Still he advised the laird to be patient, and by no means to answer Colin’s letter in a hurry.  But only fixed more firmly the angry father’s determination.  Colin must come home and fulfil his wish, or he must time remain away until he returned as master.  As his son, he would know him no more; as the heir of Crawford, he would receive at intervals such information as pertained to that position.  For the old man was just in his anger; it never seemed possible to him to deprive Colin of the right of his heritage.  To be the 13th Laird of Crawford was Colin’s birthright; he fully recognized his title to the honor, and, as the future head of the house, rendered him a definite respect.

Of course a letter written in such a spirit did no good whatever.  Nothing after it could have induced Colin to come home.  He wrote and declined to receive even the allowance due to him as heir of Crawford.  The letter was perfectly respectful, but cruelly cold and polite, and every word cut the old man like a sword.

For some weeks he really seemed to lose all interest in life.  Then the result Tallisker feared was arrived at.  He let ambition go, and settled down to the simple toil of accumulation.

CHAPTER VI.

But Crawford had not a miser’s nature.  His house, his name, his children were dearer, after all, to him than gold.  Hope springs eternal in the breast; in a little while he had provided himself with a new motive:  he would marry Helen to young Farquharson, and endow her so royally that Farquharson would gladly take her name.  There should be another house of Crawford of which Helen should be the root.

Helen had been long accustomed to consider Hugh Farquharson as her future husband.  The young people, if not very eager lovers, were at least very warm and loyal friends.  They had been in no hurry to finish the arrangement.  Farquharson was in the Scot’s Greys; it was understood that at his marriage he should resign his commission, so, though he greatly admired Helen, he was in no hurry to leave the delights of metropolitan and military life.

But suddenly Crawford became urgent for the fulfilment of the contract, and Helen, seeing how anxious he was, and knowing how sorely Colin had disappointed him, could no longer plead for a delay.  And yet a strange sadness fell over her; some inexplicable symptoms as to her health led her to fear she would never be Farquharson’s wife; the gay wedding attire that came from Edinburgh filled her with a still sorrow; she could not appropriate any part of it as her own.

One day when the preparations were nearly finished, Tallisker came up to the Keep.  Helen saw at once that he was moved by some intense feeling, and there was a red spot on his cheeks which she had been accustomed to associate with the dominie’s anger.  The laird was sitting placidly smoking, and drinking toddy.  He had been telling Helen of the grand house he was going to build on the new estate he had just bought; and he was now calmly considering how to carry out his plans on the most magnificent scale, for he had firmly determined there should be neither Keep nor Castle in the North Country as splendid as the new Crawfords’ Home.