Ellen was touched by his sincerity, as well as by the tone of manly sorrow with which he spoke. His last words, however, startled her, when she considered the vehement manner in which he uttered them.
"John," said she, alarmed, "never, while you have life, let me hear a word of that kind out of your lips. No--never, for the sake of heaven above us, breathe it, or think of it. But, I"ll tell you something, an"
you must hear it, an" bear it too, with patience."
"What is it, Ellen! If it"s fair an" manly, I"ll be guided by your advice."
"Meehaul has threatened to--to--I mane to say, that you musn"t have any quarrel with him, if he meets you or provokes you. Will you promise this?"
"Meenaul has threatened to strike me, has he? An" I, a Lamh Laudher, am to take a blow from a Neil, an" to thank him, I suppose, for givin" it."
Ellen rose up and stood before him.
"Lamh Laudher," said she, "I must now try your love for me in earnest.
A lie I cannot tell no more than I can cover the truth. My brother has threatened to strike you, an" as I said afore, you must bear it for his sister"s sake."
"No, _dher Chiernah_, never. That, Ellen, is goin" beyant what I"m able to bear. Ask me to cut off my right hand for your sake, an" I"ll do it; ask my life, an" I"ll give it: but to ask a Lamh Laudher to bear a blow from a Neil--never. What! how could I rise my face afther such a disgrace? How could I keep the country wid a Neil"s blow, like the stamp of a thief upon my forehead, an" me the first of my own faction, as your brother is of his. No--never!"
"An" you say you love me, John?"
"Betther than ever man loved woman."
"No, man--you don"t," she replied; "if you did, you"d give up something for me. You"d bear that for my sake, an" not think it much. I"m beginin" to believe, Lamh Laudher, that if I was a poor portionless girl, it wouldn"t be hard to put me out of your thoughts. If it was only for my own sake you loved me, you"d not refuse me the first request I ever made to you; when you know, too, that if I didn"t think more of you than I ought, I"d never make it."
"Ellen, would you disgrace me? Would you wish me to bear the name of a coward? Would you want my father to turn me out of the house? Would you want my own faction to put their feet upon me, an" drive me from among them?"
"John," she replied, bursting into tears, "I do know that it"s a sore obligation to lay upon you, when everything"s taken into account; but if you wouldn"t do this for me, who would you do it for? Before heaven, John, I dread a meetin" between you an" my brother, afther what he tould me; an" the only way of preventin" danger is for you not to strike him.
Oh, little you know what I have suffered these two days for both your sakes! Lamh Laudher Oge, I doubt it would be well for me if I had never seen your face."
"Anything undher heaven but what you want me to do, Ellen."
"Oh! don"t refuse me this, John. I ask it, as I said, for both your sake, an" for my own sake. Meehaul wouldn"t strike an unresistin" man.
I won"t lave you till you promise; an" if that won"t do, I"ll go down on my. knees an" ask you for the sake of heaven above, to be guided by me in this."
"Ellen, I"ll lave the country to avoid him, if that"ll plase you."
"No--no--no, John: that doesn"t plase me. Is it to lave your father an" family, an" you the staff of their support? Oh, John, give me your promise. Here on my two knees I ask it from you, for my own, for your own, and for the sake of G.o.d above us! I know Meehaul. If he got a blow from you on my account, he"d never forgive it to either you or me."
She joined her hands in supplication to him as she knelt, and the tears chased each other like rain down her cheeks. The solemnity with which she insisted on gaining her point staggered Lamh Laudher not a little.
"There must be something undher this," he replied, "that makes you set your heart on it so much. Ellen, tell me the truth; what is it?"
"If I loved you less, John, an" my brother too, I wouldn"t care so much about it. Remember that I"m a woman, an" on my knees before you. A blow from you would make him take your life or mine, sooner than that I should become your wife. You ought to know his temper."
"You know, Ellen, I can"t at heart refuse you any thing. I will not strike your brother."
"You promise, before G.o.d, that no provocation will make you strike him."
"That"s hard, Ellen; but--well, I do; before G.o.d, I won"t--an" it"s for your sake I say it. Now, get up, dear, get up. You have got me to do what no mortal livin" could bring me to but yourself. I suppose that"s what made you send Nanse M"Collum for my staff?"
"Nancy M"Collum! When?"
"Why, a while ago. She tould me a quare enough story, or rather no story at all, only that you couldn"t come, an" you could come, an" I was to give up my staff to her by your ordhers."
"She tould you false, John. I know nothing about what you say."
"Well, Ellen," replied Lamh Laudher, with a firm seriousness of manner, "you have brought me into danger. I doubt, without knowin" it. For my own part, I don"t care so much. Her unlucky aunt met me comin" here this evenin", and threatened both our family and yours. I know she would sink us into the earth if she could. Either she or your brother is at the bottom of this business, whatever it is. Your brother I don"t fear; but she is to be dreaded, if, all"s true that"s said about her."
"No, John--she surely couldn"t have the heart to harm, you an" me. Oh, but I"m light now, since you did what I wanted you. No harm can come between you and Meehaul; for I often heard him say, when speakin"
about his faction fights, that no one but a coward would, strike an unresistin" man. Now come and see me pa.s.s the Pedlar"s Cairn, an"
remember that you"ll thank me for what I made you do this night. Come quickly--I"ll be missed."
They then pa.s.sed on by a circuitous and retired path that led round the orchard, until he had conducted her in safety beyond the Pedlar"s Cairn, which was so called from a heap of stones that had been loosely piled together, to mark the spot as the scene of a murder, whose history, thus perpetuated by the custom of every pa.s.senger casting a stone upon the place, const.i.tuted one of the local traditions of the neighborhood.
After a tender good-night, given in a truly poetical manner under the breaking light of a May moon, he found it necessary to retrace his steps by a path which wound round the orchard, and terminated in the public entrance to the town. Along this suburban street he had advanced but a short way, when he found himself overtaken and arrested by his bitter and determined foe, Meehaul Neil. The connection betwixt the promise that Ellen had extorted from him and this rencounter with her brother flashed upon him forcibly: he resolved, however, to be guided by her wishes, and with this purpose on his part, the following dialogue took place between the heads of the rival factions. When we say, however, that Lamh Laudher was the head of his party, we beg to be understood as alluding only to his personal courage and prowess; for there were in it men of far greater wealth and of higher respectability, so far as mere wealth could confer the latter.
"Lamh Laudher," said Meehaul, "whenever a Neil spakes to you, you may know it"s hot in friendship."
"I know that, Meehaul Neil, without hearin" it from you. Spake, what have you to say?"
"There was a time," observed the other, "when you and I were enemies only because our cleaveens were enemies but now there is, an" you know it, a blacker hatred between us."
"I would rather there was not, Meehaul; for my own part, I have no ill-will against either you or yours, all you know that; so when you talk of hatred, spake only for yourself."
"Don"t be mane, man," said Neil; "don"t make them that hates you despise you into the bargain."
Lamh Laudher turned towards him fiercely, and his eye gleamed with pa.s.sion; but he immediately recollected himself, and simply said--
"What is your business with me this night, Meehaul Neil?"
"You"ll know that soon enough--sooner, maybe, than you wish. I now ask you to tell me, if you are an honest man, where you have been?"
"I am as honest, Meehaul, as any man that ever carried the name of Neil upon him, an" yet I won"t tell you that, till you show me what right you have to ask me."
"I b"lieve you forget that I"m Ellen Neil"s brother: now, Lamh Laudher, as her brother, I choose to insist on your answering me."
"Is it by her wish?"
"Suppose I say it is."
"Ay! but I won"t suppose that, till you lay your right hand on your heart, and declare as an honest man, that--tut, man--this is nonsense.
Meehaul, go home--I would rather there was friendship between us."
"You were with Ellen, this night in the! Gra.s.sy Quarry."
"Are you sure of that?"
"I saw you both--I watched you both; you left her beyond the Pedlar"s Cairn, an" you"re now on your way home."
"An" the more mane you, Meehaul, to become a spy upon a girl that you know is as pure as the light from heaven. You ought to blush for doubtin" sich a sister, or thinkin" it your duty to watch her as you do."