The herald., 1896-03-22

duVOcd1. being So treHCHdHliy oPposeu
to all she knew, loved, or understood, he
may we'll have seemed to her the extreme
If scarcely the ideal. Of his sex. And be-
sides, he was an i'll man to refuse. A little
lover forty at the period of his marriage,
he looked already older, and to the force
of manhood added the senatorial dignity OF
years; it was, perhaps. with an unreverend
awe, but he was awful. The Bench, the
Bar, and the most experienced and reluc-
ant witness, bowed to his authority-and
why not Jeannnie Rutherford?
I The heresy about foolish women is al
ways punished. have said, and Lord Her
miston began to pay the penalty at once.
His house in George-square was wretchedly
| ill-guided; nothing answerable to the ex-
pense of maintenance but the cellar, which
was his own private care. When things
went wrong at dinner, as they continually
did, my lord would look up the table at
his wife: II think these broth would be
better to sweem in than to sup" Or else
| to the butler: Here, McKillop. ava wi
this Radical gigot-tak it to the French.
man, and bring me some puddocks 1t
seems rather a sore kind of a business that
I should be all day in Court hanging
Radicals and get nawthing to my denner."
OF course this was but a manner of speak,
| ing and he had never hanged a man for be-
| ing a Radical in his life; the law, Of
which he was the faithful minister, direct
| ing otherwise. And, of course, these
growls were in the nature of pleasantly,
but it was of recondite sort; and uttered
as they were in his resounding voice. and
commented on by that expression which
they called in the Parliament House
"Hermiston's hanging face"-they struck
mere dismay into the wife. She sat be-
fore him speechless and fluttering; at each
dish, as at fresh ordeal, her eyes lowered
toward my lords countenancs and fell
again; if he but ate in silence. unspeakable
relief was her portion If there were COM
plant, the world darkened. She would
seek out the cook, who was always her sis
ter in the Lord. 30, my dear, this is the
most dreidful thing that my lord can never
pe cOnrented IN MS own hOuse.' she would
begin; and weep and pray with the cook ;
and then the cook would pray with Mrs.
Weir; and tho next days meal would never
he a penny the better-and the next rn-'-
(when she came) would be worse, If any
thing but just as pious 1t was often
wondered that Lord Hermiston bore it as
he did; indeed, he was stoical old VOL
uptuary, contented with sound wine and
plenty of it. But there were moments
when he overflowed. Perhaps half dozen
times in the history of his married life
Here! TAX it ava, and bring me piece
bread and kebbuck!" he had exclaimed.
with an appalling explosion Of his voice
and rare gestures. None thought to dispute
or to make excuses; the service was arrest
ed: Mrs. Weir sat at the head of the table
whimpering without disguise; and his
llordship opposite munched his bread and
cheese in ostentatious disregard Once only,
Mrs. Weir had ventured to appeal. He
was passing her chair on his way into the
study.
20, Edom!" she walled, in a voice tragic
with tears, and reaching out to him both
hands, in one of which she held a soppine
pocket handkerchief.
He paused and looked upon her with a
face of wrath, into which there stole, as he
looked, twinkle of humour.
"Noansensev' he said. "You and youl
noansense! What do 1 want with Chris
tian family? l want Christian broth
Get me lass that can plain boil potato
if she was girl off the Streets" And will
these words, which echoed in her tendei
ears like blasphemy, he had passed on t.
his study and shut the door behind him.
Such was the housewifery in George
square. 1t was better at HermistoD, wher,
rKirstie Elliot, the sister of neighbourin.
bonnet-laird, and an eighteenth cousin o
the lady's bore the charge Of all, and KEEP
trim house and a good country table
Kirstie was woman in thousand, clean
capable, notable; once moorland Helen
: and still comely as a blood horse and heal
thy as the hillwind. High in flesh ant
voice and color, she ran the house will
her whole Incorporate soul, in hustle
not without buffets. Scarce more piou
than decency in those days required, sh
was the cause Of many an anxious though
and many a fearful prayer to Mrs Weir
= Housekeeper and mistress renewed tn
parts of Martha and Mary; and though will
a pricking conscience, Mary reposed on Mar
tha's strength as on rock. Even Lor
Hermiston held Kirstie in particular re
= : gard. There were few with whom he un
!. = bent so gladly few whom he favored will
y so many pleasantries. "Kirstie and m
maun have our joke" he would declare
. in high good humor, as he buttered KRIS
y ties scones and she waited at table.
n man who had no need either of love or O
! popularity, d Keen TedueT ueu anu u
- events, there was perhaps only one trutl
:, for which he was quite unprepared; h
7 would have been quite unprepared to learl
- that Krstie hated him. He thought mai
q and master were well matched; hard, han
a dy, healthy, broad Scots folk, without
e hair of nonsense to the pair of them. An
" the fact was that she made a goddess an
"a an only child of the effete and fearful lady
n and even as she waited at table, her hand
would sometimes itch for my lords ears.
O Thus, at least, when the family were a
n Hermiston, not only my lord, but Mrs
a Weir too. enjoyed a holiday. Free fror
e the dreadful looking-for of the miscarrie
q dinner, she would mind her seam, read he
piety books and take her walk (whicl
/ was my lords orders), sometimes by herself
, sometimes with Archie, the only child O
n that scarce natural union. The child wa
+ her next bond to life. Her frosted senti
d ment bloomed again, she breathed deep O
d life, she let loose her heart, in that society
8 The miracle Of her motherhood was eve
:, new to her. The sight Of the little maj