“Ten more days, with Adam, did Philip
abide at the changehouse;
Ten more nights they met, they walked
with father and daughter.
Ten more nights; and, night by night,
more distant away were
Philip and she; every night less heedful,
by habit, the
father.”—pp.
38, 39.
From this point, we must give ourselves up to quotation; and the narrow space remaining to us is our only apology to the reader for making any omission whatever in these extracts.
“For she confessed, as they sat
in the dusk, and he saw not her
blushes,
Elspie confessed, at the sports, long
ago, with her father, she
saw him,
When at the door the old man had told
him the name of the Bothie;
There, after that, at the dance; yet again
at the dance in Rannoch;
And she was silent, confused. Confused
much rather Philip
Buried his face in his hands, his face
that with blood was
bursting.
Silent, confused; yet by pity she conquered
here fear, and
continued:
’Katie is good and not silly:
be comforted, Sir, about her;
Katie is good and not silly; tender, but
not, like many,
Carrying off, and at once, for fear of
being seen, in the bosom
Locking up as in a cupboard, the pleasure
that any man gives them,
Keeping it out of sight as a prize they
need be ashamed of:
That is the way, I think, Sir, in England
more than in Scotland.
No; she lives and takes pleasure in all,
as in beautiful weather;
Sorry to lose it; but just as we would
be to lose fine weather.....
There were at least five or six,—not
there; no, that I don’t say,
But in the country about,—you
might just as well have been courting.
That was what gave me much pain; and (you
won’t remember that tho’),
Three days after, I met you, beside my
Uncle’s walking;
And I was wondering much, and hoped you
wouldn’t notice;
So, as I passed, I couldn’t help
looking. You didn’t know me;
But I was glad when I heard, next day,
you were gone to the teacher.’
“And, uplifting his face at last,
with eyes dilated,
Large as great stars in mist, and dim
with dabbled lashes.
Philip, with new tears starting,
‘You think I do not
remember,’
Said, ’suppose that I did not observe.
Ah me! shall I tell you?
Elspie, it was your look that sent me
away from Rannoch.’....
And he continued more firmly, altho’
with stronger emotion.
’Elspie, why should I speak it?
You cannot believe it, and should not.
Why should I say that I love, which I
all but said to another?
Yet, should I dare, should I say, Oh Elspie
you only I love, you,
First and sole in my life that has been,
and surely that shall be;
Could, oh could, you believe it, oh Elspie,
believe it, and spurn not?
Is it possible,—possible, Elspie?’