Salted with Fire Part 23

"I dinna blame ye, Isy! but there's jist ae thing I'm determined upo--and that is that the rascal sail merry ye!"

Isy's face flushed; she was taken too much at unawares to hide her pleasure at such a word from _his_ mouth. But the flush faded, and presently Mr. Blatherwick saw that she was fighting with herself, and getting the better of that self. The shadow of a pawky smile flitted across her face as she answered--

"Surely ye wouldna merry me upon a rascal, sir! Ill as I hae behaved til ye, I can hardly hae deservit that at yer han'!"

"That's what he'll hae to dee though--jist merry ye aff han'! I s' _gar_ him."

"I winna hae him garred! It's me that has the richt ower him, and no anither, man nor wuman! He sanna be garred! What wad ye hae o'

me--thinkin I would tak a man 'at was garred! Na, na; there s' be nae garrin!--And ye canna gar _him_ merry me gien _I_ winna hae him! The day's by for that!--A garred man! My certy!--Na, I thank ye!"

"Weel, my bonny leddy," said Peter, "gien I had a prence to my son,--providit he was worth yer takin--I wad say to ye, 'Hae, my leddy!'"

"And I would say to you, sir, 'No--gien he bena willin,'" answered Isy, and ran from the room.

"Weel, what think ye o' the la.s.s by this time, Mr. Bletherwick?" said the soutar, with a flash in his eye.

"I think jist what I thoucht afore," answered Peter: "she's ane amo' a million!"

"I'm no that sure aboot the proportion!" returned MacLear. "I doobt ye micht come upo twa afore ye wan throw the million!--A million's a heap o' women!"

"All I care to say is, that gien Jeemie binna ready to lea' father and mother and kirk and steeple, and cleave to that wuman and her only, he's no a mere gomeril, but jist a meeserable, wickit fule! and I s' never speyk word til 'im again, wi my wull, gien I live to the age o' auld Methuselah!"

"Tak tent what ye say, or mint at sayin, to persuaud him:--Isy 'ill be upo ye!" said the soutar laughing. "--But hearken to me, Mr.

Bletherwick, and sayna a word to the minister aboot the bairnie."

"Na, na; it'll be best to lat him fin' that oot for himsel.--And noo I maun be gaein, for I hae my wallet fu'!"

He strode to the door, holding his head high, and with never a word more, went out. The soutar closed the door and returned to his work, saying aloud as he went, "Lord, lat me ever and aye see thy face, and noucht mair will I desire--excep that the haill warl, O Lord, may behold it likewise. The prayers o' the soutar are endit!"

Peter Blatherwick went home joyous at heart. His son was his son, and no villain!--only a poor creature, as is every man until he turns to the Lord, and leaves behind him every ambition, and all care about the judgment of men. He rejoiced that the girl he and Marion had befriended would be a strength to his son: she whom his wife would have rejected had proved herself indeed right n.o.ble! And he praised the father of men, that the very backslidings of those he loved had brought about their repentance and uplifting.

"Here I am!" he cried as he entered the house. "I hae seen the la.s.sie ance mair, and she's better and bonnier nor ever!"

"Ow ay; ye're jist like a' the men I ever cam across!" rejoined Marion smiling; "--easy taen wi' the skin-side!"

"Doobtless: the Makker has taen a heap o' pains wi the skin!--Ony gait, yon la.s.sie's ane amang ten thoosan! Jeemie sud be on his k-nees til her this vera moment--no sitting there glowerin as gien his twa een war twa bullets--fired aff, but never won oot o' their barrels!"

"Hoot! wad ye hae him gang on his k-nees til ony but the Ane!"

"Aye wad I--til ony ane that's nearer His likness nor himsel--and that ane's oor Isy!--I wadna won'er, Jeemie, gien ye war fit for a drive the morn! In that case, I s' caw ye doon to the toon, and lat ye say yer ain say til her."

James did not sleep much that night, and nevertheless was greatly better the next day--indeed almost well.

Before noon they were at the soutar's door. The soutar opened it himself, and took the minister straight to the ben-end of the house, where Isy sat alone. She rose, and with downcast eyes went to meet him.

"Isy," he faltered, "can ye forgie me? And wull ye merry me as sene's ever we can be cried?--I'm as ashamed o' mysel as even ye would hae me!"

"Ye haena sae muckle to be ashamet o' as _I_ hae, sir: it was a' my wyte!"

"And syne no to haud my face til't!--Isy, I hae been a sc.o.o.nrel til ye!

I'm that disgust.i.t at mysel 'at I canna luik ye i' the face!"

"Ye didna ken whaur I was! I ran awa that naebody micht ken."

"What rizzon was there for onybody to ken? I'm sure ye never tellt!"

Isy went to the door and called Maggie. James stared after her, bewildered.

"There was this rizzon," she said, re-entering with the child, and laying him in James's arms.

He gasped with astonishment, almost consternation.

"Is this mine?" he stammered.

"Yours and mine, sir," she replied. "Wasna G.o.d a heap better til me nor I deserved?--Sic a bonnie bairn! No a mark, no a spot upon him frae heid to fut to tell that he had no business to be here!--Gie the bonnie wee man a kiss, Mr. Blatherwick. Haud him close to ye, sir, and he'll tak the pain oot o' yer heart: aften has he taen 't oot o' mine--only it aye cam again!--He's yer ain son, sir! He cam to me bringin the Lord's forgiveness, lang or ever I had the hert to speir for 't. Eh, but we maun dee oor best to mak up til G.o.d's bairn for the wrang we did him afore he was born! But he'll be like his great Father, and forgie us baith!"

As soon as Maggie had given the child to his mother, she went to her father, and sat down beside him, crying softly. He turned on his leather stool, and looked at her.

"Canna ye rejice wi' them that rejice, noo that ye hae nane to greit wi', Maggie, my doo?" he said. "Ye haena lost ane, and ye hae gaint twa!

Haudna the glaidness back that's sae fain to come to the licht i' yer grudgin hert, Maggie! G.o.d himsel 's glaid, and the Shepherd's glaid, and the angels are a' makin sic a flut-flutter wi' their muckle wings 'at I can 'maist see nor hear for them!"

Maggie rose, and stood a moment wiping her eyes. The same instant the door opened, and James entered with the little one in his arms. He laid him with a smile in Maggie's.

"Thank you, sir!" said the girl humbly, and clasped the child to her bosom; nor, after that, was ever a cloud of jealousy to be seen on her face. I will not say she never longed or even wept after the little one, whom she still regarded as her very own, even when he was long gone away with his father and mother; indeed she mourned for him then like a mother from whom death has taken away her first-born and only son; neither did she see much difference between the two forms of loss; for Maggie felt in her heart that life nor death could destroy the relation that already existed between them: she could not be her father's daughter and not understand that! Therefore, like a bereaved mother, she only gave herself the more to her father.

I will not dwell on the delight of James and Isobel, thus restored to each other, the one from a sea of sadness, the other from a gulf of perdition. The one had deserved many stripes, the other but a few: needful measure had been measured to each; and repentance had brought them together.

Before James left the house, the soutar took him aside, and said--

"Daur I offer ye a word o' advice, sir?"

"'Deed that ye may!" answered the young man with humility: "and I dinna see hoo it can be possible for me to hand frae deein as ye tell me; for you and my father and Isy atween ye, hae jist saved my vera sowl!"

"Weel, what I wad beg o' ye is, that ye tak no further step o' ony consequence, afore ye see Maister Robertson, and mak him acquant wi the haill affair."

"I'm vera willin," answered James; "and I doobtna Isy 'ill be content."

"Ye may be vera certain, sir, that she'll be naething but pleased: she has a gran' opingon, and weel she may, o' Maister Robertson. Ye see, sir, I want ye to put yersels i' the han's o' a man that kens ye baith, and the half o' yer story a'ready--ane, that is, wha'll jeedge ye truly and mercifully, and no condemn ye affhan'. 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 affront.i.t and jist scunnert at mysel!--Eh, the presumption o' the thing! But I hae been weel and richteously punished! The Father drew his han' oot o' mine, and loot me try to gang my lane; sae doon I cam, for I was fit for naething but to fa': naething less could hae broucht me to mysel--and it took a lang time! I houp Mr. Robertson will see the thing as I dee mysel!--Wull I write and speir him oot to Stanecross to advise wi my father aboot Isy?

That would bring him! There never was man readier to help!--But it's surely my pairt to gang to _him_, and mak my confession, and boo til his judgment!--Only I maun tell Isy first!"

Isy was not only willing, but eager that Mr. and Mrs. Robertson should know everything.

"But be sure," she added, "that you let them know you come of yourself, and I never asked you."

Peter said he could not let him go alone, but must himself go with him, for he was but weakly yet--and they must not put it off a single day, lest anything should transpire and be misrepresented.

The news which father and son carried them, filled the Robertsons with more than pleasure; and if their reception of him made James feel the repentant prodigal he was, it was by its heartiness, and their jubilation over Isy.