Her smile awoke a responsive look, and she began to gaze round and
admire, feeling it safest to skim on the surface; and he could not
but be gratified by her appreciation of the pains spent upon this, her
especial home. He had recovered himself again by the time these few
sentences had passed; they discussed the few needful arrangements
required by his departure, and Tibbie presently found them so cheerful
that she was quite scandalized, and when Ermine held out her hands,
saying, "What Tibbie, won't you come and kiss me, and wish me joy?" she
exclaimed-"Wish ye joy! It's like me to wish ye joy an yer lad hurled awa frae
yer side i' the blink o' an ee, by thae wild telegrams. I dinna see what
joy's to come o't; it's clean again the Scripture!"
"I told you I had left it to her to decide, Tibbie," said the Colonel.
"Weel, an what wad ye hae the puir leddy say? She kens what sorts ye,
when the head of yer name is sick an lyin' among thae English loons that
hae brocht him to siccan a pass."
"Right, Tibbie," exclaimed Ermine, greatly amused at the unexpected
turn, purely for the sake of putting Maister Colin in the wrong. "If a
gentleman won't be content without a bride who can't walk, he must take
the consequence, and take his wedding trip by himself! It is my belief,
Tibbie, as I have just been telling him, that you and I shall get the
house in all the better order for having him off our hands, just at
first," she added, with a look of intelligence.
"Deed, an maybe we shall," responded Tibbie, with profound satisfaction.
"He was aye a camsteary child when there was any wark on hand."
Colin could not help laughing, and when once this had been effected,
Ermine felt that his depression had been sufficiently met, and that
she might venture on deeper, and more serious sympathy, befitting the
chastened, thankful feelings with which they hailed the crowning of
their youthful love, the fulfilment of the hopes and prayers that the
one had persisted in through doubt and change, the other had striven to
resign into the All-wise Hands.
They had an early meal together, chiefly for the sake of his wheeling
her to the head of his table, and "seeing how she looked there," and
then the inexorable hour was come, and he left her, with the echo of her
last words in his ear, "Goodbye, Colin, stay as long as you ought. It
will make the meeting all the sweeter, and you have your wife to some
back to now. Give a sister's love to your brother, and thanks for
having spared you," and his last look at the door was answered with her
sunshiny smile.