It was now Lavender’s turn to stare, but he good-naturedly accepted the
duties of referee, and eventually a brooch was selected and paid for,
the price being six shillings. Then they drove on again.
“Sheila will know nothing of this; it will be a great surprise for her,”
said Mackenzie, almost to himself, as he opened the white box, and saw
the glaring piece of jewelry lying on the white cotton.
“Good Heavens, sir,” cried Frank Lavender, “you don’t mean to say you
bought that brooch for your daughter?”
“And why not?” said the King of Borva, in great surprise.
The young man perceived his mistake, grew considerably confused, and
only said: “Well, I should have thought that--that some small piece of
gold jewelry, now, would be better suited for a young lady.”
Mackenzie smiled shrewdly: “I had something to go on. It was Sheila
herself was in Stornoway three weeks ago, and she was wanting to buy a
brooch for a young girl who had come down to us from Suainabost, and is
very useful in the kitchen, and it wass a brooch, just like this one,
she gave to her.”
“Yes, to a kitchen-maid,” said the young man, meekly.
“But Mairi is Sheila’s cousin,” said Mackenzie, with continued surprise.
“Lavender does not understand Highland ways yet, Mr. Mackenzie,” said
Ingram, from behind. “You know we, in the South, have different
fashions. Our servants are nearly always strangers to us--not relations
and companions.”
“Oh, I hef peen in London myself,” said Mackenzie, in somewhat of an
injured tone; and then he added, with a touch of satisfaction: “and I
hef been in Paris, too.”
“And Miss Sheila, has she been in London?” asked Lavender, feigning
ignorance.
“She has never been out of the Lewis.”
“But don’t you think the education of a young lady should include some
little experience of traveling?”
“Sheila, she will be educated quite enough; and is she going to London
or Paris without me?”
“You might take her.”
“I have too much to do on the island now, and Sheila has much to do. I
do not think she will ever see any of those places, and she will not be
much the worse.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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