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Oh for the day when God and not the king shall be regarded as the fountain of honour. But the Macruadh looked upon the calling of the brewer or distiller as from the devil: he was not called of God to brew or distil! From childhood his mother had taught him a horror of gain by corruption. Offences must come, therefore I will do them!"
Ian was at once more like and more unlike other people. His manner was equally courteous, but notably stiffer: he was as much at his ease, but more reserved. To use a figure, he did not step out so far to meet them. They walked on together. "You are a little earlier than usual this morning, ladies!" remarked the chief. "How do you know that, Mr. Macruadh?" rejoined Christina.
Contempt would not stave off a land-slip! Mistress Conal, with a rage and scorn that made her feel every inch a witch, and accompanied by her black cat, which might or might not be the innocent animal the neighbours did not think him, hurried to the Macruadh, and informed him that "the lowland thief" had given her notice to quit the house of her fathers within a fortnight.
There is not a man I should like for a son-in-law better than yourself, Macruadh; but I am helpless." "I quite understand," replied the chief, "and thank you heartily for your kindness. Is there anything I can do for you?" "Mercy has something she wants to speak to you about." "It was so good of you to bring her! What is it, Mercy?"
"The Macruadh does what is just!" rejoined the man. His master vouchsafed him no reply. He would not show his wrath against the chief: it would be undignified! "Take him to the tool-house, and lock him up till I think what to do with him. Bring me the key." The butler led the way, and Hector followed between his captors.
The Macruadh set down the creel, and taking out peat after peat, piled them up against the wall, where already a good many waited their turn to be laid on the fire; for, as the old woman said, she must carry a few when she could, and get ahead with her store ere the winter came, or she would soon be devoured: there was a death that always prowled about old people, she said, watching for the fire to go out.
You know the old proverb, Macruadh, 'When poverty comes in at the door, ?" "There is hardly a question of poverty in the sense the proverb intends!" answered the chief smiling. "Of course! Of course! At the same time you cannot keep the wolf too far from the door. I would not, for my part, care to say I had given my daughter to a poor farmer in the north.
An intercourse by degrees established itself between Mrs. Macruadh and the well-meaning, handsome, smiling Mrs. Palmer, and rendered it natural for the girls to go rather frequently to the cottage. They made themselves agreeable to the mother, and subject to the law of her presence showed to better advantage.
I will spare the description of the haste and hurrying to and fro in the little house the blowing of fires, the steaming pails and blankets, the hot milk and tea! Mrs. Macruadh rolled up her sleeves, and worked like a good housemaid. Nancy shot hither and thither on her bare feet like a fawn you could not say she ran, and certainly she did not walk.
Isobel Macruadh was a woman of real thinking-power. Her sons being but boys when their father died, she at once took the part of mediator between the mind of the father and that of his sons; and besides guiding them on the same principles, often told them things their father had said, and talked with them of things they had heard him say.
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