The Great Shadow and Other Napoleonic Tales, Page 3

  CHAPTER IV.

  THE CHOOSING OF JIM.

  And then there came those ten weeks which were like a dream, and are sonow to look back upon. I would weary you were I to tell you what passedbetween us; but oh, how earnest and fateful and all-important it was atthe time! Her waywardness; her ever-varying moods, now bright, nowdark, like a meadow under drifting clouds; her causeless angers; hersudden repentances, each in turn filling me with joy or sorrow: thesewere my life, and all the rest was but emptiness. But ever deep downbehind all my other feelings was a vague disquiet, a fear that I waslike the man who set forth to lay hands upon the rainbow, and that thereal Edie Calder, however near she might seem, was in truth for everbeyond my reach.

  For she was so hard to understand, or, at least, she was so for adull-witted country lad like me. For if I would talk to her of my realprospects, and how by taking in the whole of Corriemuir we might earn ahundred good pounds over the extra rent, and maybe be able to build outthe parlour at West Inch, so as to make it fine for her when we married,she would pout her lips and droop her eyes, as though she scarce hadpatience to listen to me. But if I would let her build up dreams aboutwhat I might become, how I might find a paper which proved me to be thetrue heir of the laird, or how, without joining the army, which shewould by no means hear of, I showed myself to be a great warrior untilmy name was in all folks' mouths, then she would be as blithe as theMay. I would keep up the play as well as I could, but soon someluckless word would show that I was only plain Jock Calder of West Inch,and out would come her lip again in scorn of me. So we moved on, she inthe air and I on the ground; and if the rift had not come in one way, itmust in another.

  It was after Christmas, but the winter had been mild, with just frostenough to make it safe walking over the peat bogs. One fresh morningEdie had been out early, and she came back to breakfast with a fleck ofcolour on her cheeks.

  "Has your friend the doctor's son come home, Jack?" says she.

  "I heard that it was expected."

  "Ah! then it must have been him that I met on the muir."

  "What! you met Jim Horscroft?"

  "I am sure it must be he. A splendid-looking man--a hero, with curlyblack hair, a short, straight nose, and grey eyes. He had shoulderslike a statue, and as to height, why, I suppose that your head, Jack,would come up to his scarf-pin."

  "Up to his ear, Edie!" said I indignantly. "That is, if it was Jim.But tell me. Had he a brown wooden pipe stuck in the corner of hismouth?"

  "Yes, he was smoking. He was dressed in grey, and he has a grand deepstrong voice."

  "Ho, ho! you spoke to him!" said I.

  She coloured a little, as if she had said more than she meant.

  "I was going where the ground was a little soft, and he warned me ofit," she said.

  "Ah! it must have been dear old Jim," said I. "He should have been adoctor years back, if his brains had been as strong as his arm.Why, heart alive, here is the very man himself!"

  I had seen him through the kitchen window, and now I rushed out with myhalf-eaten bannock in my hand to greet him. He ran forward too, withhis great hand out and his eyes shining.

  "Ah! Jock," he cried, "it's good to see you again. There are no friendslike the old ones."

  Then suddenly he stuck in his speech, and stared with his mouth openover my shoulder. I turned, and there was Edie, with such a merry,roguish smile, standing in the door. How proud I felt of her, and ofmyself too, as I looked at her!

  "This is my cousin, Miss Edie Calder, Jim," said I.

  "Do you often take walks before breakfast, Mr. Horscroft?" she asked,still with that roguish smile.

  "Yes," said he, staring at her with all his eyes.

  "So do I, and generally over yonder," said she. "But you are not veryhospitable to your friend, Jack. If you do not do the honours, I shallhave to take your place for the credit of West Inch."

  Well, in another minute we were in with the old folk, and Jim had hisplate of porridge ladled out for him; but hardly a word would he speak,but sat with his spoon in his hand staring at Cousin Edie. She shotlittle twinkling glances across at him all the time, and it seemed to methat she was amused at his backwardness, and that she tried by what shesaid to give him heart.

  "Jack was telling me that you were studying to be a doctor," said she."But oh, how hard it must be, and how long it must take before one cangather so much learning as that!"

  "It takes me long enough," Jim answered ruefully; "but I'll beat ityet."

  "Ah! but you are brave. You are resolute. You fix your eyes on a pointand you move on towards it, and nothing can stop you."

  "Indeed, I've little to boast of," said he. "Many a one who began withme has put up his plate years ago, and here am I but a student still."

  "That is your modesty, Mr. Horscroft. They say that the bravest arealways humble. But then, when you have gained your end, what a gloriouscareer--to carry healing in your hands, to raise up the suffering, tohave for one's sole end the good of humanity!"

  Honest Jim wriggled in his chair at this.

  "I'm afraid I have no such very high motives, Miss Calder," said he."It's to earn a living, and to take over my father's business, that I doit. If I carry healing in one hand, I have the other out for acrown-piece."

  "How candid and truthful you are!" she cried; and so they went on, shedecking him with every virtue, and twisting his words to make him playthe part, in the way that I knew so well. Before he was done I couldsee that his head was buzzing with her beauty and her kindly words.I thrilled with pride to think that he should think so well of my kin.

  "Isn't she fine, Jim?" I could not help saying when we stood outsidethe door, he lighting his pipe before he set off home.

  "Fine!" he cried; "I never saw her match!"

  "We're going to be married," said I.

  The pipe fell out of his mouth, and he stood staring at me. Then hepicked it up and walked off without a word. I thought that he wouldlikely come back, but he never did; and I saw him far off up the brae,with his chin on his chest.

  But I was not to forget him, for Cousin Edie had a hundred questions toask me about his boyhood, about his strength, about the women that hewas likely to know; there was no satisfying her. And then again, laterin the day, I heard of him, but in a less pleasant fashion.

  It was my father who came home in the evening with his mouth full ofpoor Jim. He had been deadly drunk since midday, had been down toWesthouse Links to fight the gipsy champion, and it was not certain thatthe man would live through the night. My father had met Jim on thehighroad, dour as a thunder-cloud, and with an insult in his eye forevery man that passed him. "Guid sakes!" said the old man. "He'll makea fine practice for himsel', if breaking banes will do it."

  Cousin Edie laughed at all this, and I laughed because she did; but Iwas not so sure that it was funny.

  On the third day afterwards, I was going up Corriemuir by thesheep-track, when who should I see striding down but Jim himself.But he was a different man from the big, kindly fellow who had suppedhis porridge with us the other morning. He had no collar nor tie, hisvest was open, his hair matted, and his face mottled, like a man who hasdrunk heavily overnight. He carried an ash stick, and he slashed at thewhin-bushes on either side of the path.

  "Why, Jim!" said I.

  But he looked at me in the way that I had often seen at school when thedevil was strong in him, and when he knew that he was in the wrong, andyet set his will to brazen it out. Not a word did he say, but hebrushed past me on the narrow path and swaggered on, still brandishinghis ash-plant and cutting at the bushes.

  Ah well, I was not angry with him. I was sorry, very sorry, and thatwas all. Of course I was not so blind but that I could see how thematter stood. He was in love with Edie, and he could not bear to thinkthat I should have her. Poor devil, how could he help it? Maybe Ishould have been the same. There was a time when I should have wonderedthat a girl could have turned a strong man's head l
ike that, but I knewmore about it now.

  For a fortnight I saw nothing of Jim Horscroft, and then came theThursday which was to change the whole current of my life.

  I had woke early that day, and with a little thrill of joy which is arare thing to feel when a man first opens his eyes. Edie had beenkinder than usual the night before, and I had fallen asleep with thethought that maybe at last I had caught the rainbow, and that withoutany imaginings or make-believes she was learning to love plain, roughJock Calder of West Inch. It was this thought, still at my heart, whichhad given me that little morning chirrup of joy. And then I rememberedthat if I hastened I might be in time for her, for it was her custom togo out with the sunrise.

  But I was too late. When I came to her door it was half-open and theroom empty. Well, thought I, at least I may meet her and have thehomeward walk with her. From the top of Corriemuir hill you may see allthe country round; so, catching up my stick, I swung off in thatdirection. It was bright, but cold, and the surf, I remember, wasbooming loudly, though there had been no wind in our parts for days.I zigzagged up the steep pathway, breathing in the thin, keen morningair, and humming a lilt as I went, until I came out, a little short ofbreath, among the whins upon the top. Looking down the long slope ofthe farther side, I saw Cousin Edie, as I had expected; and I saw JimHorscroft walking by her side.

  They were not far away, but too taken up with each other to see me. Shewas walking slowly, with the little petulant cock of her dainty headwhich I knew so well, casting her eyes away from him, and shooting out aword from time to time. He paced along beside her, looking down at herand bending his head in the eagerness of his talk. Then as he saidsomething, she placed her hand with a caress upon his arm, and he,carried off his feet, plucked her up and kissed her again and again.At the sight I could neither cry out nor move, but stood, with a heartof lead and the face of a dead man, staring down at them. I saw herhand passed over his shoulder, and that his kisses were as welcome toher as ever mine had been.

  Then he set her down again, and I found that this had been theirparting; for, indeed, in another hundred paces they would have come inview of the upper windows of the house. She walked slowly away, with awave back once or twice, and he stood looking after her. I waited untilshe was some way off, and then down I came, but so taken up was he,that I was within a hand's-touch of him before he whisked round upon me.He tried to smile as is eye met mine.

  "Ah, Jock," says he, "early afoot!"

  "I saw you!" I gasped; and my throat had turned so dry that I spoke likea man with a quinsy.

  "Did you so?" said he, and gave a little whistle. "Well, on my life,Jock, I'm not sorry. I was thinking of coming up to West Inch this veryday, and having it out with you. Maybe it's better as it is."

  "You've been a fine friend!" said I.

  "Well now, be reasonable, Jock," said he, sticking his hands into hispockets and rocking to and fro as he stood. "Let me show you how itstands. Look me in the eye, and you'll see that I don't lie. It's thisWay. I had met Edi--Miss Calder that is--before I came that morning,and there were things which made me look upon her as free; and, thinkingthat, I let my mind dwell on her. Then you said she wasn't free, butwas promised to you, and that was the worst knock I've had for a time.It clean put me off, and I made a fool of myself for some days, and it'sa mercy I'm not in Berwick gaol. Then by chance I met her again--on mysoul, Jock, it was chance for me--and when I spoke of you she laughed atthe thought. It was cousin and cousin, she said; but as for her notbeing free, or you being more to her than a friend, it was fool's talk.So you see, Jock, I was not so much to blame, after all: the more so asshe promised that she would let you see by her conduct that you weremistaken in thinking that you had any claim upon her. You must havenoticed that she has hardly had a word for you for these last twoweeks."

  I laughed bitterly.

  "It was only last night," said I, "that she told me that I was the onlyman in all this earth that she could ever bring herself to love."

  Jim Horscroft put out a shaking hand and laid it on my shoulder, whilehe pushed his face forward to look into my eyes.

  "Jock Calder," said he, "I never knew you tell a lie. You are nottrying to score trick against trick, are you? Honest now, between manand man."

  "It's God's truth," said I.

  He stood looking at me, and his face had set like that of a man who ishaving a hard fight with himself. It was a long two minutes before hespoke.

  "See here, Jock!" said he. "This woman is fooling us both. D'you hear,man? she's fooling us both! She loves you at West Inch, and she lovesme on the braeside; and in her devil's heart she cares a whin-blossomfor neither of us. Let's join hands, man, and send the hellfire hussyto the right-about!"

  But this was too much. I could not curse her in my own heart, and stillless could I stand by and hear another man do it; not though it was myoldest friend.

  "Don't you call names!" I cried.

  "Ach! you sicken me with your soft talk! I'll call her what she shouldbe called!"

  "Will you, though?" said I, lugging off my coat. "Look you here, JimHorscroft, if you say another word against her, I'll lick it down yourthroat, if you were as big as Berwick Castle! Try me and see!"

  He peeled off his coat down to the elbows, and then he slowly put it onagain.

  "Don't be such a fool, Jock!" said he. "Four stone and five inches ismore than mortal man can give. Two old friends mustn't fall out oversuch a--well, there, I won't say it. Well, by the Lord, if she hasn'tnerve for ten!"

  I looked round, and there she was, not twenty yards from us, looking ascool and easy and placid as we were hot and fevered.

  "I was nearly home," said she, "when I saw you two boys very busytalking, so I came all the way back to know what it was about."

  Horscroft took a run forward and caught her by the wrist. She gave alittle squeal at the sight of his face, but he pulled her towards whereI was standing.

  "Now, Jock, we've had tomfoolery enough," said he. "Here she is. Shallwe take her word as to which she likes? She can't trick us now thatwe're both together."

  "I am willing," said I.

  "And so am I. If she goes for you, I swear I'll never so much as turnan eye on her again. Will you do as much for me?"

  "Yes, I will."

  "Well then, look here, you! We're both honest men, and friends, and wetell each other no lies; and so we know your double ways. I know whatyou said last night. Jock knows what you said to-day. D'you see?Now then, fair and square! Here we are before you; once and have done.Which is it to be, Jock or me?"

  You would have thought that the woman would have been overwhelmed withshame, but instead of that her eyes were shining with delight; and Idare wager that it was the proudest moment of her life. As she lookedfrom one to the other of us, with the cold morning sun glittering on herface, I had never seen her look so lovely. Jim felt it also, I am sure;for he dropped her wrist, and the harsh lines were softened upon hisface.

  "Come, Edie! which is it to be?" he asked.

  "Naughty boys, to fall out like this!" she cried. "Cousin Jack, youknow how fond I am of you."

  "Oh, then go to him!" said Horscroft.

  "But I love nobody but Jim. There is nobody that I love like Jim."

  She snuggled up to him, and laid her cheek against his breast.

  "You see, Jock!" said he, looking over her shoulder.

  I did see; and away I went for West Inch, another man from the time thatI left it.