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"And you dinna have 'Methinks' now either," Tommy announced pitilessly. Corp had dreaded this. "I'll be gey an' lonely without it," he said, with some dignity, "and it was the usefulest swear I kent o'. 'Methinks! I used to roar at Mason Malcolm's collie, and the crittur came in ahint in a swite o' fear. Losh, Tommy, is that you blooding?" There was indeed an ugly gash on Tommy's hand.
"But to think of your caring, Corp!" "I care most michty," he replied, with terrific earnestness. "I must try to satisfy you, then," she said, smiling. "But, Corp, please don't discuss me with Gavinia." This request embarrassed him, for soon again he did not know how to act. There was Grizel's strange behaviour with the child, for instance.
"Now, Peter, 'twould be a hijious thing a very hijious thing if, when I come a-gatherin' watercress in the marnin', I should find you a-danglin' on t' stapil, cold and stiff like t' other, or lyin' a corp wi' your throat cut; 'twould be a hijious hijious thing, Peter, but oh! 'twould mak' a fine story in the tellin'."
Corp saw how determined she was when she revealed, incidentally, that she had drawn a sum of money out of the bank a week ago, "to be ready." "What will folk say!" he cried. "You can tell Gavinia the truth when I am gone," she told him. "She will know better than you what to say to other people." And that was some comfort to him, for it put the burden of invention upon his wife.
Corp slapped him for his ingratitude; but the man who had saved this boy's life wanted no thanks. "Off to your home with you, wherever it is," he said to the boy, who obeyed silently; and then to Corp: "He is a little fool, Corp, but not such a fool as I am." He lay on his face, shivering, not from cold, not from shock, but in a horror of himself.
Briggs had already spoken to James Harris, 'brither to the corp, about these and other related phenomena, a groan, a smack on the nose from a viewless hand, and so forth. In October Briggs saw Harris, about twilight in the morning. Later, at eight o'clock in the morning, he was busy in the field with Bailey, aforesaid, when Harris passed and vanished: Bailey saw nothing.
"That's it," said Corp, cheerfully. Then he added hurriedly, "No, that's no it ava. She's the last to mak' hersel' cheap." Then he saw that this might put Grizel on the scent. "Of course there's no sic woman," he said artfully, "but if there was, he would mak' it a' right. She mightna see how it was to be done, but kennin' what a crittur he is, she maun be sure he would find a wy.
When Corp came home from his work, she said that a poor, love-lorn female had called with a boot for him, and a request that he should carry it in the pocket of his Sabbath breeks. Worst of all, she listened to what he said in the night. Corp had a habit of talking in his sleep.
But his lessons never interested Tommy, and he would go into the Den instead, and repeat Blinder's legends, with embellishments which made them so real that Corp and Elspeth and Grizel were afraid to look behind them lest the spectre of Captain Body should be standing there, leaning on a ghostly sword.
"Whist! Do you mind the password?" "Stroke!" "Right. Have you heard Gav Dishart coming?" "I hinna. I doubt his father had grippit him as he was slinking out o' the manse." "I fear it, Corp. I'm thinking his father is in the Woman's pay." "What woman?" "The Woman of Hanover?" "That's the queen, is it no?" "She'll never get me to call her queen." "Nor yet me. I think I hear Gav coming."
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