Fiction > Serialisations > London, 1893 - David Balfour

DAVID BALFOUR.
399
Neil leaped into the garden. His eyes burned,
and he had a black knife (as they call it on the
Highland side) naked in his hand ; but, seeing me
beside his mistress, stood like a man struck.
" He has come to your call," said I ; "judge how
near he was in Edinburgh, or what was the nature
of your father's errands. Ask himself If I am to
lose my life, or the lives of those that hang by me,
through the means of your clan, let me go where I
have to go with my eyes open."
She addressed him tremulously in the Gaehc.
Remembering Alan's anxious civility in that par-
ticular, I could have laughed out loud for bitter-
ness ; here, sure, in the midst of these suspicions,
was the hour she should have stuck by English.
Twice or thrice they spoke together, and I could
make out that Neil (for all his obsequiousness) was
an angry man.
Then she turned to me. "He swears it is not,"
she said.
"Catriona," said I, "do you believe the man
yourself?"
She made a gesture like wringing the hands.
" How will I can know ? " she cried.
" But I must find some means to know," said I.
" I cannot continue to go dovering round in the
black night with two men's lives at my girdle !
Catriona, try to put yourself in my place, as I vow
to God I try hard to put myself in yours. This is
no kind of talk that should ever have fallen between
me and you, no kind of talk ; my heart is sick
with it. See, keep him here till two of the morning,
and I care not. Try him with that."
They spoke together once more in the Gaelic.
" He says he has James More my father's errand,"
said she. She was whiter than ever, and her voice
faltered as she said it.
" It is pretty plain now," said I, "and may God
forgive the wicked ! "
She said never anything to that, but continued
gazing at me with the same white face.
"This is a fine business," said I again. "Am I
to fall, then, and those two along with me ? "
" Oh, what am I to do ? " she cried. " Could I
go against my father's orders, and him in prison, in
the danger of his life ? "
" But perhaps you go too fast," said I. " This
may be a lie too. He may have no right orders ;
all may be contrived by Symon, and your father
knowing nothing."
She burst out weeping between the pair of us ;
and my heart smote me hard, for I thought this
girl was in a dreadful situation.
" Here," said I, " keep him but the one hour,
and I'll chance it, and say God bless you."
She put out her hand to me. " I will be need-
ing one good word," she sobbed.
" The full hour, then ? " said I, keeping her hand
in mine. " Three lives of it, my lass ! "
" The full hour ! " she said, and cried aloud on
her Redeemer to forgive her.
I thought it no fit place for me, and fled.
CHAPTER XL
THE WOOD BY SILVERMILLS.
I LOST no time, but down through the valley and
by Stockbrig and Silvermills as hard as I could
stave. It was Alan's tryst to lie every night between
twelve and two " in a bit scrog of wood by east of
Silvermills and by south the south mill-lade." This
I found easy enough, where it grew on a steep brae,
with the mill-lade flowing swift and deep along the
foot of it ; and here I began to walk slower and to
reflect more reasonably on my employment. I saw
I had made but a fool's bargain with Catriona. It
was not to be supposed that Neil was sent alone
upon his errand, but perhaps he was the only man
belonging to James More ; in which case I should
have done all I could to hang Catriona's father,
and nothing the least material to help myself. To
tell the truth, I fancied neither one of these ideas.
Suppose, by holding back Neil, the girl should have
helped to hang her father, I thought she would
never forgive herself this side of time. And sup-
pose there were others pursuing me that moment,
what kind of a gift was I come bringing to Alan ?
and how would I like that ?
I was up with the west end of that wood when
these two considerations struck me like a cudgel.
My feet stopped of themselves and my heart along
with them. " What wild game is this that I have
been playing ? " thought I ; and turned instantly
upon my heels to go elsewhere.
This brought my face to Silvermills ; the path
came past the village with a crook, but all plainly
visible ; and Highland or Lowland, there was
nobody stirring. Here was my advantage, here