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"It's a pity, Annie, that some fowk dinna get their ain share o' Mr Malison's tards." It must not be supposed from this speech that Robert Bruce ever ventured to lay his hands on his own children.
Malison threw him off, and lifting his weapon once more, swept it with a stinging lash round his head and face. Alec, feeling that this was no occasion on which to regard the rules of fair fight, stooped his head, and rushed, like a ram, or a negro, full tilt against the pit of Malison's stomach, and doubling him up, sent him with a crash into the peat fire which was glowing on the hearth.
When she forgot it for a moment, it would return again with a sting of actual physical pain, which seemed to pierce her heart. Before school was over she had made up her mind what to do. And before school was over Malison's own deed had opened his own eyes, had broken through the crust that lay between him and the vision of his own character.
"Nae mair nor ither fowk." "Less, Tibbie; less, woman." "Hoo mak' ye that oot?" asked Tibbie, defensively. "Ye dinna see the things to anger ye that ither fowk sees. As I cam' doon the street this minute, I cam' upo' twa laddies ye ken them they're twins ane o' them cripple " "Ay, that was Murdoch Malison's wark!" interposed Tibbie, with indignant reminiscence.
The spirits of the pit seemed to have broken loose and filled Murdoch Malison's school-room with the stench of their fire and brimstone. As she sat longing for school to be over, that she might follow a plan which had a glimmer of hope in it, stupified with her labouring thoughts, and overcome with wretchedness, she fell fast asleep.
Every Saturday, then, Murdoch Malison's pupils had to learn so many questions of the Shorter Catechism, with proofs from Scripture; and whoever failed in this task was condemmed to imprisonment for the remainder of the day, or, at least, till the task should be accomplished.
It was Annie and Miss Malison's interest to preserve this illusion; for were she recognised as fifteen, many privileges might have been acceded to her, very much at variance with their interest.
Ah! could she only have known that God never forgot her, whether she forgot him or not, giving her sleep in her dreary garret, gladness even in Murdoch Malison's school-room, and the light of life everywhere! He was now leading on the blessed season of spring, when the earth would be almost heaven enough to those who had passed through the fierceness of the winter.
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