Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Scotland -- Fiction
"Where are they putting me?" he asked angrily of Andrew Fraser, whom
he found, very long and lank in consequence of repeated attacks of
malarial fever, busy packing up his dressing things.
"It will be tae whatten they used to ca' the 'Agäpemoan' in the old
lord's young days, sir," replied Andrew. "Jest yon big room wi' the
outside stair in the west wing close to the keep, sir. 'Tis a bonny
eneuch room with a fire to it, an' Marrion Paul has ben reddin' it up
a' day."
Marrion Paul! The name came as a relief and a regret, for he had not
seen her--not anyhow for speech--since their dawn-tide swim together.
Now the mere memory of it in its coolness and freshness and beauty
calmed his irritation, and half aimlessly he strolled across the
quadrangle to inspect his new quarters. She might be there still.
Apparently she was, for a sound of determined sweeping came down the
stairway.
"Hullo, Marmie, is that you?" he cried joyously, bounding up the steps
two at a time.
"Aye, Mr. Duke, it's me," replied the figure with the broom
laconically.
Certainly it was a nice comfortable room with the fire blazing and the
casement window, still somewhat hung with cobwebs, set wide to the
summer sunshine. Marmaduke passed to it and looked out. Beneath him,
far down the slanting red cliffs dotted here and there with sombre
pines, lay the castle pool, and over yonder to the right were the
rocks on the other side where he had found Marmie combing her hair
like any mermaid. It was hidden now under a most unbecoming dust
kerchief; still the memory was pleasant.
"I say, Marmie," he remarked, "that swim of ours was stunning, wasn't
it?"
"It's aye nice in the dawning," replied Marrion comfortably. "I've
been out twice since then, and I'm no saying which I enjoyed the
maist."
Marmaduke made a wry face.
"You look as if I were interrupting your work," he said tenderly.
"So you are, Captain Duke," she assented calmly. He clapped his hands
to his ears in mock alarm, and with a laugh raced headlong downstairs,
calling back half-way that 'Andry' would have his work cut out for him
getting his master to bed if so be the latter had had a glass too
much.
When he had gone Marrion ceased sweeping and rested her cheek on the
broom handle for a bit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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