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He jumped up, bowing, with his hand on his heart, in his queer fashion. "If you will allow me to have the honour!" he cried; and then seeing that we were all laughing, he began to laugh also, but I am sure that there was really no thought of a joke in his mind. I could never make out what his age could be, nor could Jim Horscroft either.
"What! you met Jim Horscroft?" "I am sure it must be he. A splendid-looking man a hero, with curly black hair, a short, straight nose, and grey eyes. He had shoulders like a statue, and as to height, why, I suppose that your head, Jack, would come up to his scarf-pin." "Up to his ear, Edie!" said I indignantly. "That is, if it was Jim. But tell me.
Now if I were to do it, or Jim Horscroft, it would look as if we were playing the fool, and the girls would have laughed at us; but with him it seemed to go with his style of face and fashion of speech, so that one came at last to look for it: for when he spoke to my mother or Cousin Edie and he was never backward in speaking it would always be with a bow and a look as if it would hardly be worth their while to listen to what he had to say, and when they answered he would put on a face as though every word they said was to be treasured up and remembered for ever.
"I was nearly home," said she, "when I saw you two boys very busy talking, so I came all the way back to know what it was about." Horscroft took a run forward and caught her by the wrist. She gave a little squeal at the sight of his face, but he pulled her towards where I was standing. "Now, Jock, we've had tomfoolery enough," said he. "Here she is. Shall we take her word as to which she likes?
And his experiences to which he referred so lightly, how wonderful the life must have been which had put him in the way of them! He had been kind to us, and gracious of speech, but still I could not quite shake myself clear of the distrust with which I had regarded him. Perhaps, after all, Jim Horscroft had been right and I had been wrong about taking him to West Inch.
His face was very grave, and behind him stood two sergeants, with long slips of paper and pencils in their hands. "Wake up, laddie," said the Major, quite in his old easy fashion, as if we were back on Corriemuir again. "Yes, Major?" I stammered. "I want you to come with me. I feel that I owe something to you two lads, for it was I that took you from your homes. Jim Horscroft is missing."
But the day was coming when we should know all; and how it came I shall try now to tell you. The winter had been a dreary one, but with March came the first signs of spring, and for a week on end we had sunshine and winds from the south. On the 7th Jim Horscroft was to come back from Edinburgh; for though the session ended with the 1st, his examination would take him a week.
But you didn't do things like that with Jim Horscroft. What tales we used to whisper about his strength! How he put his fist through the oak-panel of the game-room door; how, when Long Merridew was carrying the ball, he caught up Merridew, ball and all, and ran swiftly past every opponent to the goal.
Horscroft had been sulky enough with him at first; but de Lapp, with his tact and his easy ways, soon drew him round, until he had quite won his heart, and Jim would sit with Cousin Edie's hand in his, and the two be quite lost in listening to all that he had to tell us.
"Hold up!" I shouted. "Father! Father! Bring the brandy!" His knees had given way for an instant, but he was himself again before the old man came running with the bottle. "Take it away!" said he. "Have a soop, Mister Horscroft," cried my father, pressing it upon him. "It will give you fresh heart!" He caught hold of the bottle and sent it flying over the garden hedge.
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