When the Dominie first heard the liberal proposal of Colonel Mannering, he turned a jealous and doubtful glance towards Miss Bertram, as if he suspected that the project involved their separation; but when Mr. Mac-Morlan hastened to explain that she would be a guest at Woodbourne for some time, he rubbed his huge hands together, and burst into a portentous sort of chuckle, like that of the Afrite in the tale of ‘The Caliph Vathek.’  After this unusual explosion of satisfaction, he remained quite passive in all the rest of the transaction.

It had been settled that Mr. and Mrs. Mac-Morlan should take possession of the house a few days before Mannering’s arrival, both to put everything in perfect order and to make the transference of Miss Bertram’s residence from their family to his as easy and delicate as possible.  Accordingly, in the beginning of the month of December the party were settled at Woodbourne.

CHAPTER XX

    A gigantic genius fit to grapple with whole libraries

        —­BOSWELL’S life of Johnson

The appointed day arrived when the Colonel and Miss Mannering were expected at Woodbourne.  The hour was fast approaching, and the little circle within doors had each their separate subjects of anxiety.  Mac-Morlan naturally desired to attach to himself the patronage and countenance of a person of Mannering’s wealth and consequence.  He was aware, from his knowledge of mankind, that Mannering, though generous and benevolent, had the foible of expecting and exacting a minute compliance with his directions.  He was therefore racking his recollection to discover if everything had been arranged to meet the Colonel’s wishes and instructions, and, under this uncertainty of mind, he traversed the house more than once from the garret to the stables.  Mrs. Mac-Morlan revolved in a lesser orbit, comprehending the dining-parlour, housekeeper’s room, and kitchen.  She was only afraid that the dinner might be spoiled, to the discredit of her housewifely accomplishments.  Even the usual passiveness of the Dominie was so far disturbed that he twice went to the window which looked out upon the avenue, and twice exclaimed, ‘Why tarry the wheels of their chariot?’ Lucy, the most quiet of the expectants, had her own melancholy thoughts.  She was now about to be consigned to the charge, almost to the benevolence, of strangers, with whose character, though hitherto very amiably, displayed, she was but imperfectly acquainted.  The moments, therefore, of suspense passed anxiously and heavily.

At length the trampling of horses and the sound of wheels were heard.  The servants, who had already arrived, drew up in the hall to receive their master and mistress, with an importance and empressement which to Lucy, who had never been accustomed to society, or witnessed what is called the manners of the great, had something alarming.  Mac-Morlan went to the door to receive the master and mistress of the family, and in a few moments they were in the drawing-room.