The herald., 1896-05-03
Copyright, 1896, by Stone and Kimball)
SYNOPSIS.

yAtoAVp iaSL uelT OL utT llucp uPoh -.
tate at the Scottish village Of Crossmichael
De resides when court Is not In session. RE
10 noted for his severity, and has become
famous for the changing face" with which
he confronts criminals-while his Wife is
Of mildly religious type. Their son Arcn.
ibald combines the qualities OF the Two, Dut
has been brought up by his mother almost
exclusively. She inspires him with her re-
ligious views, go that unconsciously ne
grows to resent his fathers severity and
Soughness. His mother having died. Archie
continues his studies, having little In COM
mon with Lord Hermiston, with one OF
whose fellow Justices and friends. however,
. scholarly gentleman OF the old school. he
forms a close friendship. At the trial OF
one Jopp, for murder, Archie Is especially
offended by his fathers coarse remarks
brooding over the exhibition OF what seems
to him savage cruelty, he attends the execu-
ton. As the mans body falls. he cries out:
II denounce this God-defying murder" The
same evening" at his college debating 60
ciety, he propounds the question whether
capital punishment be consistent with Gods
will or mans policy" A great scandal is
aroused in the city by these actions of the
son Of Lord Hermiston. Archie meets the
family doctor. who shows him by an anec-
dote that, under his fathers granite exter-
iOr, the latter has great love for him.
This creates a revulsion in Archie's feel
inss. His father soon hears OF his sons
performances, and reproaches him severe
ly. Archie accepts the rebuke and sub
Mits himself. Nevertheless, Lord Hermis-
ton orders him to abandon the law, and as
signs him to the care of the estate at Cross
michael. Archie goes the same evening to
e~>ll on the old Justice, already mentioned.
who comforts him and points out his ia
theirs great abilities, and together they
drink the health Of Lord Hermiston. Archie
FOL yiaI, inns tho aatate and finds
still at the home-tead his mothers former
housekeeper, Kirstie tor Christina) Elicit.
q distant relative Of his mu;h"r's, who Is
devoted to the family fortunes. He does
not get on well with his scattered neigh
bors, and becomes much of recluse. KRIS
tie INDUCES him with many long talks, re-
counting the history Of the region. She
tells him a great deal about her four nep-
hews, formerly a wild set, but now leading
quiet lives. Robert, or "Hob," Is the laird
of Cauldstaneslap, a small property near
by. Gilbert is weaver and independent
preacher. Clement has removed to Glas-
cow, and become a well-to-do merchant.
Andrew or "Dandie," a shepherd by trade,
is great wanderer about the country. and
local poet Of repute. Archie asks Kirstie
II there Is not a sister also. She admits
that there Is, young girl, kirstie, named
after herself and now at Glasgow with Gle
ment Archie discovers that there is
marked GOODNESS between the elder Kirstie
and some OF her nephews, the result OF some
old quarrel. so that they never come to
see her. He goes to the Cauldstaneslap
church one Sunday, and there meets the
younger Kirstie. He talks with her on the
way home. Both are much impressed with
each other. The same afternoon, young
Kirstie goes for walk over the moors to
the Praying Weaver's Stone. local monu-
ment OF interest. AS she sits on 1t, she
sees a figure coming along the path from
Hermiston House. 1t proves to be Archie,
who has been impelled to walk toward
Kirstie's home. They sit on the stone.
Kirstie sings one Of her uncle's ballads for
him, and goes home, both parting with
much suppressed feeling. Meanwhile,
Frank Innes. one of Archie's college chums.
gets into trouble in Edinburgh and comes
down to visit Archie He does not make
q favorably impression on the Scotch peas
antry, but makes friends with the gentry.
He marvels at Archie's long absences from
home, and once, when Archie goes off, pro-
poses to go with him. Archie tells him
that he prefers to be alone, and that each
must be independent as to his movements.
Innes walks off in great anger.
PART VI.
Archie watched him go without moving.
He was sorry, but quite unashamed. He hat
ed to be inhospitable, but in one thing he
was his fathers son. He had strong
sense that his house was his own and no
man elses; and to lie at a guests mercy
was what he refused. He hated to seem
harsh. But that was Franks lookout. II
Frank had been commonly discreet, he
would have been decently courteous. And
there was another consideration. The Sc
cret he was protecting was not his own
merely; it was hers; 1t belonged to that in
expressible she who was fast taking possess
sion of his soul, and whom he would soon
have defended at the cost Of burning cities.
BY the time he had watched Frank as far
as the Swingleburnfoot appearing and dis
appearing In the tarnished heather, still
stalking at fierce gait but already dwind-
led in the distance into less than the small
ness of Lilliput, he could afford to smile at
the occurrence. Either Frank would go,
and that would be relief-or he would con-
tinue to stay, and his host must continue
to endure him. And Archie was now free
by devious paths, behind hillocks and in
the hollow of burns-;o make fo- the tryst-
ing place where Kirstie, cried about by the
curlew and the plover, waited and burned
for his coming by the Covenanter's stone.
Innes went off down-hill in a passion Of
easy to be understood, but
which yielded progressively to the needs
of his situation. He cursed Archie for
cold-hearted, unfriendly, rude, rude dog;
and himself still more passionately for
fool In having come to Hermiston when he
might have sought refuge in almost any
other house in Scotland. But the step
once taken, was practically irretrievable
He had no more ready money to go any
where else he would have to borrow from
Archie the next cub-night; and i'll as he
thought of his hosts manner, he was sure
Of his practical generosity Franks resem-
b,ance to Talleyrand strikes me as imag-
mary; but at least not Talleyrand himself
could have more obediontly taken his lesson
from the facts. He met Archie at dinner
without resentment, almost with cordial
ity. You mus. take your friends as you
find them, he would have said. Archie
couldn't help being his fathers son. or his
the hypothetical weaver's,
grandson. The son of a hunks, he was
still a hunks at heart. incapable of true
and consideration; but he had
other qualities with which Frank could
divert himself in the meanwhile, and to
enjoy which it was necessary that Frank
should keep his temper.
So excellently was 1t controlled that he
awoke next morning with his head full of
different, though cognate subject. What
was Archie's little game? Why did he shun
Franks company? What was he keeping
secret? Was he keeping tryst with some
body. and was it woman? 1t would be a