XXXVII
BISSET'S ADVICE
The short November afternoon was fading into a gusty evening, as NedCromarty drew near his fortalice. He carried a gun as usual, and asusual walked with seven league strides. Where the drive passed throughthe scrap of stunted plantation it was already dusk and the torturedboughs had begun their night of sighs and tossings. Beyond them, paledaylight lingered and the old house stood up still clear against abroken sky and a grey waste with flitting whitecaps all the way to thehorizon. He had almost reached the front door when he heard the sound ofwheels behind him. Pausing there, he spied a pony and a governess' car,with two people distinct enough to bring a sudden light into his eye.The pony trotted briskly towards the door, and he took a stride to meetthem.
"Miss Farmond!" he said.
A low voice answered, and though he could not catch the words, the tonewas enough for him. And then another voice said:
"Aye, sir, I've brought her over."
"Bisset!" said he. "It's you, is it? Well, what's happened?"
He was lifting her out of the trap and not hesitating to hold her handa little longer than he had ever held it before, now that he could seeher face quite plainly and read what was in her eyes.
"I've dared to come after all!" she said, with a little smile, whichseemed to hint that she knew the risk was over now.
"I advised her vera strongly, sir, to come over with me to Stanesland,"explained her escort. "The young lady has had a trying experience atKeldale, and forby the fair impossibility of her stopping on under theunfortunate circumstances, I was of the opinion that the sea air wouldbe a fine change and the architectural features remarkably interesting.In fac', sir, I practically insisted that Miss Farmond had just got tocome."
"Good man!" said Ned. "Come in and tell me the unfortunatecircumstances." He bent over Cicely and in a lowered voice added:"Personally I call 'em fortunate--so long as they haven't been toobeastly for you!"
"It's all right now!" she murmured, and as they went up the steps hefound, somehow or other, her hand for an instant in his again.
"If you'll stand by your pony for a moment, Bisset, I'll send out someone to take her," he said with happy inspiration.
But Mr. Bisset was not so easily shaken off.
"She'll stand fine for a wee while," he assured his host. "You'll be thebetter of hearing all about it from me."
They went into the smoking room and the escort began forthwith.
"The fact is, Mr. Cromarty, that yon man Simon Rattar is a fairdiscredit. Miss Farmond has been telling me the haill story of herrunning away, and your ain vera seasonable appearance and judiciousconduct, sir; which I am bound to say, Mr. Cromarty, is neither more norless than I'd have expectit of a gentleman of your intelligence. Weel,to continue, Miss Farmond acted on your advice--which would have been myown, sir, under the circumstances--and tellt her ladyship the plainfacts. Weel then----"
"And what did Lady Cromarty say to you?" demanded Ned.
"Hardly a word. She simply looked at me and said she would send for Mr.Rattar."
Not a whit rebuffed, Mr. Bisset straightway resumed his narrative.
"A perfectly proper principle if the man was capable of telling thetruth. I'm no blaming her ladyship at that point, but where she departitfrom the proper principles of evidence----"
"When did Rattar come?"
"This morning," said Cicely. "And--can you believe it?--he absolutelydenied that he had ever advised me to go away!"
"I can believe it," said Ned grimly. "And I suppose Lady Cromartybelieved him?"
"God, but you're right, sir!" cried Bisset. "Your deductions areperfectly correct. Yon man had the impudence to give the haill thing aflat denial! And then naturally Miss Farmond was for off, but at firsther ladyship was no for letting her go. Indeed she went the length ofsending for me and telling me the young lady was not to be permitted toshift her luggage out of the house or use any conveyance."
"But Bisset was splendid!" cried Cicely. "Do you know what the foolishman did? He gave up his situation and took me away!"
Bisset, the man, permitted a gleam of pleasure to illuminate his bluntfeatures; but Bisset, the philosopher, protested with some dignity.
"It was a mere matter of principle, sir. Detention of luggage like yonis no legal. I tellt her ladyship flatly that she'd find herself aforethe Shirra', and that I was no going to abet any such proceedings. Ifurther informed her, sir, of my candid opinion of Simon Rattar, and Isaid plainly that he was probably meaning to marry her and get theestate under his thumb, and these were the kind o' tricks rascallylawyers took in foolish women wi'."
"You told Lady Cromarty that!" exclaimed Ned. "And what did she say?"
"We had a few disagreeable passages, as it were, sir," said thephilosopher calmly. "And then I borrowed yon trap and having advisedMiss Farmond to come to Stanesland and she being amenable, I justbrought her along to you."
"Oh, it was on your advice then?"
"Yes, sir."
Cicely and her host exchanged one fleeting glance and then lookedextremely unconscious.
"She's derned wise!" said he to himself.
He held out his hand to the gratified counsellor.
"Well done, Bisset, you've touched your top form to-day, and I may tellyou I've been wanting some one like you badly for a long while, if youare willing to stay on with me. Put that in your pipe, Bisset, and smokeover it! And now, you know your way, go and get yourself some tea, and adrink of the wildest poison you fancy!"
Hardly was the door closed behind him than the laird put his fate to thetest as promptly and directly as he did most other things.
"I want you to stop on too, Cicely--for ever. Will you?"
Her eyes, shyly questioning for a moment and then shyly tender, answeredhis question before her lips had moved, and it would have been hard toconvince them that the minutes which followed ever had a parallel withinhuman experience.
A little later he confessed:
"Do you know, Cicely, I've always had a funky feeling that if I everproposed my glass eye would drop out!"
The next event was the somewhat sudden entry of Lilian Cromarty, andthat lady's self control was never more severely tested or brilliantlyvindicated. One startled glance, and then she was saying, briskly, andwith the old bright smile:
"A telegram for you, Ned."
"Thanks," said he. "By the way, here's the future Mrs. Ned--that's tosay if she doesn't funk it before the wedding."
Lilian's welcome, Lilian's embrace, and Lilian's congratulations werealike perfect. Cicely wondered how people could ever have said thecritical things of her which some of her acquaintances were unkindenough to say at times. As to Bisset's dictum regarding the lady in thecastle, that was manifestly absurd on the face of it. Miss Cromarty wasclearly overjoyed to hear of her brother's engagement.
"And now, Neddy dear!" cried the bright lady, "tell me how it all cameabout!"
Ned looked up from his telegram with a glint in his eye that was hardlya lover's glance.
"Cicely will tell you all about it," said he. "I'm afraid I've got to beoff pretty well as quick as I can."
He handed them the wire and they read: "Meet me eight to-night KingsArms urgent. Carrington."
"From Mr. Carrington!" exclaimed his sister.
Ned smiled.
"Cicely will explain him too," he said. "By Gad, I wonder if this isgoing to be the finishing bit of luck!"
In another twenty minutes the lights of his gig lamps were raking thenight.
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