballynahinch, as the discus- 
 sion proceeded. "If the Creator had 
 meant us to fly, couldn't He have give us 
 wings just as ready as not. It would have 
 been no trouble in the world to Him." 
 
 " Haud there," said the Shoemaker, 
 speaking from his neutral ground. " On
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 1 85 
 
 the same line o' argument, if He had 
 meant us to be astronomers He wad ha' 
 given us een to go oot an' in like tele- 
 scopes. I dinna agree wi' ye there, lad." 
 
 " I have heard the deevil had a hand i' 
 the makin' o' that telescope," said the 
 Beadle, doubtfully. " Troth, I think we 
 hae enough to dae wi' oorsel's, withoot 
 fashin' oor heads aboot oot-o'-the-way stars 
 and things like that." 
 
 " I dinna ken muckle aboot stars or 
 telescopes," remarked the Weaver confi- 
 dently. " Ye'll seldom get an able man 
 that kens everything ; but as to makin' a 
 machine to carry ye through the air, I'm 
 perfect sure o' that, and I believe ye'll see 
 men, ay, and women tae, fleein' through 
 the air on my principle before ye dee." 
 
 " I don't know what your principle is," 
 said Ballynahinch, with a wicked wink at 
 the Shoemaker, " but I can tell you this, 
 John, that I have seen men flying often
 
 1 86 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 enough before now without any principle 
 at all; but I'll never believe it can be 
 done as you say till I see you as high 
 as the top of your own chimley — now, 
 boy." 
 
 The Weaver was considerably chagrined 
 at this defiant scepticism. A strong desire 
 sprang up in his mind to dispel it at once 
 by a practical test, and then cut the sceptics 
 out of his favour for ever. But this he 
 was hardly prepared to announce, so with 
 an ominous shake of the head, which an- 
 nounced far more than his words, he said, 
 " Weel, weel, ye'll see." 
 
 That night, when he got home, he went 
 and cast all his week's earnings into his 
 wife's lap. 
 
 " That's no bad, Mattie, for five days, 
 eh?" 
 
 " No bad, John ; but the shop's to pay. 
 that'll tak' the maist o't, and I have to gie 
 Maister Wotherspoon twa and thripence
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 1 87 
 
 for the plants and the seedlings. Whaur 
 hae ye been ? ' 
 
 " I hae anger't mysel' wi' twa blockheads 
 about the machine," said John, lighting the 
 candle. 
 
 " Aren't ye gaun tae yer bed ? ' 
 
 " No, Mattie, no yet ; I maun gie the 
 wings a bit ca' through first; I'll show 
 them that the thing can be dune. Go ye 
 to yer bed, and I'll be after ye." 
 
 Mattie pled on the ground that he 
 needed rest after his sore week's work ; 
 but John was inexorable. 
 
 " Whaur's that black silk claith ? " 
 
 " It's in the press 'yont the hoose ; wait 
 though, and I'll get it, for ye hae nae hands 
 to let in among claes. But, man, it wad be 
 wiser like gin ye gied tae yer bed." 
 
 John paid no attention to the admonition, 
 but took the cloth and the candle and 
 quietly marched " ben the hoose " and in- 
 stantly set to work. John laboured all
 
 1 88 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 night most assiduously, and at six o'clock 
 in the morning, when his wife turned in 
 bed and blessed herself, and asked him if 
 he was " daft," he came joyously into the 
 kitchen and told her that the wings were 
 finished. 
 
 "Just look at that," he said, as he 
 fastened them on and gave two or three 
 flaps ; " there's nae mair need for leg 
 power noo, Mattie ; I could flaff ower the 
 hoose like a corbie, and mount like the 
 eagle. Eh, Mattie, Mattie, this'll be a 
 great day for Glenara. Ill show them 
 what can be dune by a weaver. — A 
 we-a-v-er ! ' shouted the inventor, with an 
 expression of scorn, " I'll mak' them con- 
 fess I was a genius in a weaver's brat " 
 (apron). Mattie lay looking out at her 
 husband in silent wonder. She was more 
 than astonished at the contrivance of the 
 man. " He's no unlike a fleein' cratur," 
 she thought, " and what . if I have been
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 1 89 
 
 keepin' him doon." Several pangs of 
 regret visited her that day, as she lay 
 looking out at the man who seemed to be 
 possessed of the wings of the morning. 
 " Preserve us, John, but ye hae an awfu' 
 head for contrivances." 
 
 "Ay, nae doot," said her husband, 
 making a further trial of the wings. 
 
 " Ye'll blaw us oot the hoose ! " 
 
 " Dinna fear ye." 
 
 " Mercy ! but ye will, though ; ye hae 
 blawn the blankets clean affthe wean." 
 
 " Weel, weel," said John, stopping to 
 examine the fastenings of the silk, " we'll 
 hae a better trial by and by." 
 
 " Is it finished noo ?" 
 
 " A' barrin' the tail." 
 
 " What's the tail for ? " 
 
 " Guidn't. It's no unlike the witch's 
 broomstick. I got the idea frae ane o' the 
 pictures in Allan Ramsay: only the broom- 
 head is turned intil a wing. If I had it
 
 I90 THE DAWSOXS OF GLENARA. 
 
 ready I micht be in Edinburgh before 
 breakfast time. But I'll astonish them this 
 day." 
 
 This announcement was made with such 
 an air of confidence that his spouse shifted 
 the " wean ' to the other side, turned her 
 face to the wall, and dreamt that she saw 
 her husband flying round the sun in 
 company with a couple of eagles. 
 
 Jock was roused earlier than usual that 
 morning, and found that his porridge was 
 steaming on the table waiting for him. Jock 
 considered there must be a purpose in all 
 this, but nothing was revealed until he had 
 finished the last spoonful. 
 
 -Jock?" 
 
 " Ay." 
 
 " Are ye through wi' yer parrich ?" Jock 
 gave a double-syllabled affirmative through 
 his nasal organ, and nodded at the same 
 time, indicating not only that he was done, 
 but that he was willing to obey his father's 
 behests.
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 191 
 
 " This'll be a great day for ye, Jock." 
 said the father, still dressing the wings. 
 " Rin doon tae the Beamer's a' yer pith, and 
 tell him I'm gaun tae flee; tell him to 
 bring the Beadle, the Eerishman, the 
 Shoemaker, and the Nailer, and ony ither 
 body that's interested in the invenshen, 
 for I'm gaun tae flee frae the lum-tap this 
 day at twal' o'clock. I'll show them what 
 a weaver can do." For a minute Jock 
 stood looking at his father with wide-eyed 
 astonishment. 
 
 " But ye'll no be like Neil Fulton's guiss, 
 faither ; ye'll come back again ? ' 
 
 " Of coorse, laddie, of coorse, but rin yer 
 eerand. Ye ken what to say?' Jock, 
 satisfied that his father was not going to 
 be so foolish as Neil Fulton's goose, 
 replied in the double-syllabled nasal affir- 
 mative, and took his departure. Jock, as 
 instructed, went to the Beamer with the 
 news, but everybody he met by the way
 
 192 THE DAWSOXS OF GLENARA. 
 
 had a special hint of what was going to 
 take place at twelve o'clock, and in a very 
 short time the report was well spread 
 through the village that Weaver Thom- 
 son had completed his machine, and was 
 going to fly. At half-past eleven o'clock 
 there was a large crowd gathered in front 
 of the inventor's house, composed chiefly 
 of women, children, and grown-up boys, 
 all assembled according to appointment to 
 see the wonderful phenomenon of a flying 
 man. John's particular friend, the Beamer, 
 had arrived, and was serving the double 
 purpose of helping on the wings and con- 
 soling Mattie, who was afraid her husband 
 might either fly away from her altogether 
 or fall and hurt himself. 
 
 " Tut, Mattie, woman, what are ye aye 
 yaummerin' at ? Haven't I telt ye aboot a 
 dizen times that I winna leave ye. Ye 
 ken fine I canna gang far wantin 1 the tail." 
 
 " Of coorse no," said the Beamer, with
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 1 93 
 
 an air of the fullest confidence. " He'll 
 only gie a bit flutter owre the wud, seeing 
 that the tail's no ready, and he needs the 
 lum tap to gie him a bit lift, ye ken. 
 There's nae danger in the worr." 
 
 With this assurance her " yaummering ' 
 ceased, and the Beamer was allowed to 
 give his whole attention to the adjustment 
 of the wings. During this time the adult 
 male population of the village was fast 
 gathering outside of the cottage. Amongst 
 the crowd, in a conspicuous group, were 
 seen the Beadle, the Nailer, the Shoe- 
 maker, and Ballynahinch. 
 
 "What's wrong with your face, Robert?" 
 inquired the Shoemaker of the Nailer, 
 whose cheek was visibly swollen. 
 
 " Man, I hae had a sair swing o' the 
 toothache." 
 
 " Gore, and it's no a canny thing that." 
 
 " I was at the Doctor's before breakfast 
 
 time, and left it there." 
 vol. i. o
 
 194 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " I have aye thocht that the best plan," 
 said the Grocer, who had now joined the 
 party. " Get it drawn, and it never fashes 
 ye again." 
 
 "Weel, M'Auslane, it was eating a piece 
 o' yer new bacon that brought it on." 
 
 " Ay, that's a pity," said the Grocer, 
 " for it's no bad bacon. I took guid care 
 wi' the feedin' o't." 
 
 " I think it's just a shade owre lean," 
 said the Nailer. " I like it weel mixed." 
 
 " Besides bein' a kennin' owre dear," 
 remarked the Beadle. " There's no 
 muckle danger o't gein' me the toothache, 
 Robert." 
 
 " Talking of rearing well-mixed bacon,"' 
 said Ballynahinch, " I could give you a 
 hint on that subject, John." 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
 " Some Eerish trick, nae doot," said the 
 Beadle. 
 
 " Feed it well one week and starve it
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 1 95 
 
 the next, and you'll have a streak of lean 
 and a streak of fat time about/' 
 
 In the laugh which followed, the Grocer 
 came into a disagreeable altercation with 
 Danny Macfarlane's mother. The incident 
 happened in this wise : Danny, who was 
 anxious to have a good view of the 
 Weaver's ascent, had effected a nice 
 balance of himself on a high fence opposite 
 the door, and had begun to crow like a 
 cock, to the great amusement of the 
 younger members of the crowd, when the 
 Grocer, being more than commonly tickled 
 with the Irishman's joke, staggered back, 
 and in the act of lifting his right hand to 
 bring it forcibly down on his left, he struck 
 Danny on the breast and sent him heels 
 over head into the field beyond. In a 
 moment the vixen came up to the attack. 
 
 "What did ye dae that for, Mr. Cheat- 
 the-public ? " 
 
 " I meant nae harm, mistress ; tak' care 
 o' yer words."
 
 196 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " Tak' care o' my words ! Tak' care o' 
 yer ain neeves, ye limb o' Sautan. Ye hae 
 maist killed my bairn." 
 
 At this moment the Weavers head 
 made its appearance through the skylight 
 window, and a grand chorus of cheering, 
 led by the Beadle, was commenced and 
 continued for nearly a minute, by which 
 time the shoulders and the wings, and 
 finally the nether limbs, had emerged from 
 the opening, and the Weaver stood, life- 
 size, on the rigging, with his wings out- 
 spread, as if in the act of pronouncing a 
 benediction on the spectators who had 
 come to see him making his d&fit in mid 
 air. 
 
 " Dinna gang owre far for the first," 
 cried the Shoemaker, as John reached his 
 perch — the "lum tap." 
 
 " Oh, he'll no venture far wantin* the 
 tail," explained the Beamer, who had now 
 come out to watch the success of the
 
 THE MISFORTUNES OF GENIUS. 1 97 
 
 experiment. There was breathless sus- 
 pense. John stood for a moment with 
 outspread wings, like a swimmer on the 
 brink of a broad river which he must 
 cross, the spectators the while eagerly 
 expecting the plunge. The Inventor, 
 however, anxious to draw forth their 
 interest to the full, gave two or three 
 preliminary flaps. 
 
 " He's awa," cried the Beadle, shutting 
 his eyes, and groaning inwardly. 
 
 " No yet," said the Shoemaker. He 
 had staggered a little, but recovered him- 
 self. John's own feelings at this point 
 were not quite so exultant as they had 
 been. He was beginning to fear, as he 
 looked on the serious height of his posi- 
 tion, that he had maybe been too pre- 
 cipitate in his decision. What if the 
 buckles or the silk should give way ? 
 What if, not being able to guide himself, 
 he should flutter into the river ? These
 
 I98 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 and other thoughts occurred to him as he 
 stood there ; but twelve o'clock struck. 
 Now was the time for attempting the one 
 great aim of his life ; and repeating to 
 himself that he would either " mak' a 
 spoon or spoil a horn," he leapt forward, 
 gave a desperate flutter ; as he did so 
 his arms went up, his wings lost their 
 hold on the air, and falling heavily at 
 the end of the house, he broke his 
 leg — so, for a time at least, the starry 
 kingdoms were saved from invasion by 
 the winged races of men.
 
 ( 199 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 
 
 " ' Neck or Nothing,' Hobbs. I believe 
 that is the winning horse," said Rodger, as 
 he and the person named rode out together 
 on the morning of Stappleton Races ; " but 
 keep your head clear and watch the betting. 
 If you lose this, I am ruined." 
 
 " Temporary ruination," Hobbs said. 
 " A man with the prospect of ,£20,000, 
 unburdened by a single condition, should 
 not speak of ruination. In any case, you 
 must meet that bill of mine which falls 
 due to-morrow. It will neither suit you 
 nor me to have anxious inquirers coming 
 so far north."
 
 200 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " Well, we shall see. Let us hope for 
 success. I will not grudge you a hand- 
 some commission if the result be satisfac- 
 tory. I suppose my people expect I am 
 going to the races to-day," Herbert said ; 
 "but I'll see that the d — Is do their work. 
 I must go down by the mill by-and-by, 
 and show myself. Be sure you keep 
 steady, Hobbs." 
 
 " I promise you I shall taste nothing till 
 the business is over." 
 
 " You will return immediately and let 
 me know the result ? " 
 
 " Immediately." 
 
 " Then, I shall ride out and meet you 
 in the evening." 
 
 Herbert turned his horse, and rode back 
 to the farm. It was yet very early in the 
 morning, and there were few persons 
 abroad. The harvest lay around him 
 everywhere, in rich yellow " stooks ' of 
 grain. Glenara, with its church and
 
 AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 201 
 
 manse half enveloped in trees, slumbered 
 beneath him. Beyond, were seen the 
 broken walls of the Castle and Priory, and 
 further down the course of the river he 
 could see the blue smoke rising from the 
 Miller's chimney. The sky was without a 
 cloud, the air was perfectly calm, and the 
 pleasant morning silence was only broken 
 at intervals by a defiant chanticleer sound- 
 ing or answering a challenge from a neigh- 
 bouring farm. Herbert reined his horse 
 off the public road and struck into a quiet 
 lane leading through the centre of Blair 
 Farm. The path was one of pleasant 
 seclusion. His mind was restless and 
 anxious, and his meditations of a some- 
 what serious character. That day his 
 great card would be played at Stappleton 
 Races, by a man in whom he was rapidly 
 losing confidence. If successful, he should 
 be able to get smoothly over immediate 
 difficulties ; if not He could not bear to
 
 202 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 make up his mind as to the consequences. 
 He suspected that Hobbs had already 
 been false to him on several occasions. 
 He had been drinking of late more 
 freely than was seemly, and had raised an 
 unpleasant talk about the farm. Besides 
 all this, his demands for money were 
 growing disagreeably frequent and impera- 
 tive. Though to some extent in his hands, 
 Rodger felt certain he should be com- 
 pelled to make a stand on this point, and, 
 as to the result — well, it would doubtless 
 be serious, but he did not care to follow 
 the subject to its darker consequences. 
 He must be rid of him in some way, if 
 ever he meant to establish and maintain 
 his claim to respectability. The twenty 
 thousand pounds of which Hobbs had made 
 so much mieht be a mere ruse after all. 
 He had only the word of an unprincipled 
 man for it, though no doubt it had the 
 appearance of feasibility. Suppose it,
 
 AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 203 
 
 however, to be correct, and suppose he 
 married Annie, the money might be tardy 
 of coming; but a plan crossed his mind 
 whereby it might be more speedily secured, 
 in the carrying out of which Hobbs' assist- 
 ance would be useful. Thus meditating 
 he reached the farm. After breakfast he 
 slung on his bag, took down his gun, and 
 went out into the fields. Passing quietly 
 down a lane towards the river, he came 
 suddenly upon a dozen labourers sitting 
 under the shelter of a hedge, smoking. 
 At his appearance they started awkwardly 
 to their feet, and endeavoured to hide 
 their pipes. A short distance off a couple 
 of horses were grazing at large, and a 
 couple of carts stood in the field, half- 
 filled with grain. Herbert demanded an 
 explanation of this untimely suspension 
 of work ; but the men began to slink off 
 in confusion without uttering a word. 
 " Where is the Grieve ? "
 
 204 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 "He gaed to the races, sir, this morn- 
 
 tag." 
 
 u To the races ! ' reiterated Herbert, 
 using some rather forcible language. 
 " Who is in charge ? " 
 
 " His son, sir." 
 
 " And where is he ? " 
 
 There was some hesitation before a 
 reply was given. 
 
 "He gaed up after breakfast to help 
 Willie Speirs, the keeper, to set some 
 gins." 
 
 " Ay, like father like son ; and you think 
 you have a right to rob me because others 
 are doing it, and because there is no one 
 left here to see after you ? " 
 
 Before Herbert had finished there was 
 no one left to answer his interrogation. 
 In a couple of minutes they were all busy 
 at work in the field with an energy to 
 which they were quite unaccustomed. 
 
 " This is how it comes/' Herbert said,
 
 AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 205 
 
 as he walked slowly down the lane, " that 
 my crops are poor when all others' 
 are good. Every one does as he likes 
 here ; it is a system of robbery from 
 bottom to top. Gone to the races, the 
 confounded scoundrel ! Just at the time 
 when all hands are needed. But I'll clear 
 them out, root and branch." 
 
 That forenoon Herbert devoted to a 
 personal superintendence of the work on 
 the farm, which was pushed forward with 
 unusual celerity. In the afternoon he went 
 over to the braes, where he secured a good 
 bag of game, and returned by the mill. 
 Annie had gone to spend the evening at 
 the Manse, and the Miller, who was wish- 
 ful to entertain him, insisted on his wait- 
 ing for tea. Then they drove over to 
 Hillfoot, to see the new machinery for the 
 mill, which was now nearly completed, and 
 which the Miller fully expected would be 
 ready to grind that year's grain. During
 
 206 THE DAWS0NS OF GLENARA. 
 
 all this time Herbert had to assume a 
 fair face. Though he seemed interested, 
 he felt dreadfully bored with the Miller's 
 incessant talk about wheels and cranks, 
 and all that sort of mechanical nonsense. 
 It was a most humdrum business for 
 him, and when he returned to Blair Farm 
 he felt in a very discontented and irritable 
 condition of mind. The Grieve had not 
 returned, neither had Hobbs. The one 
 ought never to have gone, and the other 
 had time to be back. Under these cir- 
 cumstances, he wished he had gone him- 
 self. What need had he to become a 
 slave to public opinion ? He was impa- 
 tient and fretful. The issues of the day 
 were weighing heavily upon him, and he 
 paced the apartment restlessly. 
 
 " There's a young leddy asking efter ye, 
 sir," said Betty, coming unceremoniously 
 into the room. 
 
 " After me ? " inquired Herbert, paus-
 
 AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 207 
 
 ing and looking anxiously into the house- 
 keeper's face. " What is she like ? ' 
 
 " She's a nice creatur, and weel put on, 
 too, though pale awee in the face ; and she 
 has the bonniest rosebud o' an infant in 
 her arms." 
 
 Herbert walked towards the window. 
 
 " I am in no humour to receive visitors, 
 Betty," he said, with much agitation in his 
 manner. " Tell her I am not in." 
 
 " That ye're no in, sir," retorted Betty ; 
 " I canna tell a barefaced lee. She kens 
 fine that ye're in, for I hae telt her that 
 already." 
 
 Herbert again paced across the room. 
 
 " Do you know what she wants ? ' 
 
 "She says it's private business, but I'll 
 sune see." 
 
 " Here, come back ; attend to your own 
 work," Herbert cried, as the officious ser- 
 vant was about to leave the apartment. 
 " Send the lady in."
 
 208 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 The meeting which ensued was not by 
 any means a cordial one. There seemed 
 to be something of an old friendship 
 between the young farmer and his visitor ; 
 but the one was timid and constrained, as if 
 doubtful of her reception, and the other was 
 cold and reserved. Herbert beckoned her 
 to a seat, but continued to pace the room. 
 
 " I expected to have seen you before 
 this time, Herbert," said the girl, diffidently. 
 
 " Yes, I daresay, but I have been too 
 busy." 
 
 " Did you get my letter ? I wrote 
 telling you of my illness, but I suppose 
 you did not get it." 
 
 " I got a letter from you," he said, coldly. 
 
 " Then you will know what I have suf- 
 fered on your account. I hardly thought 
 I would see you again." 
 
 While the girl spoke the tears began to 
 drop over her pale cheeks. 
 
 " The fact is, we have all had our suffer-
 
 AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 209 
 
 ings," said Herbert, "and every one has 
 enough to do with his own." 
 
 " Oh, Herbert, you are very unkind!' 
 the girl said, sobbing. " I did not expect 
 you would treat me in this way, after 
 coming all this distance to see you. 
 You once loved me. At least you told 
 me so, and I believed you." 
 
 " Yes, but we were both foolish then. 
 People change with circumstances." 
 
 " But true love never can change, Her- 
 bert." 
 
 " The heart is deceitful, you know," he 
 said, with a cruel smile, " and it is some- 
 times hard to tell what is false and what 
 is true. We are often deceived, even by 
 our own feelings. No doubt we have 
 both been very foolish, but we cannot help 
 what is past. A little suffering will rub 
 it all out." 
 
 " Then, Herbert, is it possible you have 
 been false ? " 
 
 VOL. I. P
 
 2IO THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " I have not time to argue the question 
 with you now," he replied, impatiently. 
 " I am sorry you should have come so 
 far on such a fruitless errand ; but you 
 must just make the best you can of your 
 trouble, for, God knows, I have enough 
 to do with my own ! I have an important 
 engagement." 
 
 As he spoke he went towards the door, 
 and waited till she should retire. Stunned 
 by the sudden cruelty of his words and 
 manner, the girl passed him without reply, 
 and went out into the twilight, not know- 
 ing whither she went. On reaching the 
 highway, in the blindness of her disap- 
 pointment and grief, she knew not which 
 way to turn. As she paused, Herbert 
 spurred eagerly past her, and while the 
 man to whom she had given all her con- 
 fidence and love disappeared on the dis- 
 tant winding of the road, she sank down 
 in the darkness of despair. He had not 
 even looked at his own child !
 
 ( 211 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A COMPROMISE. 
 
 That George M'Whannel was the busiest 
 man in the parish, nobody who knew his 
 duties could for a moment deny. For years 
 he had held the appointment of School- 
 master, Precentor, and Session-Clerk ; but 
 the Heritors who, with the Kirk-Session, 
 had the responsibility of relieving the poor, 
 had recently appointed him Almoner to 
 the Relief Committee. Though this was 
 no pleasant task for M'Whannal, it was 
 a source of great comfort to the youngsters 
 attending the school. What could be 
 more agreeable, in the midst of parsing a
 
 2 12 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 piece of difficult English indifferently 
 learned, than to find a swarm of paupers 
 invading the Master's desk, each one in 
 turn insisting on making known the hard- 
 ship which had brought him into such 
 humiliation. After an invasion of this 
 sort he usually sent the class back to their 
 seats, with instructions to learn next page, 
 and he would hear both lessons on 
 the day following. Next day, however, 
 usually had enough to do with itself, and, 
 with the exception of a little recapitulation, 
 bygones were generally forgotten. The 
 first and third Tuesdays of each month 
 were great days for the scholars. On 
 these days the Relief Committee held 
 its meetings in the school-room, and a 
 half-holiday was inevitable. M'Whannel 
 usually varied the monotony of the ordin- 
 ary work of the school by a little music on 
 meeting days. The programme generally 
 consisted of secular and sacred music in
 
 A COMPROMISE. 21 3 
 
 equal proportions. His custom was to 
 close with the sacred, in order, as he said, 
 " to cool their young heads, and send them 
 soberly home." 
 
 For the last half hour M'Whannel had 
 been indulging in psalm tunes ; and, to air 
 his musical knowledge before certain mem- 
 bers of the Board who had already arrived, 
 he gave a long dissertation on the subject 
 of three-two time, showing how it was 
 specially adapted to express emphasis and 
 feeling, as seen from the rendering of 
 " Hanover' and " Bellerma," which he 
 sang with much taste and pathos. Having 
 drawn a triangle, with chalk, on the black 
 board, he directed them to let their hands 
 trace that shape in the air while he accom- 
 panied them, counting one — two — three. 
 After some time spent in this practice, he 
 called them to a dead silence. " Let us 
 sing the fourth verse of the thirty-ninth 
 Psalm, after which," he said, " I shall ask
 
 2 14 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 my friend, Mr. M'llwham the elder, to close 
 with a word of prayer." This verse hav- 
 ing been sung by the whole company to 
 the latter of the two tunes already named, 
 Elder M'llwham, in a few words, lasting 
 fully twenty minutes, and embracing the 
 " whole woriy the " Indes," the " Parish/' 
 and " a' ither pairts o' the inhabited uni- 
 verse, wi' their folk and peoples," closed, 
 and the schoolmaster, having intimated 
 the half-holiday, dismissed the school. 
 
 In the absence of Mr. Clydesdale the 
 minister, Mr. Rodger was called upon to 
 take the chair, and M'Whannel proceeded 
 to read the minutes of the previous meet- 
 ing. While this was being done, the 
 Beadle came in and handed Herbert a 
 letter, addressed to the Chairman of the 
 Relief Committee. He broke the seal 
 carelessly, attending the while to the 
 various items in the minutes. As his 
 eye fell on the first line he turned visibly
 
 A COMPROMISE. 2 15 
 
 pale, and for the next minute his whole 
 attention was absorbed by the communi- 
 cation. Recovering himself, he folded the 
 letter hurriedly, and endeavoured to as- 
 sume an air of indifference. The chief 
 business before the meeting was the case 
 of John Thomson, the weaver, whose 
 family was represented as utterly without 
 support, while he himself was confined 
 to bed, dangerously ill from the effects 
 of the fall. After considerable discussion, 
 the Almoner was authorised to give the 
 family six shillings a week until he was 
 persuaded of the weaver's complete con- 
 valescence. Having disposed of some 
 minor cases, the Committee then resolved 
 itself into a meeting of the Local Author- 
 ity, and did business also in that department. 
 The letter which the chairman had received 
 was intended for consideration at that 
 day's meeting, but it was of the utmost 
 importance to him as an individual that
 
 2l6 THE DAWSOXS OF GLENARA. 
 
 it should not be submitted, and feeling 
 tolerably certain that none of the members 
 present could know whether or not it was 
 a private letter, he put it quietly into his 
 pocket. It was half-past two o'clock when 
 the business was over. He had promised 
 to go down and spend the afternoon and 
 evening at the mill, but circumstances had 
 changed his mind. Going down to the 
 Bird in the Hand Tavern, where he had 
 left his horse, he ordered dinner to be 
 ready as soon as possible, and took a turn 
 over to the churchyard. The Beadle was 
 busy decking a grave with flowers as he 
 entered. 
 
 "Who gave you the letter you delivered 
 to me ? " he enquired by-and-by with 
 affected indifference. 
 
 " The Glasca' carrier, sir. He speer't 
 if I'd tak' it up to the Board-room. Was 
 it no richt ? I never look't at the super- 
 scription."
 
 A COMPROMISE. 21 7 
 
 "It was quite right," Herbert said, with 
 a feeling of relief. " The letter was for 
 me. Here is something for your trouble ; 
 but you need not mention the circumstance 
 to any one." 
 
 Dinner was not quite ready when he 
 returned, so he took out the letter and 
 read it slowly. It was as follows : — 
 
 " To the Chairman of the Relief Com- 
 mittee, Glenara. 
 
 u Sir, 
 
 " I don't know how to make my 
 case plain to you, but I think when you 
 know it, it will recommend itself to your 
 consideration and sympathy. I live in 
 Glasgow with my widowed mother, who 
 is dependent on me for the necessaries 
 of life, which up to three months ago I 
 was able to provide for her, but since 
 that time we have often been without 
 food for days. I am sorry to say that the
 
 2l8 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 author of all this misery is Herbert Rodger 
 of Blair Farm. Two years ago, while I 
 was in a good situation, he came about the 
 place where I was engaged, professed a 
 strong attachment to me, and promised 
 to make me his wife ; then he left me, and 
 three months ago his baby was born. 
 Since that time I have been unable to 
 work, and we have often been in a state of 
 destitution. I visited him some days ago 
 to see what he would do, but he put me 
 from him as if I had been worse than a 
 beggar at his door, and as if he had never 
 known me and never professed that he 
 loved me. Begging your pardon for this 
 letter, and hoping you will do something 
 for me, 
 
 " I am, Sir, 
 
 " Your humble servant, 
 
 " Isabella Grieve.* 
 
 u Confound her ! " he muttered, as he
 
 A COMPROMISE. 2 19 
 
 again folded the letter and put it in his 
 pocket. I might have been ruined, and I 
 have only escaped by a fortunate accident. 
 Had this gone before the Board the result 
 would have been disastrous ; but no fault 
 of hers that it did not." 
 
 In all this soliloquy regarding what might 
 have been, it never occurred to him that a 
 purer and better reputation than his had 
 been lost, and that by his own wickedness. 
 If a man sin, he may flee from it and 
 grow respectable again in other society ; 
 but a sinning woman must abide with her 
 sin, and bear its consequences as long 
 as she lives. Before Herbert had finished 
 dinner he had made up his mind to pre- 
 vent, if possible, a recurrence of this un- 
 pleasant correspondence. Forgetful of his 
 engagement at the mill, and of Annie's 
 longing desire to meet him, he mounted 
 his horse and set his face towards Glasgow. 
 The sun was shining intensely as Herbert
 
 2 20 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 hurried towards the city at a brisk trot. 
 The reapers were busy in the fields, and 
 the yellow grain was fast being gathered 
 and stacked by active hands. In the 
 branches above him the birds sang the 
 hymn of abundance, but Herbert had 
 no sympathy with their song. When a 
 man's purpose is honest there is no sus- 
 picion of evil, however much he may be 
 oppressed with labour or care — to him 
 Nature has always a welcome face and 
 a happy voice ; but when his path is 
 crooked, and his life morally out of joint, 
 the soothing influence of grass, and flower, 
 and tree, and the beauty of the landscape, 
 are all out of harmony with him, and 
 utterly fail in touching his sympathy or 
 in imparting satisfaction. These reflec- 
 tions were be^innin^ to dawn on Rodger's 
 mind during his restless meditations as he 
 rode along ; but he suddenly thrust them 
 from him and hushed the inward voice,
 
 A COMPROMISE. 221 
 
 though he knew it spoke with the tongue 
 of wisdom and in the accents of truth. 
 
 It was five o'clock when he reached 
 the city and threw the reins on his horse's 
 neck in front of the Tontine Hotel. The 
 sun was flooding the streets with light, 
 and the statue of King William III., at 
 the Cross, stood grimly out against a 
 brilliant background of white sunshine. 
 Turning up High Street in the direction 
 of the College, he walked smartly on 
 for a few minutes until he came to a 
 street leading westward, down which he 
 went ; then, stopping in front of a 
 plain but respectable house, he plied 
 the knocker familiarly, and immediately, 
 to his surprise, an unknown face presented 
 itself at the door. 
 
 " Is Miss Grieve at home ? " 
 
 " Oh, sir, she's flittit last Whit Sunday. 
 They say the hoose was owre big for 
 them ; but I doot there was mair nor
 
 222 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 that if a things are true. A' that I ken 
 is that they behaved real decent wi' us, 
 and gied us the keys three days before 
 the term — though ye canna keep folk frae 
 speakin', sir." 
 
 " Do you know where they have gone ? ' 
 inquired Herbert. 
 
 " Ye ken Sheriff's Close, in the High 
 Street? I think the number is 126, but 
 onybody will let ye see the place. They 
 hae gotten a nice bit hoosie, though it's 
 sma'. I aye feel sorry for folk comin' 
 doon in the world." 
 
 Having got rid of his loquacious infor- 
 mant, he soon sought out Sheriff's Close, 
 and was directed to Mrs. Grieves house. 
 Isabella answered his knock, and exclaim 
 ing " Herbert!" instantly burst into tears. 
 Near the window sat the mother, with 
 some white cotton stretched on her knee, 
 over which she had been working with 
 pain and difficulty.
 
 A COMPROMISE. 223 
 
 " So you have come," said Mrs. Grieve, 
 taking off her glasses, and speaking with 
 bitterness in her tone ; " are you satisfied 
 now with what you have brought us to ? ' 
 
 " Oh, mother ! " pleaded the daughter 
 deprecatingly. 
 
 "' Don't try to shield the man who has 
 ruined us — who has drawn us from our 
 respectable place in society, and made us 
 a byword in everybody's lips. Oh ! it is 
 hard, hard, this labour at three-score ; but 
 it is worse to find that one whom you have 
 taken into your house as a friend, and 
 trusted and loved, should turn out a 
 hypocrite and a villain " 
 
 " What does all this mean ? ' Herbert 
 cried, suddenly growing angry. " I will 
 not be insulted in this way, Mrs. Grieve. 
 If I have done you an injury I have come 
 here in a good spirit to offer reparation, so 
 far as I can ; but if this is to continue I 
 must go."
 
 2 24 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " Oh, mother ! " said the daughter, again 
 beginning to cry bitterly, " you are only 
 making matters worse." 
 
 " How can they be worse ? " demanded 
 the mother, in a hopeless tone ; " he has 
 taken from us everything we held dear, 
 and now he comes to tempt us with what 
 he calls reparation, as if virtue and honour 
 and a pure conscience can be purchased 
 with gold." 
 
 " What do you want, then ? " interrupted 
 Herbert. " What is the meaning of this," 
 he inquired, holding up the letter, " if you 
 don't want money ? " 
 
 " Ay, that is another proof of what you 
 have brought her to," said the mother. 
 " Before knowing you she was a high- 
 spirited girl, and would have scorned to 
 do what she has this day done against my 
 will. I would have sewed my life out in 
 stitches rather than do that meanness ; 
 but, sir, there is a day coming — a great
 
 A COMPROMISE. 225 
 
 day — when you will be compelled to make 
 reparation, not to us, for that you never 
 can do, but to One who alone knows the 
 depth of our great sorrow ; till then I wish 
 to see you no more." 
 
 As she concluded, the poor, proud 
 mother bowed her head on her knee, and 
 hid a grief that was too heavy for tears. 
 Herbert was staggered by such an out- 
 burst of bitterness. He was not prepared 
 for this reception, after the letter he had 
 received. He knew the mother was a 
 proud, high-minded woman, but he thought 
 circumstances would have made his present 
 visit pleasant to them, especially when he 
 went with the intention of offering relief. 
 His first impulse was to leave the house, 
 but remembering the object he wished to 
 accomplish, he controlled himself and 
 followed Isabella into a small room, spar- 
 ingly furnished, which was the only other 
 
 apartment in the dwelling. His manner 
 vol. 1. Q
 
 2 26 THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 was unusually conciliatory, and his speech 
 very different from what it had been on 
 the last occasion of their meeting. 
 
 " The fact is, I never meant to be other 
 than honourable in this matter," he re- 
 marked apologetically ; " but I need hardly 
 tell you I have been sorely harassed in 
 business, which, you know, unhinges a 
 man, and causes him often to do things 
 that he would otherwise shrink from. I 
 hope you didn't think I meant to desert 
 you r 
 
 " Oh, Herbert, how could I ever hope 
 after what you said ? You were so cold 
 and cruel to me. 
 
 " Well, that is a matter for which I have 
 since been sorry. It so happened I was 
 crossed before you came. I believe I 
 should have quarrelled with an angel. 
 But why didn't you tell me you wanted 
 money ? " 
 
 " That was not what I went for, Herbert.*'
 
 . A COMPROMISE. 227 
 
 said the girl, bitterly, " though God knows 
 we have had hardships enough. After 
 what I suffered for you I expected your 
 sympathy, your love, and it was because I 
 got neither that I left your door with a 
 broken heart." 
 
 " Well, I am sorry I was so bothered at 
 the time, and apparently so unkind ; but, 
 how could you love me and write a letter 
 like this — a letter calculated to blast my 
 reputation and injure me for life ? " 
 
 " Oh, Herbert, that was not a matter for 
 which I was responsible. I consented to it 
 in the blackness of despair. It was done 
 for me, and I signed it, but we did not 
 know what it all meant till after it had 
 gone." 
 
 " Well, well," he replied, with an injured 
 look, " fortunately it did not do much harm, 
 though I expected you would have had 
 a greater regard for my reputation. I 
 shall try in the meantime to make pro-
 
 2 28 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 vision for the child, which you can give 
 to some decent person to nurse." 
 
 " Oh, I cannot do that ; I cannot give 
 it away. It would be taking the sunshine 
 out of my life." 
 
 " No doubt it will be hard, but I think 
 it the best policy, as after our marriage 
 the child can be adopted and brought 
 back." A ray of hope lighted up her 
 tearful face. 
 
 " Then you will be my husband, my 
 own dear, dear husband, after all. God 
 bless you, Herbert ; God bless you ! ' 
 
 "Of course," said Herbert, qualifying 
 the new hope, "circumstances may prevent 
 our marriage taking place immediately ; but 
 I think when you understand my intentions 
 you can wait with patience. An old land- 
 lady of mine in Bell's Wynd will nurse the 
 child," he continued, " and for the present 
 you could return to your situation and 
 prepare for what awaits you."
 
 A COMPROMISE. 229 
 
 " Oh, Herbert, do not ask me to give 
 away my child," pleaded the girl, with 
 upturned face, while fresh tears filled her 
 eyes. " I will wait patiently enough till 
 you are ready ; but do not ask me to give 
 it away. I will work night and day for 
 it, but do not compel me to do this hard 
 thing." 
 
 " Consider for a moment what I mean. 
 Suppose your child grows up with you, 
 people will always look upon it with 
 suspicion ; besides, the boy will, be called 
 by a name unpleasant to hear. But send 
 him to a nurse, and after you are married 
 you can adopt him and make him your 
 own son, while society will give us the 
 credit of doing a generous thing. Don't 
 you see what I mean ? " 
 
 " Yes," she said, wavering under the 
 pressure of the fatal argument, " but won't 
 I have liberty now and then to see him, 
 and take him in my arms and kiss him, 
 and call him my own child ? "
 
 23O THE DAWSONS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " To be sure you may, but the policy 
 I suggest ought to check the desire for 
 too frequent visits. The indulgence of 
 this feeling may do much harm. You 
 must be firm, you know ; won't you ? ' 
 and the deceiver kissed away her hesi- 
 tancy. 
 
 Allured by this crumb of apparent affec- 
 tion, and by the revival of an old hope, 
 the fond mother consented to part with 
 her infant ; and after settling some trifling 
 business matters, Herbert left, feeling con- 
 scious that, for a time at least, he had 
 stilled a troublesome voice. The sun had 
 half an hour a^o crone down behind the 
 sombre architecture of the city. The 
 streets, however, were lively with boys 
 and girls in their games. Skirting the 
 pavement, an earnest file of lads were 
 playing " prison base," while in the centre 
 of the street a happy troupe of girls 
 ran, arm-linked, singing the song of the
 
 A COMPROMISE. 23 I 
 
 " Campsie Dukes." Herbert walked on 
 without taking notice of the youthful en- 
 joyment around him. Though his mission 
 had been so far successful, he felt he had 
 done a mean and cowardly thing. " But 
 a fellow can't get reforming," he said to 
 himself; "these old sores are always 
 breaking out." He was in a most un- 
 comfortable frame of mind. He walked 
 sullenly down High Street, meditating on 
 the difficulties of his position, when, sud- 
 denly looking up, he found himself face 
 to face with Dr. Calder. 
 
 " Good evening," said Herbert, blandly, 
 but with some embarrassment in his look 
 and tone ; " I didn't expect to meet you 
 here, Doctor." 
 
 " I dare say not," the Doctor said, 
 quietly. 
 
 " You are on business, I suppose ? ' 
 
 " Yes ; for some months past I have 
 been giving my friend, Dr. Abernethy, a
 
 232 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 little professional aid. He has a large 
 practice about here." 
 
 " Indeed!" said Herbert, with a sudden 
 nervousness, which he was sure the Doctor 
 could not fail to perceive. Only a few 
 minutes ago he had given Isabella Grieve 
 money to pay an account headed by the 
 name of the medical gentleman just men- 
 tioned.
 
 233 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE " BIG SPATE." 
 
 Hallowe'en was one of the great events 
 of the year at Glenara. Preparations were 
 carried forward in many households for 
 days and days, for the worthy celebration 
 of the occasion. Many a cupboard and 
 " press " knew sweet secrets of rosy apples, 
 shining nuts, and other palatable luxuries ; 
 but, barring the scent of these good things, 
 which could not well be retained under 
 lock and key, these custodiers kept their 
 secret faithfully. 
 
 It was a particularly busy day amongst 
 the youngsters. Mr. M'Whannel had
 
 2 34 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 given them a two days' holiday, and the 
 thought of being free from lessons and 
 early rising on the day after the evening 
 of festivities and dissipation brightened the 
 prospect of their enjoyment. All day long, 
 turnips had been undergoing laborious ex- 
 cavation, and grotesque designs were being 
 carved in a rude, artistic fashion on the 
 outer rind. Kail-stocks, surmounted with 
 bits of candle, were also ready to take their 
 part in the general illumination. In every 
 house the biggest " byne ' had been 
 specially scoured for the "dooking." The 
 potatoes were pared and placed in the 
 large pot, and the mysterious ring, 
 thimble, and button were ready to be 
 stirred up with them, in order to solve 
 an interesting problem in the future of 
 youthful lovers. 
 
 The Miller's household was amongst the 
 busiest of the busy that day. From early 
 morning it had been in a stir of preparation
 
 THE " BIG SPATE." 235 
 
 for the festivities of the night. This was 
 also Annie's birthday, and as the Miller 
 felt it was probably the last that should 
 fall to be celebrated under his roof, he 
 made up his mind that it should be kept 
 in a fashion truly worthy of her prospects. 
 During the day an additional cause of 
 anxiety pressed itself upon his mind. The 
 large sluice connecting; the river with the 
 mill-dam had partially given way under 
 the heavy pressure of the "spate," and 
 threatened to inundate the house and the 
 mill. For several days the rain had been 
 almost continuous, and the river was so 
 swollen that the pathway on its banks was 
 rendered impassable. The Bush Glen 
 meadows were lying two feet deep in 
 water. The Miller was greatly alarmed, 
 and despatched a messenger for the Smith 
 and the Cartwright, while he and several 
 of his men endeavoured to stop the breach. 
 There had not been such a rise on the
 
 236 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 river for many years — not since the time 
 the old sluice had broken" down, and when 
 the wheel and part of the gable of the mill 
 had been carried away. It was some time 
 before the tradesmen arrived ; but, under 
 the skilful direction of the Miller, his men 
 had been successful in propping the 
 damaged sluice against the violence of 
 the stream. 
 
 " A gey spate this, Mr. Dawson," said 
 the Smith, wiping the perspiration from his 
 broad, prim f ace . " We have had a race 
 fort ; just haud on twa meenits, lads, and 
 we'll gie ye relief." The Smith was down 
 on his knees making a diagnosis of the 
 fracture. The cause of the mischief was 
 not long of being discovered. The flanges 
 of the groove in which the sluice worked 
 had been forcibly sprung, and the pressure 
 from without threatened to wrench the 
 whole fixture away. There was no time 
 to lose in the elaboration of a plan. Some
 
 THE " BIG SPATE." 237 
 
 simple and effective barrier was what the 
 circumstances demanded, and this the 
 tradesmen were not long in providing. 
 For half an hour they all worked with a 
 will, and, after careful inspection, the 
 Miller expressed his belief that the extem- 
 porized barrier would stand until the river 
 fell. The accident naturally caused much 
 consternation in the Millers family — so 
 much so, indeed, that the anxiety about 
 culinary operations gave place to appre- 
 hensions regarding the safety of life and 
 property. 
 
 " There's nae fears o't noo, I suppose," 
 said Miss Mackenzie (who with her niece 
 had come over to assist at the Miller's), 
 addressing Mr. Dawson as he came in 
 with a large auger in his hand, after the 
 alarm had subsided. 
 
 " I hope there's no danger," replied the 
 Miller, seriously ; " but the spate would 
 thole to settle soon. I fear there's too
 
 238 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 great a current on yet for the resistance 
 of the sluice." 
 
 " It is such a pity," said Mrs. Dawson, 
 shaking some raw potato parings from her 
 apron. — " Girzie, turn that tairt and wash 
 thae raisins weel before putting them into 
 the dumpling. — Poor Philip, he'll just no 
 hae a bit o' pleasure for thinking about it." 
 
 " I should say there's no muckle wrang 
 wi't if the Smith has dune his will to't," 
 remarked Miss Mackenzie, encouragingly ; 
 " he's a man who winna do things by halves." 
 
 " Will I put a' thir tauties on ? " inquired 
 Girzie, looking doubtfully at the large 
 gobletful which Miss Mackenzie and Mrs. 
 Dawson had just pared. 
 
 " Put them all on ! Of course, lassie ; 
 what are you doubtful about ? ' 
 
 11 1 was just speerin," replied the servant, 
 with a puzzled smile. " Atween the tauties 
 and the tairts, an' ae thing an' anither. 
 they'll no want for guid meat an' plenty o't."
 
 THE " BIG SPATE." 239 
 
 This was Girzie's first term in " genteel " 
 service, as she termed it. She had been 
 brought up as a farm servant in Selkirk- 
 shire, and knew the "gauge" of ploughmen 
 and labourers, but such unseemly abun- 
 dance for a small genteel party was what 
 she could not quite understand. 
 
 Mrs. Dawson and Miss Mackenzie 
 undertook the work of the kitchen, while 
 Annie and Nelly Lee exercised their taste 
 and skill in otherwise putting things in 
 order for the occasion. Nelly's thoughts 
 were pretty much in London that day. The 
 previous morning had brought with it a 
 letter — the letter of letters — in which it was 
 definitely fixed that the marriage should 
 take place at the New Year. Her lover 
 had pressed her to this early celebration of 
 the event. Miss Mackenzie's remark, on 
 her opinion being asked, was characteristic 
 — " What will be, maun be," she said ; " it's 
 folly to try and hinder it : men'll hae their
 
 24O THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 way." In the circumstances, Nelly had 
 left the matter entirely in his hands, and 
 now he had had his way. 
 
 " I am glad you have given me some- 
 thing to do to-day," Nelly said, as she 
 polished vigorously the lid of a Britannia- 
 metal teapot. " If I had not had some- 
 thing to do, I should have been thinking 
 and making myself unhappy." 
 
 " Unhappy ! " said Annie, with a look of 
 surprise. "Just to think of one's wedding- 
 day being fixed and being unhappy. 
 Nothing but marriage itself should bring 
 more happiness." 
 
 " I believed so, too," said Nelly, looking 
 at her companion with a watery mist 
 gathering in her eyes ; " but somehow I 
 feel as if I could cry, now that it is all 
 settled, just to think the strange life is so 
 near at hand." 
 
 " No doubt it will be a great change," 
 said Annie seriously, taking down the
 
 THE " BIG SPATE." 24 1 
 
 antique china with the blue pattern ; " no 
 doubt, but it must be so pleasant to have 
 your own house, your own husband, every- 
 thing your own — it makes you feel you are 
 somebody, you know." 
 
 " To be sure, so it does," said the bride- 
 elect, drying her tears. " To have some- 
 body all to yourself to care for and to lean 
 upon is a great matter ; and Edward is so 
 very kind. Just think of how he charges 
 me to take care of myself during winter. I 
 wrote him that you meant to invite Dr. 
 Calder for to-night, and he says he has 
 engaged the Doctor to be my partner and 
 take care of me in his absence. When did 
 you see Mr. Rodger ? " 
 
 " Last night. He called as he came 
 home from Lanark, but it was late. He 
 
 said the markets were bad Who 
 
 comes ? " 
 
 " Miss Annie Dawson ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 VOL. I. R 
 
 X
 
 242 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " A parcel for you, mem," said the mes- 
 senger. 
 
 " What's that ? " cried the mother from 
 the kitchen. 
 
 " A man with a parcel for me." 
 
 "A birthday present, nae doot," said 
 Miss Mackenzie, dusting the cover of a 
 large tureen. " Bring it ben and let us see 
 what it is." Annie brought it in and put 
 it on the kitchen table, and with a flush of 
 impatience on her face, began to undo the 
 cords, which was a matter of difficulty, 
 as it was well tied. In a few seconds the 
 lid of the box was sprung, when lo ! 
 amidst the upper packings of white cotton 
 wool was discovered a morocco case with a 
 beautiful gold brooch and necklet. The 
 search was continued further down ; and 
 in numerous wrappages of brown and 
 tissue paper a satin dress was discovered, 
 and further down still they came upon a 
 gorgeous harness shawl, in the folds of
 
 THE "BIG SPATE." 243 
 
 which they found an envelope, on which 
 was written, in a rude and unfamiliar hand 
 " To Miss Annie Dawson, of Glenara, 
 from an unknown friend." Annie's hand 
 shook with joyous excitement as the valu- 
 able articles were turned over. 
 
 " Annie, dear," said the mother, seriously, 
 " how have these things come here ? " 
 
 " I have not the slightest knowledge, 
 mother, any more than yourself. I did not 
 expect them." 
 
 Mrs. Dawson put on her glasses and 
 turned the box upside down, thinking to 
 discover some error in the address. But 
 it could not be mistaken. There it was, 
 in the same unknown hand, " Miss Annie 
 Dawson, Glenara, Scotland, N.B." 
 
 Annie stood looking at the presents in a 
 delightful puzzle. She felt as if she had 
 all at once become rich, but the personal 
 regard which the gifts betokened was 
 dearer to her heart than any material
 
 244 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 value they possessed. It was so mindful 
 of him — so like his dear, kind, generous 
 heart — and the markets so bad, too. She 
 examined the address ; it was not his 
 writing, but of course that was simply 
 designed to add to the happy mystery. 
 
 Miss Mackenzie, in her womanly fashion, 
 doffed her apron, spread a sheet of brown 
 paper over her knee, and proceeded to 
 an examination of the quality of the 
 material. 
 
 " My lassie, ye should be prood o' 
 yersel', for I hinna seen better stuff oot 
 o' London ; and though I'm nae judge o' 
 gold, I's warrant the jewellery is nae waur. 
 Just you see what your daughter has 
 gotten this day, Maister Dawson." 
 
 The Miller, who had come in, for the 
 moment forgot the broken sluice, and, 
 coming awkwardly forward, examined the 
 articles with a pleased look on his face. 
 " Love makes fools of us all, Miss Mac-
 
 THE "BIG SPATE." 245 
 
 kenzie ; but he hasn't disgraced your birth- 
 day, Annie," said the Miller, turning 
 suddenly to his daughter. 
 
 Annie's face flushed deeply. There was 
 no ambiguity in her mind regarding the 
 personal pronoun employed by her father, 
 The happy suspicion which she had at first 
 entertained had been confirmed by it, and 
 the look of pleasure on the paternal face 
 enhanced the value of the gift. Mrs. 
 Dawson was not the least gratified of the 
 party, though she suppressed the free ex- 
 pression of her thoughts. She had lived 
 long enough to understand that a present 
 like this represented so much money, that 
 so much money represented personal sacri- 
 fice, and that personal sacrifice in this man- 
 ner must be called forth by regard. She 
 did not believe that Herbert Rodger was 
 the donor. To be sure, to win favour he 
 might do such a thing, but that he would 
 not do it in this anonymous, unostentatious
 
 246 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 way, she felt tolerably sure. This im- 
 pression was confirmed when, later in the 
 day, she asked Sandy M'Lean whether 
 he had seen the person who brought the 
 parcel ; and when she discovered that it 
 had been brought by a messenger from 
 the London coach office, the matter was 
 very mysterious, but she had faith that 
 time would divulge the secret. 
 
 Mrs. Dawson and her daughter had 
 some time before made a plan for cheer- 
 ing the Hallowe'en hearth of the invalid 
 widow, Mrs. Wilson, by a seasonable 
 present. This present consisted of warm 
 underclothing for the younger children, 
 a gilt-edged story-book for Johnny, a 
 flannel sleeping-gown for the invalid her- 
 self, together with a plentiful supply of 
 nuts, apples, raisins, and sweeties, so that 
 all might be enabled to enter happily 
 into the festivities of the season. It was 
 arranged that Annie should go first, and
 
 THE " BIG SPATE. ,, 247 
 
 that Sandy M'Lean should deliver the 
 small hamper while she was there. All 
 day the rain had poured incessantly. 
 The roads were miry, and the river was 
 still increasing in volume and rapidity. 
 Sandy ferried her across, and in a very 
 short time, with a light heart and a happy 
 face, she was kissing the little Wilsons 
 all round. The invalid herself was much 
 better. As Annie entered, an interesting 
 spectacle presented itself. The children 
 were all gathered round the bedside, and 
 were being served with a limited supply 
 of apples preparatory to the " dooking," 
 for which provision had been made. On 
 seeing Annie the widow's eye brightened, 
 and her pale cheek flushed with pleasure. 
 
 " Come awa, Miss Dawson ; I maist 
 didna expect ye the day, for I ken't 
 what-na' fecht ye wad hae in getting oot. 
 Johnny, bring owre the airm chair for 
 Miss Dawson."
 
 248 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 * 
 
 " You are getting stronger, I hope ; I 
 am indeed glad to see you sitting up and 
 looking so well." 
 
 " I think my memory has helped me 
 awee, for I was just awa' amang auld 
 Hallowe'ens when ye cam' to the door. 
 I aye feel better when the bairns are 
 happy, puir things. Johnny has gotten 
 leave frae the shop to mak' merry wi' the 
 weans, and I just felt as if I could rise 
 up among them and enter into the glad- 
 ness o' their puir wee hairts. Eh, Miss 
 Annie, I'm glad — glad to see ye, though 
 I didna expect ye tae come. I hope ye 
 are a' ordinar' weel at the mill. I was 
 sae ill and sleepy when your faither ca'd 
 yesterday, that I had nae power to ask 
 him ben. I hope there was naething 
 particular wrang." 
 
 " Was my father here yesterday ? ' 
 
 " Ay ; I was lying thinking, after 
 Johnny gaed to the shop, about the text
 
 THE "BIG SPATE." 249 
 
 the minister left wi' me in the morning- 
 
 ' perfect through suffering ' — and I was 
 praying that the perfection wad sune 
 come, when Mr. Dawson opened the door 
 and cam' in. He was agitated like, and 
 lookit about the hoose as if he was seekin' 
 help. I tried to speak and ask him what 
 was wrang, but he gied awa' withoot 
 saying a word. I thocht maybe his horse 
 had faen, or something like that, and 
 that he was seeking the help I couldna 
 gie. 
 
 " It is curious he never told us," said 
 Annie; "but it is equally curious that he 
 should be here at all, as he was away all 
 day at Mavisburn market, and only re- 
 turned late in the evening." Her father 
 had met with no mishap, so far as she was 
 aware, but she promised to mention the 
 matter, and give the desired explanation. 
 
 By this time Sandy M'Lean had arrived 
 with the hamper, which Annie, in the
 
 250 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 presence of the wondering children, pro- 
 ceeded to unpack. 
 
 " Eh, Miss Annie, just to think o't ! 
 It's by-ordnar strange. I havena ceased 
 prayin' day nor nicht for the last week 
 that the Lord wad send the weans some 
 warm claes, and here they are. I am 
 a puir body, Miss Dawson, an' can only 
 stretch oot empty airms ; but the Lord 
 hears the cry o' the helpless."
 
 ( 2 5 i ) 
 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 AN ALARM. 
 
 Annie returned home by the bridge. 
 The rain had ceased, but there was a 
 fearful current on the river. The brown 
 water, in its impetuosity, almost choked 
 the narrow arches ; and large blocks of 
 wood, and broken fences, which had been 
 carried off by the violence of the stream, 
 dashed past, or struck heavily against the 
 wooden piers, threatening destruction. 
 The path on the bank was completely 
 covered with water, and the foundation 
 of the strong wall was washed by the 
 angry current. Annie shuddered involun-
 
 252 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 tarily as she passed along, and saw the 
 cold, restless water hurrying eagerly 
 through the arches. She had never 
 seen the river so fearful, or so mad in 
 its blind haste. She earnestly hoped it 
 would soon subside, for she knew that 
 these unusual risings always meant de- 
 struction of property, if not of life. It was 
 a comfort to think the sluice had been 
 repaired. Her father was strong and 
 skilful. She knew that he would not be 
 satisfied with anything short of absolute 
 safety. He knew all about spates, and, 
 with the aid of the Smith and the Cart- 
 wright, had no doubt prepared for any 
 emergency. With this reflection, Annie 
 dismissed her fears, and gave her mind 
 full rein over a pleasanter field of medi- 
 tation. She wondered what she should 
 do when she met Herbert that evening; 
 whether it would be better to tell him 
 right off that the parcel came safely, or
 
 AN ALARM. 253 
 
 wait until she saw the present in his face. 
 He would no doubt look very queer in his 
 desire to try and hide his knowledge of 
 the secret ; but she would watch him 
 closely, and then tell him with a sudden 
 laugh that love could see under the mask, 
 and that it was no good his concealing 
 what was already known. When she 
 returned she met her father in the yard. 
 
 " You did not tell us you were calling 
 at Mrs. Wilson's yesterday?" said Annie, 
 proceeding to adjust her father's necktie. 
 
 "At Mrs. Wilson's?" 
 
 " Yes, poor body, she seemed troubled 
 that she didn't ask you in." 
 
 " But I haven't seen Mrs. Wilson for 
 six months." 
 
 " Did you not look in yesterday ? ' 
 
 " No ; how could I when I was at 
 Mavisburn ? " 
 
 " That is strange," Annie said, thought- 
 fully.
 
 254 THE DAWSOXS OF GLEXARA. 
 
 " Did she say I called ? " 
 
 " Yes, just for a minute. She said you 
 looked about, as if you wanted something ; 
 but as she did not speak, you went out 
 again. I fear it must have been a dream 
 or a fancy." 
 
 " Ay, no doubt ; poor body. I fear her 
 mind is beginning to break up." 
 
 " She is very sharp and keen to-night," 
 said Annie, " and seems to be a child with 
 the children in their enjoyment, though 
 she is filling up her bigger cup with the 
 memory of past Hallowe'ens." 
 
 Annie passed in and proceeded to dress. 
 
 " Will I put on my brooch and necklet, 
 mother ? " 
 
 " To be sure, my dear ; they will answer 
 nicely with that blue dress." 
 
 " Ah ! " thought Annie, " I have no need 
 to tell him that they came safely ; these 
 will speak for themselves." 
 
 The party at the Miller's that evening,
 
 AN ALARM. 255 
 
 being select, was got up in a very hand- 
 some and sumptuous manner. The Miller 
 seldom did a thing of the kind ; but when 
 he did, it was always done well. Tea was 
 served in the dining-room, and the general 
 arrangement of the guests was con- 
 sidered very satisfactory. Dr. Calder sat 
 beside Miss Lee, M'Whannel took charge 
 of Miss Mackenzie, Annie and her mother 
 managed the tea at the one end of the 
 table, while the Miller and Mr. Rodger 
 presided at the other. The rest of the 
 company, especially the young people 
 present, were pretty carefully matched. 
 Annie performed her duties with much 
 calmness and self-control. She had just 
 had time to shake hands with Herbert 
 when he came in, without remembering 
 the brooch and necklet; but though she 
 hardly ventured to cast her eyes more than 
 half way up the table, she felt certain he 
 was looking at, and admiring his own taste.
 
 256 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 " Miss Dawson is looking very beautiful 
 to-night," said the Doctor, helping his 
 partner to bread. 
 
 "She is, indeed," replied Nelly. "I 
 have just been admiring the easy way in 
 which she goes about her duties. Mr. 
 Dawson seems proud of her." 
 
 " Very, and I don't wonder at it." 
 
 " I have been w r atching the man who 
 ought to be proudest of her," said Nelly in 
 an undertone, " but I do not think he has 
 once looked at that end of the table since 
 we sat down. 
 
 The Doctor smiled and shook his head. 
 The party was as yet only talking in pairs. 
 
 " I say, Rodger, you nearly turned my 
 daughter's head with yon fine parcel you 
 sent to-day," said the Miller as he finished 
 his first cup of tea. 
 
 " What parcel ? " 
 
 " What parcel ! Upon my word, you 
 are a sly fellow. The parcel with the
 
 AN ALARM. 257 
 
 gown and the shawl and the trinkets. 
 Don't you see she has the brooch and the 
 necklet on ? I haven't seen anything that 
 suits her so well, for many a day." 
 
 " Did she get these in a present to- 
 day ? ' inquired Herbert, with some ner- 
 vousness. 
 
 " Yes; and what has given them a value 
 far beyond their market price, though that 
 must be large, is that they came from Mr. 
 Herbert Rodger, of Blair Farm, to Annie 
 Dawson on her birthday." 
 
 " Was that stated ? " 
 
 " No ; the disguise was perfect," said the 
 Miller, laughing. " It could not have been 
 better done." 
 
 " How did it come ? " 
 
 " How did it come ! Oh, apparently by 
 the London mail, addressed Scotland, 
 N.B., and all the rest of it. But we saw 
 through it immediately. I believe the only 
 person who was in the least deceived was 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 258 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 my wife. In addition to the handsomeness 
 of the present, it was really a capital joke." 
 
 " Ah ! ' Herbert's suspicions were to 
 some extent allayed. He thought he 
 could comprehend how the matter stood, 
 and, all things considered, it might be as 
 well for him not to dispute their con- 
 clusions regarding the authorship of the 
 gift. He would, however, get fuller par- 
 ticulars from Annie by-and-by. 
 
 "We had a visit from your friend Mr. 
 Hobbs last night," resumed the Miller, 
 after a pause. 
 
 " Hobbs ! " 
 
 "Yes, he looked in at the mill before we 
 stopped." 
 
 " Had he been drinking ? ' 
 
 " I am sorry to say he had ; but I 
 advised him to go home before my wife 
 and daughter should see him. I sent 
 Sandy M'Lean over the Ara with him in 
 the boat. Is he addicted to whisky ? '
 
 AN ALARM. 259 
 
 " I fear he is getting into loose habits. 
 What did he want?" inquired Herbert, 
 with some uneasiness. 
 
 " He was eager to have more drink, and 
 kept on saying that you had lost ;£iooo." 
 
 "Me!" 
 
 " Yes, something like that, but he was 
 very tipsy ; I didn't allow him to wait 
 many minutes." 
 
 " He is a fool," said Herbert, endeavour- 
 ing to assume indifference. " He talked 
 such a lot of nonsense last night when he 
 came home, I was ashamed of him. I 
 must get him packed off to London again. 
 It is not safe for a man to leave his 
 business so long." 
 
 " Neither it is. I hope you are attending 
 to the ladies down there, Mr. M'llwham ? ' 
 
 " I hope the leddies think sae," said 
 M'llwham ; "but, to tell ye the truth, I am 
 mair ta'en up wi' some o' the gentlemen. 
 I never saw M'Whannel lookin' sae weel
 
 260 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 a' his days. He is real like himsel' the 
 nicht." 
 
 There was a general laugh at the 
 Schoolmaster's expense, but he set himself 
 all right again by remarking that he 
 " never had so much occasion to look well." 
 This rejoinder drew all eyes on Miss 
 Mackenzie, who, in the opinion of those 
 nearest to her, blushed. 
 
 After tea, the ceremony of "puin' the 
 stock" was gone through with mock 
 seriousness, when a band of voluntary 
 love votaries went out into the Miller's 
 kailyard, hand in hand, to determine their 
 future lot. M'Whannel was, perhaps, the 
 most unfortunate of all. He and his 
 partner had been pretty near the end of 
 the kail plot, and he especially had pulled 
 a most ungainly stock. 
 
 u Oh, sic a bow't runt," said M'llwham, 
 inspecting it afterwards ; " I'm astonished 
 at ye, M'Whannel, puin' a thing like that."
 
 AN ALARM. 26 I 
 
 " I am astonished at myself, but it is no 
 good running in the face of fate," said 
 M'Whannel, looking knowingly at his 
 partner. " I did the thing fair. I suppose 
 true love never runs straight any more 
 than smooth." 
 
 "Ay, that's it, Miss Mackenzie," said the 
 farmer, with a desire to molify her feelings 
 11 that's it, the course o' my freen's love is 
 no to be lang, though zigzag awee in its 
 way o' gangin'." 
 
 " It's the nicest party I was ever at," 
 said Miss Mackenzie to her niece shortly 
 after, when they were alone ; " but just 
 think o' the assurance o' that man, when 
 he saw he had gotten a bow't stock, he 
 cam' foret an' kissed me when my een 
 were shut." 
 
 " Well, auntie, that was very nice." 
 " Eh! the thing was rideeculous." 
 While the younger members of the 
 company burned their nuts, the seniors
 
 262 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 were drinking the health of the host and 
 hostess, and wishing Miss Dawson many 
 happy returns of her birthday. 
 
 " There's no mony like her," said 
 M'llwham, as he concluded this toast. 
 " M'Whannel tells me she's ane o' the best 
 teachers in the Sabbath Schule, and there's 
 no a puir body in Glenara but kens the 
 kindness o' her heart. As to the man she 
 has set her heart upon, I wad say a word, 
 seeing he is for the moment absent. I 
 believe the Lord has wrought a great 
 change on him. He is now a man o' guid 
 report, and, in addition to attendance on 
 the means o' grace, he is a regular contri- 
 butor to every good cause ; and I hope the 
 work which the Lord has begun may be 
 perfected to the end, and that he may mak' 
 a guid husband and a lively stane in the 
 Lord's Kirk, weel tried and true." 
 
 The Miller briefly responded to the 
 toast, and afterwards the large pot of beat
 
 AN ALARM. 263 
 
 potatoes was brought in, and, the whole 
 company having been summoned, Mrs. 
 Dawson's marriage ring, Annie's silver 
 thimble, and a mother-of-pearl button, 
 were dropped into it by Miss Mackenzie in 
 their presence, while Girzie, with her well- 
 scoured " spurtle," stirred " a' throu'ther," 
 as each article was put in. Miss Dawson 
 handed round the spoons, and Dr. Calder 
 was authorised to put out the lights. 
 This having been done, the " pot of 
 destiny" was besieged, and for the next 
 quarter of an hour there was an active 
 and eager silence. 
 
 " The thing's done noo," said Mrs. 
 M'llwham, scraping the bottom of the pot 
 to get the last spoonful. " Licht the 
 caunels, Doctor." 
 
 " Declare the fortunes of the night," said 
 the Miller, looking round the party. " Who 
 has got the ring ? " 
 
 "Miss Mackenzie," cried M'Whannel,
 
 264 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 boldly holding up the blushing spinster's 
 hand with the ring on it. 
 
 "Well done," said the Miller; " there's 
 corn in Egypt yet, Miss Mackenzie. 
 M'Whannel, if your partner is to be the 
 first bride in the company, you'll have to 
 look sharp." 
 
 Dr. Calder caused much merriment by 
 producing the thimble ; while Annie 
 Dawson, with mock seriousness, held up 
 the button, and was pronounced an inevit- 
 able "auld maid." 
 
 " I was quite sure my guidwife had got 
 the thim'le," said M'llwham when they 
 were seated ; " what was yon ye put intil 
 yer han' after the third spoonfu' ? ' 
 
 " Tuts, it was only an ill-beetled tawtie." 
 
 " Na, I thocht ye were on the outlook 
 for anither guidman." 
 
 A game at forfeits ensued, while the 
 Miller and Mr. Rodger sat apart in a 
 corner of the room.
 
 AN ALARM. 265 
 
 "It was the stiffest job I have had for 
 many a day," said the Miller, while 
 narrating the story of the broken sluice ; 
 " it took all the men in the mill to hold 
 against it till I got in stays." 
 
 " I have seldom seen the river so full," 
 said Herbert ; " the pressure must be 
 something very great." 
 
 "Yes, but Elderson made a strong job of 
 it ; there is not much danger now that the 
 rain is off. We might take a turn and see 
 how the water looks; see, the moon is out." 
 
 At this point, Dr. Calder, according to 
 sentence passed, was endeavouring to kiss 
 Miss Dawson through the spars of a chair, 
 and Herbert looked on approvingly, while 
 Annie, with much confusion and much 
 blushing, sustained her share of the punish- 
 ment. 
 
 For the next quarter of an hour there 
 was considerable kissing and merriment. 
 The Schoolmaster had been awarded a
 
 266 THE DAWSON S OF GLENARA. 
 
 flying kiss with Mrs. M' II wham ; Miss Lee 
 was bound to go into the lobby and count 
 the stars with Mr. M'llwham, and Miss 
 Mackenzie had to kiss the four corners of 
 the room, which meant, as she expressed 
 it, that she was " to be slaikit a' owre at 
 every corner o' the house by folk she cared 
 naething for." While the party were thus 
 enjoying themselves, a sudden crash was 
 heard outside, followed by a hissing and 
 rushing noise — in a moment, the sport gave 
 place to alarm. 
 
 " The dam has burst ! " cried Mrs. Daw- 
 son. " Oh ! where's my husband ! where's 
 my husband!' In an instant all were 
 at the door. As they reached it they 
 heard shouts of despair rising above the 
 noise of the water, which was now flooding 
 the yard and rushing in awful fury past the 
 gable of the mill. Mr. Rodger was 
 running along the margin of the lade 
 without his hat, crying
 
 AN ALARM. 267 
 
 " Help ! help ! Mr. Dawson's in the 
 water — bring a rope — for God s sake bring 
 a rope, fast — fast, or he will be drowned ! ' 
 
 Dr. Calder was the first to reach the 
 spot. He saw in a moment what was 
 wrong. The sluice had given way, and 
 the water was running with fearful violence 
 into the dam, which in turn also yielded to 
 the pressure. The Miller, who had been 
 carried off his feet by the sudden inflow of 
 the water, was now struggling against the 
 current, which was fast carrying him to the 
 broken corner of the dam. M'Whannel 
 came up with a rope, but it was too short. 
 The Miller was fast approaching the 
 dreaded spot. M'llwham seized a rake 
 and rushed into the water up to the waist, 
 but he was too late — for at that moment 
 the Miller was carried into the awful cur- 
 rent which surged past the end of the mill, 
 towards the river. The Doctor had 
 thrown off his coat, and leaping to the
 
 268 THE DAWSONS OF GLENARA. 
 
 lower terrace reached the margin of the 
 river just as Philip was carried down on 
 the seething current ; quick as thought 
 he plunged after him into the boiling flood, 
 and both disappeared under the shadow of 
 the overhanging bank. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON I PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET 
 
 AND CHARING CRO-^S
 
 -v