Evening star., 1902-03-29
CHAPTER XII.
Ordination.

The girls had, so far as their friends knowl-
edge was concerned, absolutely disappeared.
Yet old David Glendinning would have no
communication made to the authorities.
Neither was their fathers heart bitter
against them. He took no account of any
thing. He would stick at nothing. He was
their father and he would love them to the
end.
IF only 1 could tell them sae-I wad be
happy" he said. but I'm thinkin' they
ken it-especially Fairlie.''
He stood the top of the watch tower
with the fatted calf bleating in the wood
yard beneath and he looked across that
great and terrible wilderness, on the other
side of which are sins of crimson and
scarlet and pleasures like to the purple of
Tyre. and great famines and swine troughs
and prodigalS returning and unreturnlng.
All the same, it weary time for all
concerned. Meantime Rupert's foot grew
quickly better. and he plunged more and
more deeply into such dssipations as the
country and neighboring towns afforded.
Occasionally Rupert would be a couple or
DAYS from home. and once it was the after
noon of the third day before he returned
On this occasion Gregory Glendonwyn nao
grown fretfuily anxious. He could not stay
indoors. but with gun over his shoulder,
though it the middle of July, haunted
the edges of the plantations and rugged
points from which he could obtain view
of the various roads leading west and north
from Castle Cover.
To John. however, his manner was com
pletely altered. He was unweariedly kind
to his younger son. and his influence. to-
gether with DIR. Augustus Caesar s good OF.
fees. soon sTnoothed all difficulties out OF
the way of Johns settlement. The day OF
the ordination was fixed and John engaged
with what zeal he could muster in the
preparation of his trial disCourses.
The night before the ordination Gregory
Glend0nwyn sent for his younger son to his
study and upon his entrance invited him to
take a chair.
Il have a hard thing to open 10 you,
John he said. 1T is difficult at any time
for Il father to humble himself TO his SON
peculiarly hard in any case, in that am
conscious that many times, and Tor long
periods. | have been far from doing you
Justice"
.It ever has been so. father" said John
~ have forgotten 1t.
The proud old man silently bowed his
head and then relapsed into so prolonged
a silence that John watched him with some
anxiety.
The matter is this he said at length;
.you said when we spoke together that
when you entered upon the living Whlch
have taken some pains to secure ana Keep
open for you, you would expect me, through
a LAWYER to make count and reckoning
with YOU for your mothers fortune, pr1ncl-
pal and interest. Now l do not conceal
from you that this. though not, of course,
impossible. would at the present moment
be exceedingly embarrassing to me. You
will remember that the care and handling
of it was left entirely to me mad fuf
power to employ 1t as Thought pest now
q few months ago there came sudden
and overwhelming call upon me-a call
which required TO be met at once if the
honor of our house was to be preserved
At the moment there was only one fund
upon which l could draw.
II admit that ] sunk a portion of that
fortune which should have been yours to
avert the threatened disgrace-your dis
grace as well mine. Now. what ask of
Won is that you should allow the money |
which I have expended to remain as
first charge upon the estate. l am advised |
that such a course is perfectly legal. You
will receive your income certainly and
al as high an interest on any other Sc
curity, and you will have the satisfaction
of having lifted a great load of sorrow
from YOUR fathers heart"
John GlendOnwyn, without a moments
hesitation. took his fathers hand
Agreed" he said. Il viii do an you
wish in the matter I have neither wish
nor need to take the capital of my moth
er's fortune out of your hands.
And as to the interest-that shall be as
Is most convenient for yOu!
THE deeds are here said his father,
mindful of the motto which advises striking
before the cooling of the iron. ''Mr. Nc
Grossly has drawn them up. The matter
has his approval and sanction. ! assure
YOU there is nothing unfair or underhand
In the arrangement. Shall I ring the bell
for Grierson and Faithful to witness the
papers for US. There are duplicate agree
Inents which shall remain. the one in your
possession and the other in mine"
At the conclusion, as Grierson went out
and John Glendonwyn was putting the doc
tIment in his pocket, Rupert entered and
the slightest glance of intelligence passed
between him and his father-a lift of the
eyebrows. an inclination OF the head
Question asked and answered. with a sim
ple-hearted third party busily signing pa
pers and none the wiser. i
The ordination passed over without any
hitch. All went smoothly.
There however 1arrfnR
the proceedings of the day. At the close of
the solemn ordination service. when the as
sernbled presbytery was shaking hands with
the newly ordained minister of the Kirk of
Scotland. now their friend and brother, two
white haired old men belonging to the con-
grega ton. Adam Gilchrist of Arbigiand and
Ephraim Gray of Chryston. came forward
The first named held paper in his hand
which he asked permission of the reverend
presbytery to read.
Some hgh-ffying nonsense about nom
Intrusion" murmured Gregory Glendonwyn,
who knew the man. But DIR. Caesar. on his
own ground of the church courts. feared no
man alive, and courteously made way for
The two delegates to ascend to the little I
fenced square of the elders seat, round |
which the presbytery were grouped
We will gladly hear you on any matter
touching the justice and legality of the ac-
ton upon which we are engaged" he said
Then Adam Gilchrist. In the name of
those who had signed the paper and ad- |
hered to him, declared that while protest
Sent another to the charge of congrega-
tion of Christian people. they wished to add !
that they had no objection of any sort to |
the Young man who had this day been set
tied among them.
Then he put the paper in Johns hands |
This was one of the all too numerous |
signs that it was blowing up for the storm,
and though the presbytery of Cover was |
by very large majority, moderate, there !
Were men IN certain of its constituent par
sshes who would not either be intimidated |
Or senced.
On the Sabbath which followed the day |
of ordination DIR. Augustus Caesar preached |
In the parish of Cover, and. according to |
custom, introduced his young friend John |
Glendonwyn. to the people. His daughter |
accompanied him. his wife being, of course, |
too delicate to bear the fatigue. So 1t |
chaECed that during the service Of intro |
duction John and Veronica sat side by side |
In the manse seat-an event which was |
universally held to have In 1t something !
notably prophetic.
That night John slept In his own manse |
There was little furniture in It, for his |
father. though most kindly affected to him !
end full of promises. had yet paid him no |
portion of the arrears of his fortune. More
over. he could hope to receive no stipend |