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"Murdie," she said, quietly, when she had answered his greeting, "will you just come with me a little; I want to ask you about something." And Murdie walked away with her, followed by the winks and nods of the others. What she said Murdie never told, but he came back to them more determined upon peace than ever.
In the meantime Straight Rory was winding his sinuous way through Coleshill, the Gaelic rhythm of the psalm allowing of quavers and turns impossible in the English. In the pause following the second verse, Murdie was startled at the sound of angry voices from without. More than Murdie heard that sound.
Dear knows where he'll be now," said Don, considering. "Like enough in the Big Swamp or in McLeod's beech bush. They're awful fond of beechnuts. But the dogs can track him, can't they?" "By jingo! I'd like to get him," said Don, kindling under Hughie's excitement. "Wait a bit now. Don't say a word. If Murdie hears he'll want to come, sure, and we don't want him.
And as he took his place in the back seat, with Peter Ruagh beside him, the glance of pride and gratitude that flashed across the congregation to him from the gray-brown eyes made Murdie feel more than ever pleased at what he had been able to do. But he was somewhat disturbed to notice that neither Ranald nor Don nor Aleck had followed him into the church, and he waited uneasily for their coming.
The talk was mainly between Aleck and Murdie, the others crowding eagerly about and putting in a word as they could. Murdie was reasoning good-humoredly, Aleck replying fiercely. "It was good enough for him," Mrs. Murray heard Don interject, in a triumphant tone, to Murdie. But Murdie shut him off sternly. "Whisht, Don, you are not talking just now."
But Peter was far too soft-hearted to accept that invitation, and seizing Ranald's hand, said, heartily: "Never mind, Ranald, it was my own fault. We will just say nothing more about it." "There is the singing, boys," said Murdie. "Come away. Let us go in." He was all the more anxious to get the boys into the church when he saw Aleck making toward them.
"I'm not saying she couldn't," he hurried to say, apologetically, "but it would be funny, wouldn't it?" "Well," said Ranald, relenting and smiling a little, "it would be keeping her busy at times." "When the deer are running, eh, Ranald," said Murdie, good-naturedly. "But Ranald's right, boys," he continued, "give the man a chance, say I."
"And if you keep Thomas home a day or a week, you will have to write to the master about it," continued Hughie. "And what for, pray?" said the old man, hastily. "May I not keep but Yes, that's a very fine rule, too. It will keep the boys from the woods, I am thinking." "But think of big Murdie Cameron holding up his hand to ask leave to speak to Bob Fraser!" "And why not indeed?
"Your grandmother," whispered Don back. It was not Don's reply that brought Thomas into disgrace this first day of the new master's rule, it was the vision of big Murdie Cameron walking up to the desk with an excuse for lateness, which he had obtained from Long John, his father.
Murdie only grinned at him. The new master had begun the day by enunciating the regulations under which the school was to be administered. They made rather a formidable list, but two of them seemed to the boys to have gone beyond the limits of all that was outrageous and absurd.
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