Tune up, Geordie!"
Mr. Pumpherston deliberately produced the fork, struck it on his knee, winced, muttered "dammit," and gazed upwards. Not so many years ago Macgregor would have exploded; to-night he was occupied in trying to find Christina"s hand under the table.
"Doh, me, soh, doh, soh, me, doh," hummed the vocalist.
Christina, who had been looking desperately serious, let out a small squeak and hurriedly blew her nose. Macgregor regarded her in astonishment, and she withdrew the little finger she had permitted him to capture.
"It"s a patriotic sang in honour," Mrs. Pumpherston started to explain----
"Ach, woman!" cried her spouse, "ye"ve made me loss ma key." He re-struck the fork irritably, and proceeded to inform the company--"It"s no exac"ly a new sang, but----"
"Ye"ll be lossin" yer key again, Geordie."
With a sulky grunt, Mr. Pumpherston once more struck his fork, but this time discreetly on the leg of his chair, and in his own good time made a feeble attack on "Rule, Britannia."
"This is fair rotten," Macgregor muttered at the third verse, resentful that his love should be apparently enjoying it.
"Remember ye"re a sojer," she whispered back, "an" thole." But she let him find her hand again.
The drear performance came to an end amid applause sufficient to satisfy Mrs. Pumpherston.
"Excep" when ye cracked on "arose," ye managed fine," she said to her perspiring mate, and to the hostess, "What think ye o" that for a patriotic sang, Mistress McOstrich?"
"Oh, splendid--splendid!" replied Mrs. McOstrich with a nervous start. For the last five minutes she had been lost in furtive contemplation of her two youthful guests, her withered countenance more melancholy even than usual.
Ten o"clock struck, and, to Macgregor"s ill-disguised delight, Christina rose and said she must be going.
Mrs. McOstrich accompanied the two to the outer door. There she took Christina"s hand, stroked it once or twice, and let it go.
"Macgreegor has been a frien" o" mines since he was a gey wee laddie," she said, "an" I"m rael prood to ha"e had his intended in ma hoose. I"ll never forget neither o" ye. If I had had a laddie o" ma ain, I couldna ha"e wished him to dae better nor Macgreegor has done--in every way." Abruptly she pressed something into Christina"s hand and closed the girl"s fingers upon it. "Dinna look at it noo," she went on hastily. "It"s yours, dearie, but ye"ll gi"e it to Macgreegor when the time comes for him to--to gang. Ma grandfayther was a dandy in his way, an" it"s a" he left me, though I had great expectations."
Gently she pushed the pair of them forth and closed the door.
At the foot of the stair, under a feeble gas-jet, Christina opened her hand, disclosing an old-fashioned ring set with a blood-stone.
"Ye never tell"t me she was like that," the girl said softly, yet a little accusingly.
"I never thought," muttered he, truthfully enough.
VII
WILLIE STANDS UP
It is not the most roughly nurtured of us who will rough it the most cheerfully. Willie Thomson, of harsh and meagre upbringing, was the grumbler of his billet. He found fault with the camp fare, accommodation and hours in particular, with the discipline in general. Yet, oddly enough, after a fortnight or so, he seemed to accept the physical drill at 7 a.m. with a sort of dour satisfaction, though he never had a good word to say for it.
His complaints at last exasperated Macgregor, who, on a certain wet evening, when half the men were lounging drearily within the billet, snapped the question:
"What the blazes made ye enlist?"
The answer was unexpected. "You!"
"Ye"re a leear!"
With great deliberation Willie arose from the bench on which he had been reclining. He spat on the floor and proceeded to unb.u.t.ton his tunic,
"Nae man," he declared, as if addressing an audience, "calls me that twicet!"
"Wudna be worth his while," said his friend, carelessly.
"I challenge ye to repeat it."
The tone of the words caused Macgregor to stare, but he said calmly enough: "Either ye was a leear the nicht ye enlisted, or ye"re a leear noo. Ye can tak" yer choice."
"An" you can tak" aff yer coat!"
"I dinna need to undress for to gi"e ye a hammerin", if that"s what ye"re efter. But I"m no gaun to dae it here. We"d baith get into trouble."
"Ye"re henny," said Willie.
Macgregor was more puzzled than angry. Here was Willie positively asking for a punching in public!
"What"s wrang wi" ye, Wullie?" he asked in a lowered voice. "Wait till we get oor next leave. The chaps here"ll jist laugh at ye."
"It"ll maybe be you they"ll laugh at. Come on, ye cooard!"
By this time the other fellows had become interested, and one of them, commonly called Jake, the oldest in the billet, came forward.
"What"s up, Grocer?" he inquired of Macgregor, who had early earned his nickname thanks to Uncle Purdie"s frequent consignments of dainties, which were greatly appreciated by all in the billet.
"He"s aff his onion," said Macgregor, disgustedly.
"He says I"m a leear," said Willie, sullenly. Jake"s humorous mouth went straight, not without apparent effort.
"Weel," he said slowly, judicially, "it"s maybe a peety to fecht aboot a trifle like that, an" we canna permit kickin", clawin" an"
bitin" in this genteel estayblishment; but seein" it"s a dull evenin", an" jist for to help for to pa.s.s the time, I"ll len" ye ma auld boxin" gloves, an" ye can bash awa" till ye"re wearit. Sam!"
he called over his shoulder, "fetch the gloves, an" I"ll see fair play. . . . I suppose. Grocer, ye dinna want to apologeeze."
Macgregor"s reply was to loosen his tunic. He was annoyed with himself and irritated by Willie, but above all he resented the publicity of the affair.
With mock solemnity Jake turned to Willie. "In case o" yer decease, wud ye no like to leave a lovin" message for the aunt we"ve heard ye blessin" noo an" then?"
"To pot wi" her!" muttered Willie.
A high falsetto voice from the gathering" audience cried: "Oh, ye bad boy, come here till I skelp ye!"--and there was a general laugh, in which the hapless object did not join.
"Ach, dinna torment him," Macgregor said impulsively.