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Malcolm replaced the infant in his mother's arms and strode toward the house. Imagining he went to avenge her wrongs, Lizzy ran after him. "Ma'colm! Ma'colm!" she cried, "for my sake! He's the father o' my bairn!" Malcolm turned. "Lizzy," he said solemnly, "I winna lay han' upon 'im." Lizzy pressed her child closer with a throb of relief. "Come in yersel' an' see," he added. "I daurna!
"Ay, but ye see, Ma'colm," said Peter, forgetting his address, and his eye twinkling in the humour of the moment, "it's no by your leave, or ony man's leave; it's the richt o' the thing; an' that I maun think aboot, an' see whether I be at leeberty to ca' ye my lord or no." "Meantime, don't do it," said Malcolm, "lest you should have to change afterwards. You might find it difficult."
He was on the point of warning Clementina lest she too should be worse than startled, when he was arrested by the voice of John Jack, the old gardener, who came stooping after them, looking a sexton of flowers. "Ma'colm, Ma'colm!" he cried, and crept up wheezing. "I beg yer leddyship's pardon, my leddy, but I wadna hae Ma'colm lat ye gang in there ohn tellt ye what there is inside."
"I hae naething to tell ye, Ma'colm, but jist 'at my leddy Florimel's gauin' to be merried upo' Lord Meikleham Lord Liftore, they ca' him noo. Hech me!" "God forbid she sud be merried upon ony sic a bla'guard!" cried Malcolm. "Dinna ca' 'im ill names, Ma'colm. I canna bide it, though I hae no richt to tak up the stick for him."
"But first ye'll promise to haud yer tongues for half a day?" said Malcolm. "Ay, ay; we'll no clype." "We s' haud ower tongues," cried one and another and another, and all seemed to assent. "Weel," said Malcolm, "My name 's no Ma'colm MacPhail, but " "We a' ken that," said Girnel. "An' what mair du ye ken?" asked Blue Peter, with some anger at his interruption. "Ow, naething."
"Lord preserve 's, Ma'colm!" cried Miss Horn, as soon as he had ended his tale, to which she had listened in silence, with fierce eyes and threatening nose; "isna 't a mercy I wasna made like some fowk, or I couldna ha' bidden to see the puir fallow misguidet that gait! It's a special mercy, Ma'colm MacPhail, to be made wantin' ony sic thing as feelin's."
Malcolm laughed, and she could not help joining him. "Ye maun come the morn an' chise yer ain room i' the Hoose," he said. "What mean ye by that, laddie?" "At ye'll ha'e to come an' bide wi' me noo." "'Deed an' I s' du naething o' the kin', Ma'colm! H'ard ever onybody sic nonsense! What wad I du wi' Jean? An' I cudna thole men fowk to wait upo' me. I wad be clean affrontit."
Women's born till 't, an' they tak it an' are thankfu'; but a man never gies in till 't, an' sae it comes harder upo' him nor upo' them. Hear me, my lord: gien there be a man upo' this earth wha wad shield a woman, that man's Ma'colm Colonsay." "If only she weren't his sister!" murmured the marquis.
'Yes; just a boy like that, he answered. 'Ma'colm 'ill steer as straucht's a porpus. When he was relieved, he crept over the thwarts to where I sat. 'Is there any true definition of a straight line, sir? he said. 'I can't take the one in my Euclid. 'So you're not afraid, Malcolm? I returned, heedless of his question, for I wanted to see what he would answer.
"Weel," he said, "I am glaid o' that, Ma'colm I beg yer pardon, my lord, I sud say. Annie!" "Haud a quaiet sough, man. I wadna hae 't come oot at Scaurnose first. I'm come noo 'cause I want ye to stan' by me." "I wull that, my lord." "Weel, gang an' gether yer boat's crew, an' fess them doon to the cove, an' I'll tell them, an' maybe they'll stan' by me as weel."
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