Kirsteen: The Story of a Scotch Family Seventy Years AgoOliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
General
Kirsteen: The Story of a Scotch Family Seventy Years Ago
Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
Domestic fiction; Scotland -- Fiction
Jeanie, on the other hand, recovered her spirit and her ease of mind
with singular rapidity under the sheltering roof of Glendochart. She was
not told of Lord John’s death for some time, and never of the rapidity
with which it followed her interrupted interview. She was very much
moved and excited when she heard of his death, wondering with natural
self-importance whether her resistance of his suit had anything to do
with the breaking down of his health. It half relieved, half
disappointed Jeanie to discover after that his death was caused by an
accident and not by love. But indeed she had then only a limited space
to give in her thoughts to that lover of the past. He of the present had
the command of the situation. Determined as she had been not to
understand Gordon, the effect of a few days in the same house with him
had been marvellous, and when the fairy regions of youthful experience
began once more to open before Jeanie, she forgot that she had cause of
grievance against the companion who opened to her that magic gate. All
tragic possibilities disappeared from the path of the girl who had no
longer any distracting struggle, but whose desires and inclinations all
went with her fate. Her father made no objection to her marriage. “Let
him take her if he wants her. I have no need of her here,” Drumcarro
said. Jeanie indeed, instead of brightening the house and soothing the
fever in him, excited and disturbed her father: “I want no lass about
the house, now her mother that keeped her a little in order is gone.”
She was married eventually at Glendochart, the Laird making no
appearance even. He was said to be ill, and his illness had taken the
curious form, a form not unprecedented, but much against nature, of
strong dislike to certain persons. He could not abide the sight of
Jeanie: “Let her do what she will, but let her no more come near me. Let
him take her if he likes, I’m well pleased to be quit of her.” When
Jeanie came attended by her lover to bid her father good-bye, the Laird
almost drove her away. He got up from his chair supporting himself upon
its arms, his eyes burning like coals of fire, his now gaunt and worn
figure trembling with passion. “Go away to the parlour,” he said, “and
get your tea, or whatever you’ve come for. I want none of you here.”
“Father, I just came to bid you good-bye,” said Jeanie.
“Go ’way to the parlour. I suffer nobody to disturb me here. Go ’way to
Marg’ret. Ye’ll get what ye want from her, and plenty of petting, no
doubt. Go ’way to the parlour. Marg’ret! Get them what they want and let
them go.”
“Oh, father,” cried Jeanie weeping, “it’s not for anything we’ve come
but just for kindness--to say good-bye.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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