Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 1, 1893

THE CELTIC MONTHLY.
II
MARJORY CAMERON'S TRYST.
15V Carroi, King.
' I'.llt sprin- will rnmr ;i^ain, Annie,
And drive I lie winter shutters ;
Anil you and I shall walk, Anni",
\man- the simmer flowers.
oh i bonnie are the braes, Willie,
When a' the drifts air gane,
But my heart misgives me sair, Willie,
Veil wander t
-Old
'AS there ever such a lovely, lonely-
spot for a tryst with a bonnie lassie?
,'ht Sandy M 'Galium, as he stood
under the old pine tree waiting
for bright, bonnie Marjory.
Swiftly sped the minutes at first, for the
place had a rich, slumbrous charm of its own,
that seemed to breathe of calm and restfulness.
Under the shadow of the swaying boughs, a
white, spirit like waterfall leaped in foam over
a black ruck, and cist its spray over the velvet
mosses on the banks of the mountain stream.
Above and around stretched wide slopes of
heather, with here and there bright oases of
green, and patches of gorse and broom ; higher
still, on the mountain side, great colonies of
bracken, tall ferns, and stunted sloe bushes,
rallied around a cluster of grey rocks, and hid
their barrenness. But when the dusk deepened,
and the stars rose and sparkled over the east-
ward hills, Sandie began to weary and wonder.
What could be keeping Marjory] The milking
was over long ago. Not for one moment did
his thoughts glance towards the package — the
laird's valuable bit of " real estate ;" to that he
never cast a thought — he knew it was safe in
Marjory's hands, but — what ami, I In- keeping
her! More than an hour he waited, and then
with a sore and angry heart he walked resolutely
to the Cameron's house.
Mrs Cameron herself answered his knock.
" Is it you, Sandie ? Come away."
" I am not coming in, thank you, but — can I
see Marjory for a minute t "
'■No, not to-night," said Marjory's mother
sharply. "You make me lose all patience, the
pair of you ! Quarrelling and disagreeing in
the morning, kiss and make up in the evening
— there's no sense in it ! She's been greeting
her eyes out, and had such a headache that I
made her go to her lied, and I had all the milk-
ing and everything to do ! "
"Did Marjory say we had quarrelled?" asked
Sandie in a low tone, when the irate lady
paused for breath.
"No, but anybody can tell the signs of it!
Good night if you'll no' come in — I'm too busy
to stand here clavering ! "
She calmly shut the door in his face, and
retreated, leaving Sandie wrathful and be-
wildered, outside the back door! But, as he
was sullenly withdrawing from the yard, a
window above was very gently pushed up, and
Marjory's voice, choked and broken with tears,
exclaimed —
"Sandie! dear Sandie! Do forgive me, I
couldn't eume! I couldn't indeed ! "
" Oh ! Marsalie," he said, the tone of rapture
returning to his voice, " I don't mind at all the
disappointment, if you wanted to come ! Did
you, Marsalie?"
"I'll — I'll tell you all to-morrow, Sandie."
How he would have liked to take a flying
leap to that window, and hung on there ! He
was all right now, and the night was beautiful
once more !
"To-morrow evening," he whispered joyously.
"You won't disappoint me to-morrow evening?
Well ! And will you throw me down Mr. Clyde's
parcel, dear; he'll be coming after it in the
morning."
"Oh, Sandie!" eanie the frightened, tearful
tones, ''please: don't mind it to-night! Come
up to the byre at milking time in the morning
—do, Sandie!"
"All right," he responded blithely. "Of
course I'll come. Good night!"
The easement was gently closed, but I think
Sandie would have been frightened in turn
could he have seen the agony of bitter tears
into which Marjory subsided on his departure.
It was such an awful, unexpected horror this,
to have fallen upon her so suddenly. It would
have to be made public, she would be lightly
spoken cf — nay, who knows t — she might be
branded as a thief ! It is impossible for those
who live always amid the strife of tongues and
parties, to imagine a tithe of the torture to an
innocent maiden, in the thought of being
"clashed about," suspected, believed capable of
guilt. And, above all this, brooded the gloomy
terror of the amount; if the sum lost was a large
one, how might it not affect her poor father?
Never had saucy, wilful Marjory been brought
face to face with such trouble as this !
The hours wore on ; she heard the clock
strike ten, and then billowed the sounds of
reading and prayer; then she heard the mother's
chair set back to its niche between the table and
fireplace, and, presently all sound ceased, and
the house was wrapt in profound stillness.
" I must go out for a mouthful of fresh air — I
have not been out to-day at all, and I feel half
suffocated," muttered Marjory to herself. She
pressed her hands to her aching temples to still
their throbbing. She threw a shawl of dark
grey wool, almost black, over her head and
shoulders, and glided down stairs in her slippers.
None of the family slept near the kitchen, so
she was safe enough from discovery. With