"You thought her the daughter of a gentleman!"
"Hardly. I thought her a lady, and such I think her still."
"Then you mean to go on with it?"
"Mother dear," said Alister, taking her by the hand, "give me a little time. Not that I am in any doubt--but the news has been such a blow to me that--"
"It must have been!" said the mother.
"--that I am afraid of answering you out of the soreness of my pride, and Ian says the Truth is never angry."
"I am quite willing you should do nothing in a hurry," said the mother.
She did not understand that he feared lest, in his indignation for Mercy, he should answer his mother as her son ought not.
"I will take time," he replied. "And here is Ian to help me!"
"Ah! if only your father were here!"
"He may be, mother! Anyhow I trust I shall do nothing he would not like!"
"He would sooner see son of his marry the daughter of a cobbler than of a brewer!"
"So would I, mother!" said Alister.
"I too," said Ian, "would much prefer that my sister-in-law"s father were not a brewer."
"I suppose you are splitting some hair, Ian, but I don"t see it,"
remarked his mother, who had begun to gather a little hope. "You will be back by supper-time, Alister, I suppose?"
"Certainly, mother. We are only going to the village."
The brothers went.
"I knew everything you were thinking," said Ian.
"Of course you did!" answered Alister.
"But I am very sorry!"
"So am I! It is a terrible bore!"
A pause followed. Alister burst into a laugh that was not merry.
"It makes me think of the look on my father"s face," he said, "once at the market, as he was putting in his pocket a bunch of more than usually dirty bank-notes. The look seemed almost to be making apology that he was my father--the notes were SO DIRTY! "They"re better than they look, lad!" he said."
"What ARE you thinking of, Alister?"
"Of nothing you are not thinking of, Ian, I hope in G.o.d! Mr.
Palmer"s money is worse than it looks."
"You frightened me for a moment, Alister!"
"How could I, Ian?"
"It was but a nervo-mechanical fright. I knew well enough you could mean nothing I should not like. But I see trouble ahead, Alister!"
"We shall be called a pack of fools, but what of that! We shall be told the money itself was clean, however dirty the hands that made it! The money-grubs!"
"I would rather see you hanged, than pocketing a shilling of it!"
"Of course you would! But the man who could pocket it, will be relieved to find it is only his daughter I care about."
"There will be difficulty, Alister, I fear. How much have you said to Mercy?"
"I have SAID nothing definite."
"But she understands?"
"I think--I hope so.--Don"t you think Christina is much improved, lan?"
"She is more pleasant."
"She is quite attentive to you!"
"She is pleased with me for saving her life. She does not like me--and I have just arrived at not disliking her."
"There is a great change on her!"
"I doubt if there is any IN her though!"
"She may be only amusing herself with us in this outlandish place!
Mercy, I am sure, is quite different!"
"I would trust her with anything, Alister. That girl would die for the man she loved!"
"I would rather have her love, though we should never meet in this world, than the lands of my fathers!"
"What will you do then?"
"I will go to Mr. Palmer, and say to him: "Give me your daughter. I am a poor man, but we shall have enough to live upon. I believe she will be happy.""
"I will answer for him: "I have the greatest regard for you, Macruadh. You are a gentleman, and that you are poor is not of the slightest consequence; Mercy"s dowry shall be worthy the lady of a chief!"--What then, Alister?"
"Fathers that love money must be glad to get rid of their daughters without a. dowry!"
"Yes, perhaps, when they are misers, or money is scarce, or wanted for something else. But when a poor man of position wanted to marry his daughter, a parent like Mr. Palmer would doubtless regard her dowry as a good investment. You must not think to escape that way, Alister! What would you answer him?"
"I would say, "My dear sir,"--I may say "My dear sir," may I not?