Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Short stories
“My thoughts have been travelling back of late over those years since I
was ordained minister of this parish and the things which have happened,
and it seemed to me that no man has done his duty by his neighbour or
before God with a more single heart than you, Archie.”
“God bless you.” Then on the doorstep the Doctor shook hands again and
paused for a minute. “You have fought a good fight, Archie--I wish we
could all say the same... a good fight.”
For an hour Archie was so dazed that he was not able to say a word,
and could do nothing but look into the fire, and then he turned to his
sisters, with that curious little movement of the hand which seemed to
assist his speech.
“The language wes clean redeeklus, but it wes kindly meant... an' it
maks up for mony things.... The Doctor wes aye a gentleman, an' noo...
ye can see that he's... something mair.”
Drumsheugh dined with the Doctor that night, and after dinner John
opened for them a bottle of Lord Kilspindie's wine.
“It is the only drink we have in the house, for I have not been using
anything of that kind lately, and I think we may have a glass together
for the sake of Auld Lang Syne.”
They had three toasts, “The Queen,” and “The Kirk of Scotland,” and “The
friends that are far awa,” after which--for the last included both the
living and the dead--they sat in silence. Then the Doctor began to speak
of his ministry, lamenting that he had not done better for his people,
and declaring that if he were spared he intended to preach more
frequently about the Lord Jesus Christ.
“You and I, Drumsheugh, will have to go a long journey soon, and give an
account of our lives in Drumtochty. Perhaps we have done our best as men
can, and I think we have tried; but there are many things we might have
done otherwise, and some we ought not to have done at all.
“It seems to me now, the less we say in that day of the past the
better.... We shall wish for mercy rather than justice, and”--here the
Doctor looked earnestly over his glasses at his elder--“we would be none
the worse, Drums-heugh, of a friend to... say a good word for us both in
the great court.”
“A've thocht that masel”--it was an agony for Drumsheugh to speak--“mair
than aince. Weelum MacLure wes... ettlin' (feeling) aifter the same
thing the nicht he slippit awa, an' gin ony man cud hae stude on his ain
feet... yonder, it was... Weelum.”
The Doctor read the last chapter of the Revelation of St John at prayers
that evening with much solemnity, and thereafter prayed concerning those
who had lived together in the Glen that they might meet at last in the
City.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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