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СКАЧАТЬ Smethurst as we were coming along. His niece, as ye may be aware, is in this house – a better lass was never seen within any house."

      The Laird hesitated more and more as he came to the climax of his discourse: it was obviously difficult for him to put this restraint on himself.

      "Yes," said he, speaking a little more hurriedly, "and that scoondrel – that scoondrel – has made off with every penny that the poor lass had – every penny of it – and she is left an orphan – without a farthing to maintain herself wi' – and that infernal scoondrel – "

      The Laird jumped from his seat; his anger was too much for him.

      "I mean to stand by her," said he, pacing up and down the room, and speaking in short ejaculations. "She will not be left without a farthing. I will reach him too, if I can. Ay, ay, if I was but twenty years younger, and had that man before me!"

      He stopped short opposite his nephew, and controlled himself so as to speak quite calmly.

      "I would like to see ye settled at Denny-mains, Howard," said he. "And ye would want a wife. Now if ye were to marry this young leddy, it would be the delight of my old age to see ye both comfortable and well provided for. And a better wife ye would not get within this country. Not a better!"

      Howard Smith stared.

      "Why, uncle!" said he, as if he thought some joke was going forward. We, who had been aware of certain profound plans on the part of Denny-mains, were less startled by this abrupt disclosure of them.

      "That is one of two things," said the Laird, with forced composure, "that I wished to put before ye. If it is impossible, I am sorely vexed. But there is another; and one or the other, as I have been thinking, I am fairly entitled to ask of ye. So far I have not thought of any return for what I have done; it has been a pleasure to me to look after your up-bringing."

      "Well, uncle," said the young man, beginning to look a little less frightened. "I would rather hear of the other thing. You know – eh – that is – a girl does not take anybody who is flung at her, as it were – it would be an insult – and – and people's inclinations and affections – "

      "I know – I know – I know," said the Laird, impatiently. "I have gone over all that. Do ye think I am a fool? If the lass will not have ye, there is an end to it: do your best to get her, and that is enough for me."

      "There was another thing – " the young man suggested timidly.

      "Yes, there is," said the Laird, with a sudden change in his manner. "It is a duty, sir, ye owe not to me, but to humanity. Ye are young, strong, have plenty of time, and I will give ye the money. Find out that man Smethurst; get him face to face; and fell him! Fell him!" – the Laird brought his fist down on the table with a bang that made everything jump, and his eyes were like coals of fire. "None o' your pistols or rapiers or trash like that! – no, no! – a mark on his face for the rest of his life – the brand of a scoondrel between his eyes – there! will ye do that for me?"

      "But, uncle," cried the young man, finding this alternative about as startling as the other, "how on earth can I find him? He is off to Brazil, or Mexico, or California, long ere now, you may depend on it."

      The Laird had pulled himself together again.

      "I have put two things before ye," said he, calmly. "It is the first time I have asked ye for a service, after having brought ye up as few lads have been brought up. If you think it is unfair of me to make a bargain about such things, I will tell ye frankly that I have more concern in that young thing left to herself than in any creature now living on earth; and I will be a friend to her as well as an old man can. I have asked our friends here to listen to what I had to say; they will tell ye whether I am unreasonable. I will leave ye to talk it over."

      He went to the door. Then he turned for a moment to his hostess.

      "I am going to see, ma'am, if Mary will go for a bit walk wi' me – down to the shore, or the like; but we will be back before the hour for denner."

      CHAPTER III.

      THE NEW SUITOR

      It is only those who have lived with her for a number of years who can tell when a certain person becomes possessed with the demon of mischief, and allows sarcasm and malignant laughter and other unholy delights to run riot in her brain. The chief symptom is the assumption of an abnormal gravity, and a look of simple and confiding innocence that appears in the eyes. The eyes tell most of all. The dark pupils seem even clearer than is their wont, as if they would let you read them through and through; and there is a sympathetic appeal in them; the woman seems so anxious to be kind, and friendly, and considerate. And all the time – especially if it be a man who is hopelessly dumfoundered – she is revenging the many wrongs of her sex by covertly laughing at him and enjoying his discomfiture.

      And no doubt the expression on Howard Smith's face, as he sat there in a bewildered silence, was ludicrous enough. He was inclined to laugh the thing away as a joke, but he knew that the Laird was not given to practical jokes. And yet – and yet —

      "Do you really think he is serious?" he blurted out at length, and he spoke to this lady with the gentle innocent eyes.

      "Oh, undoubtedly," she answered, with perfect gravity.

      "Oh, no; it is impossible!" he said, as if arguing with himself. "Why, my uncle, of all men in the world, – and pretending it was serious – of course people often do wish their sons or daughters to marry a particular person – for a sensible reason, to keep estates together, or to join the fortunes of a family – but this – no, no; this is a joke, or else he wants to drive me into giving that fellow a licking. And that, you know, is quite absurd; you might as well drag the Atlantic for a penknife."

      "I am afraid your uncle is quite serious," said she, demurely.

      "But it was to be left to you," he answered quickly. "You were to say whether it was unreasonable. Surely you must see it is not reasonable. Neither the one thing nor the other is possible – "

      Here the young man paused for a moment.

      "Surely," he said, "my uncle can't mean, by putting these impossible things before me, to justify his leaving his property to somebody else? There was no need for any such excuse; I have no claim on him; he has a right to do what he pleases."

      "That has nothing to do with it," said Queen T. promptly. "Your uncle is quite resolved, I know, that you should have Denny-mains."

      "Yes – and a wife," responded the young man, with a somewhat wry smile. "Oh, but you know, it is quite absurd; you will reason him out of it, won't you? He has such a high opinion of your judgment, I know."

      The ingenious youth!

      "Besides," said he warmly, "do you think it very complimentary to your friend Miss Avon that any one should be asked to come and marry her?"

      This was better; it was an artful thrust. But the bland sympathetic eyes only paid him a respectful attention.

      "I know my uncle is pretty firm when he has got a notion into his head," said he, "and – and – no doubt he is quite right in thinking that the young lady has been badly treated, and that somebody should give the absconder a thrashing. All that is quite right; but why should I be made responsible for it? I can't do impossible things."

      "Well, you see," said his sage adviser, with a highly matter-of-fact air, "your uncle may not regard either the one thing or the other as impossible."

      "But СКАЧАТЬ