I thought to myself that our present King had been most unlucky in one thing—­debts all over the kingdom.  Not a man who had struck a blow for the King, or for his poor father, or even said a good word for him, in the time of his adversity, but expected at least a baronetcy, and a grant of estates to support it.  Many have called King Charles ungrateful:  and he may have been so.  But some indulgence is due to a man, with entries few on the credit side, and a terrible column of debits.

“Have no fear for the chair,” I said, for it creaked under me very fearfully, having legs not so large as my finger; “if the chair breaks, Annie, your fear should be, lest the tortoise-shell run into me.  Why, it is striped like a viper’s loins!  I saw some hundreds in London; and very cheap they are.  They are made to be sold to the country people, such as you and me, dear; and carefully kept they will last for almost half a year.  Now will you come back from your furniture, and listen to my story?”

Annie was a hearty dear, and she knew that half my talk was joke, to make light of my worrying.  Therefore she took it in good part, as I well knew that she would do; and she led me to a good honest chair; and she sat in my lap and kissed me.

“All this is not like you, John.  All this is not one bit like you:  and your cheeks are not as they ought to be.  I shall have to come home again, if the women worry my brother so.  We always held together, John; and we always will, you know.”

“You dear,” I cried, “there is nobody who understands me as you do.  Lorna makes too much of me, and the rest they make too little.”

“Not mother; oh, not mother, John!”

“No, mother makes too much, no doubt; but wants it all for herself alone; and reckons it as a part of her.  She makes me more wroth than any one:  as if not only my life, but all my head and heart must seek from hers, and have no other thought or care.”

Being sped of my grumbling thus, and eased into better temper, I told Annie all the strange history about Lorna and her departure, and the small chance that now remained to me of ever seeing my love again.  To this Annie would not hearken twice, but judging women by her faithful self, was quite vexed with me for speaking so.  And then, to my surprise and sorrow, she would deliver no opinion as to what I ought to do until she had consulted darling Tom.

Dear Tom knew much of the world, no doubt, especially the dark side of it.  But to me it scarcely seemed becoming that my course of action with regard to the Lady Lorna Dugal should be referred to Tom Faggus, and depend upon his decision.  However, I would not grieve Annie again by making light of her husband; and so when he came in to dinner, the matter was laid before him.