The suspense was terrible. Sam"l and Sanders had both known all along that Bell would take the first of the two who asked her. Even those who thought her proud admitted that she was modest. Bitterly the weaver repented having waited so long. Now it was too late. In ten minutes Sanders would be at T"nowhead; in an hour all would be over. Sam"l rose to his feet in a daze. His mother pulled him down by the coat-tail, and his father shook him, thinking he was walking in his sleep. He tottered past them, however, hurried up the aisle, which was so narrow that Dan"l Ross could only reach his seat by walking sideways, and was gone before the minister could do more than stop in the middle of a whirl and gape in horror after him.
A number of the congregation felt that day the advantage of sitting in the loft. What was a mystery to those downstairs was revealed to them.
From the gallery windows they had a fine open view to the south; and as Sam"l took the common, which was a short cut through a steep ascent, to T"nowhead, he was never out of their line of vision. Sanders was not to be seen, but they guessed rightly the reason why. Thinking he had ample time, he had gone round by the main road to save his boots--perhaps a little scared by what was coming. Sam"l"s design was to forestall him by taking the shorter path over the burn and up the commonty.
It was a race for a wife, and several onlookers in the gallery braved the minister"s displeasure to see who won. Those who favoured Sam"l"s suit exultingly saw him leap the stream, while the friends of Sanders fixed their eyes on the top of the common where it ran into the road.
Sanders must come into sight there, and the one who reached this point first would get Bell.
As Auld Lichts do not walk abroad on the Sabbath, Sanders would probably not be delayed. The chances were in his favour. Had it been any other day in the week Sam"l might have run. So some of the congregation in the gallery were thinking, when suddenly they saw him bend low and then take to his heels. He had caught sight of Sanders"s head bobbing over the hedge that separated the road from the common, and feared that Sanders might see him. The congregation who could crane their necks sufficiently saw a black object, which they guessed to be the carter"s hat, crawling along the hedge-top. For a moment it was motionless, and then it shot ahead. The rivals had seen each other. It was now a hot race. Sam"l dissembling no longer, clattered up the common, becoming smaller and smaller to the onlookers as he neared the top. More than one person in the gallery almost rose to their feet in their excitement. Sam"l had it.
No, Sanders was in front. Then the two figures disappeared from view.
They seemed to run into each other at the top of the brae, and no one could say who was first. The congregation looked at one another. Some of them perspired. But the minister held on his course.
Sam"l had just been in time to cut Sanders out. It was the weaver"s saving that Sanders saw this when his rival turned the corner; for Sam"l was sadly blown. Sanders took in the situation and gave in at once. The last hundred yards of the distance he covered at his leisure, and when he arrived at his destination he did not go in. It was a fine afternoon for the time of year, and he went round to have a look at the pig, about which T"nowhead was a little sinfully puffed up.
"Ay," said Sanders, digging his fingers critically into the grunting animal, "quite so."
"Grumph," said the pig, getting reluctantly to his feet.
"Ou, ay, yes," said Sanders thoughtfully.
Then he sat down on the edge of the sty, and looked long and silently at an empty bucket. But whether his thoughts were of T"nowhead"s Bell, whom he had lost for ever, or of the food the farmer fed his pig on, is not known.
"Lord preserve "s! are ye no at the kirk?" cried Bell, nearly dropping the baby as Sam"l broke into the room.
"Bell!" cried Sam"l.
Then T"nowhead"s Bell knew that her hour had come.
"Sam"l," she faltered.
"Will ye hae "s, Bell?" demanded Sam"l, glaring at her sheepishly.
"Ay," answered Bell.
Sam"l fell into a chair.
"Bring "s a drink o" water, Bell," he said. But Bell thought the occasion required milk, and there was none in the kitchen. She went out to the byre, still with the baby in her arms, and saw Sanders Elshioner sitting gloomily on the pigsty.
"Weel, Bell," said Sanders.
"I thocht ye"d been at the kirk, Sanders," said Bell.
Then there was a silence between them.
"Has Sam"l speered ye, Bell?" asked Sanders, stolidly.
"Ay," said Bell again, and this time there was a tear in her eye.
Sanders was little better than an "orra man," and Sam"l was a weaver, and yet--But it was too late now. Sanders gave the pig a vicious poke with a stick, and when it had ceased to grunt, Bell was back in the kitchen. She had forgotten about the milk, however, and Sam"l only got water after all.
In after-days, when the story of Bell"s wooing was told, there were some who held that the circ.u.mstances would have almost justified the la.s.sie in giving Sam"l the go-by. But these perhaps forgot that her other lover was in the same predicament as the accepted one--that of the two, indeed, he was the more to blame, for he set off to T"nowhead on the Sabbath of his own accord, while Sam"l only ran after him. And then there is no one to say for certain whether Bell heard of her suitors"
delinquencies until Lisbeth"s return from the kirk. Sam"l could never remember whether he told her, and Bell was not sure whether, if he did, she took it in. Sanders was greatly in demand for weeks to tell what he knew of the affair, but though he was twice asked to tea to the manse among the trees, and subjected thereafter to ministerial cross-examinations, this is all he told. He remained at the pigsty until Sam"l left the farm, when he joined him at the top of the brae, and they went home together.
"It"s yersel", Sanders," said Sam"l.
"It is so, Sam"l," said Sanders.
"Very cauld," said Sam"l.
"Blawy," a.s.sented Sanders.
After a pause--
"Sam"l," said Sanders.
"Ay."
"I"m hearing ye"re to be mairit."
"Ay."
"Weel, Sam"l, she"s a snod bit la.s.sie."
"Thank ye," said Sam"l.
"I had ance a kin o" notion o" Bell mysel"," continued Sanders.
"Ye had?"
"Yes, Sam"l; but I thocht better o" "t."
"Hoo d" ye mean?" asked Sam"l, a little anxiously.
"Weel, Sam"l, mairitch is a terrible responsibeelity."
"It is so," said Sam"l, wincing.
"An" no the thing to tak" up withoot conseederation."
"But it"s a blessed and honourable state, Sanders; ye"ve heard the minister on "t."
"They say," continued the relentless Sanders, ""at the minister doesna get on sair wi" the wife himsel"."
"So they do," cried Sam"l, with a sinking at the heart.
"I"ve been telt," Sanders went on, ""at gin ye can get the upper han" o" the wife for a while at first, there"s the mair chance o" a harmonious exeestence."
"Bell"s no the la.s.sie," said Sam"l, appealingly, "to thwart her man."
Sanders smiled.