George MacDonald

“ Let there be a truce between us.'
'I am no papist,' returned Scudamore. 'I speak only as one of the earl's household—true men all. For them I cast the word in your teeth, you roundhead traitor! For myself I am of the English church.'
'It is but the wolf and the wolf's cub,' said. Richard. 'Prelatical episcopacy is but the old harlot veiled, or rather, forsooth, her bloody scarlet blackened in the sulphur fumes of her coming desolation.'
'Curse on, roundhead,' sighed the youth; 'I must crawl home.'
Once more he rose and made an effort to walk. But it was of no use: walk he could not. ”

“ But now it came in diminished flow.
'It is the earth that fails in giving, not my engine in taking,' said lord Herbert as he turned to lead the way down the winding stair. Ever as they went, the noise of the water grew fainter and the noise of the engine grew louder, but just as they stepped from the stair, it gave a failing stroke or two, and ceased. A dense white cloud met them as they entered the vault.
'Stopped for the night, Caspar?' said his lordship.
'Yes, my lord; the well is nearly out.'
'Let it sleep,' returned his master; 'like a man's heart it will fill in the night. ”

“ Her dark hair flowed behind, wavy but uncurled, down to her waist, and against it her form stood clear in its robe of white.
"Now," said she, "you will believe me."
Overcome with the presence of a beauty which I could now perceive, and drawn towards her by an attraction irresistible as incomprehensible, I suppose I stretched out my arms towards her, for she drew back a step or two, and said—
"Foolish boy, if you could touch me, I should hurt you. Besides, I was two hundred and thirty-seven years old, last Midsummer eve; and a man must not fall in love with his grandmother, you know." ”

“ She has a good right to blow the cobwebs from your windows, for she was sent to do it. She sweeps them away from grander places, I can tell you, for I've been with her at it.”
This was what he began to say, but as he spoke his eyes came wide open, and behold, there were neither Apostles nor vergers there—not even a window with the effigies of holy men in it, but a dark heap of hay all about him, and the little panes in the roof of his loft glimmering blue in the light of the morning. Old Diamond was coming awake down below in the stable. ”

“ “I would I were in the kingdom of heaven, if it be such as you and Mr Graham take it for,” said Clementina.
“You must be in it, my lady, or you couldn’t wish it to be such as it is.”
“Can one then be in it, and yet seem to be out of it, Malcolm?”
“So many are out of it that seem to be in it, my lady, that one might well imagine it the other way with some.” ”

“ Sang Birdie Brown, "it mustn't be so!
"If we've come for no good, we can't go away.
Give us reason for going, or here we stay!"
They covered the earth, they darkened the air,
They hovered, they sat, with a countless stare.
"If I do not give them something to do,
They will stare me up!" said Little Boy Blue.
"Oh dear! oh dear!" he began to cry,
"They're an awful crew, and I feel so shy!"
All of a sudden he thought of a thing,
And up he stood, and spoke like a king:
"You're the plague of my life! ”

“ Else, being that I am a friend to thee and thine, I would gladly—. But, as I say, it boots nothing—although I have a son, who being more of the king's part than I am—.'
'Hast thou not then art enough, mother, to set me within Raglan walls for an hour or two after midnight? I ask no more,' said Richard, who, although he was but leading the way to quite another proposal, nor desired aid of art black or white, yet could not help a little tremor at making the bare suggestion of the unhallowed idea.
'An' I had, I dared not use it,' answered the old woman; 'for is not my lord Herbert there? ”

“ What wouldst thou with him?'
'What is that to thee? Let me have him.'
'Softly, sir Rowland! It is true I promised thee thy liberty, but liberty doth not necessarily include a horse.'
'Thou wast never better than a shifting fanatic!' cried sir Rowland.
'An' I served thee as befitted, thou shouldst never see thy horse again,' returned Richard. 'Yet I promise thee that so soon as Raglan hath fallen, he shall again be thine. Nay, I care not. Tell me whither thou goest, and—Ha! art thou there?' he cried, interrupting himself as he caught sight of Tom in the chimney corner ”

“ I wonder what his lordship will do."
All the time my old friend was talking, we were following the rest of the field, whom, sure enough, as soon as we got into the next inclosure, we saw drawing up one after another on the top of the railway cutting, which ran like the river of death between them and the fox-hunter's paradise. But at the moment we entered this field, whom should we see approaching us at right angles, from the direction of Purleybridge, but Harry Armstrong, mounted on the mare! I rode towards him.
"Trapped, you see," said I. "Are you after the fox—or some nobler game?" ”

“ He kens ye hae dene yer best—or if no yer vera best—for wha daur say that?—ye hae at least dene what ye could!”
“Na, na!” he answered, resuming the speech of his boyhood—a far better sign of him than his mother understood, “I ken ower muckle, and that muckle ower weel, to lay sic a flattering unction to my sowl! It’s jist as black as the fell mirk! ‘Ah, limed soul, that, struggling to be free, art more engaged!’”
“Hoots, ye’re dreamin, laddie! Ye never was engaged to onybody—at least that ever I h’ard tell o’! But, ony gait, fash na ye aboot that! ”

“ Florimel pulled up, and turned to Malcolm.
“MacPhail,” she said, “have that mare of yours ready whenever Lord Liftore chooses to ride her.”
“I beg your pardon, my lady,” returned Malcolm, “but would your ladyship make a condition with my lord that he shall not mount her anywhere on the stones.”
“By Jove!” said Liftore scornfully. “You fancy yourself the only man that can ride!”
“It’s nothing to me, my lord, if you break your neck; but I am bound to tell you I do not think your lordship will sit my mare. Stoat can’t; and I can only because I know her as well as my own palm.” ”

“ The more tired he grew, the more angry he got with the parson who had sent him there with his foolery: and the more convinced that the men who prayed and preached were as honest as they were silly; and that the thing to die of itself had only to be let alone. He heard the Amen of the benediction with a sigh of relief, and rose at once— cautiously this time.
“Ye maunna gang yet, my lord,” said Malcolm. “They maun be a’ oot first.”
“I don’t care who sees me,” protested the weary man.
“But yer lordship wadna like to be descriet scram’lin’ doon efter the back like the bear in Robinson Crusoe!” ”

“ She looked then as she stood, in his memory of her, as if she were saying, “I trust in you; will you not trust in Him who made the rainbow?” For a moment he seemed to stand regarding her, but even while he looked he must have forgotten that she was there before him, for when again he knew that he saw her, though he did not seem ever to have looked away from her, she had changed in the gathering darkness to the phantasm of a daisy, which still gazed up in his face trustingly, and, indeed, went with him to his own door, seeming all the time to say, “It was no child ”

“ Her speech and manners corresponded with her person and dress; they were direct and simple, in tone and inflection, those of one at peace with herself. Neatness was more notable in her than grace, but grace was not absent; good breeding was more evident than delicacy, yet delicacy was there; and unity was plain throughout.
George went back to his own side of the shop, jumped the counter, put the cover on the box he had left open with a bang, and shoved it into its place as if it had been the backboard of a cart, shouting as he did so to a boy invisible, to make haste and put up the shutters. ”

“ I require it."
"Unfortunately, I think I require it myself!" returned the lady, walking a little quicker, with a sharper cracking of her joints and clinking of her bones.
He started to follow her, but nearly fell: his knee-grass had burst, and with an oath he stopped, grasping his leg again.
"Come and tie it up properly!" he would have thundered, but he only piped and whistled!
She turned and looked at him.
"Come and tie it up instantly!" he repeated.
She walked a step or two farther from him.
"I swear I will not touch you!" he cried.
"Swear on, my lord! there is no one here to believe you. ”

“ The youth smiled a little oddly, and held his peace.
“You’re here to do what I tell you, and make no remarks,” added the factor.
“I’m awaur o’ that, sir—within certain leemits,” returned Malcolm.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean within the leemits o’ duin’ by yer neibor as ye wad ha’e yer neibor du by you—that’s what I mean, sir.”
“I’ve told you already that doesn’t apply in horse-dealing. Every man has to take care of himself in the horse-market: that’s understood. If you had been brought up amongst horses instead of herring, you would have known that as well as any other man.” ”

“ I will use what thou tellest me for no manner of hurt to my lord of Worcester or aught that is his. But Lady is not his, and her will I carry, if I may, from Raglan stables back to Redware.'
'I am content. Hearken then, my son. Raglan watchword for the rest of the month is—ST. GEORGE AND ST. PATRICK! May it stand thee in good stead.'
'I thank thee, mother, with all my heart,' said Richard, rising jubilant. 'Now shut up the dog, and let me go. One day it may lie in my power to requite thee.'
'Thou hast requited me beforehand, master Heywood. Old mother Rees never forgets. ”

“ How should I know, forsooth, what a menial like you has got against me! There are people in this house—oh! I'm not blind to [187] their ways! but every one for himself, say I!—Pray, Miss Judgment, who gave you such an impertinent message to his majesty's household?"
"One who is come to set things right in the king's house."
"Right, indeed!" cried the butler; but that moment the thought came back to him of the roar he had heard in the cellar, and he turned pale and was silent. ”

“ Syne tak his advice what ye oucht to dee neist.”
“I will—and thank you, Mr. MacLear! Ae thing only I houp—that naither you, sir, nor he will ever seek to pursuaud me to gang on preachin. Ae thing I’m set upon, and that is, to deliver my sowl frae hypocrisy, and walk softly a’ the rest o’ my days! Happy man wad I hae been, had they set me frae the first to caw the pleuch, and cut the corn, and gether the stooks intil the barn—i’stead o’ creepin intil a leaky boat to fish for men wi’ a foul and tangled net! I’m affrontit and jist scunnert at mysel!—Eh, the presumption o’ the thing! ”

“ Gie me a drap mair, gien ye please, Lady Horn.—I thoucht the grave was a better place. I hae lain safter afore I dee’d!——Phemy! Phemy! Rin, Phemy, rin! I s’ bide wi’ them this time. Ye rin, Phemy!”
As it grew dark, the air turned very chill, and snow began to fall thick and fast. Malcolm laid a few sticks on the smouldering peat-fire, but they were damp and did not catch. All at once the laird gave a shriek, and crying out, “Mither, mither!” fell into a fit so violent that the heavy bed shook with his convulsions. Malcolm held his wrists and called aloud. ”

“ “Ah, but, dear North Wind, you don't know how nice it is to feel your arms about me. It is a thousand times better to have them and the wind together, than to have only your hair and the back of your neck and no wind at all.”
“But it is surely more comfortable there?”
“Well, perhaps; but I begin to think there are better things than being comfortable.”
“Yes, indeed there are. Well, I will keep you in front of me. You will feel the wind, but not too much. I shall only want one arm to take care of you; the other will be quite enough to sink the ship.”
“Oh, dear North Wind! ”

“ We’ll not be trusting her fery too much—will we, my son?”
“No a hair, daddy,” returned Malcolm.
“She’s a dooms clever wife, though; an’ ane ’at ye may lippen till i’ the w’y o’ her ain callin’,” said Meg Partan, whose temper had improved a little under the influence of the handsome youth’s presence and cheery speech.
“She’ll not pe toubting it,” responded Duncan; “put, ach! ta voman ’ll be hafing a crim feesage and a fearsome eye!”
Like all the blind, he spoke as if he saw perfectly.
“Weel, I hae hard fowk say ’at ye bude (behoved) to hae the second sicht,” said Mrs Findlay, laughing rudely ”

“ “Somehow or other,” said he, “notwithstanding the beauty of this country of Faerie, in which we are, there is much that is wrong in it. If there are great splendours, there are corresponding horrors; heights and depths; beautiful women and awful fiends; noble men and weaklings. All a man has to do, is to better what he can. And if he will settle it with himself, that even renown and success are in themselves of no great value, and be content to be defeated, if so be that the fault is not his; and so go to his work with a cool brain and a strong will, he will get it done; ”

“ The shower was over, and the sun was drawing out millions of mimic suns from the drops that hung, for a moment ere they fell, from flower and bush and great tree. But Malcolm saw nothing. Perplexed with himself and more perplexed yet with the behaviour of his master, he went back to his grandfather’s cottage, and, as soon as he came in, recounted to him the whole occurrence.
“He had a feeshon,” said the bard, with wide eyes. “He comes of a race that sees.”
“What cud the veesion hae been, daddy?”
“Tat she knows not, for ta feeshon tid not come to her,” said the piper solemnly. ”