‘Dear keep me, gudeman, but ye’re mair fashed than I could hae thought it was in the power o’ nature for you to be,’--said Mrs. Walkinshaw, surprised at his agitation. ‘The scoundrel! the scoundrel!’ said Claud, walking quickly across the room--‘To cause sic a loss!--To tak’ nae advice!--to run sic a ram-race!--I ought, I will, gar him fin’ the weight o’ my displeasure. Betty Bodle’s tocher would hae been better than the Grippy--But he shall suffer for’t--I see na why a father may na tak’ his own course as weel as a son--I’ll no be set at naught in this gait. I’ll gang in to Mr. Keelevin the morn.’ ‘Dinna be oure headstrong, my dear, but compose yoursel’,’--said the lady, perplexed, and in some degree alarmed at the mention of the lawyer’s name.-- ‘Compose thysel, Girzy, and no meddle wi’ me,’ was the answer, in a less confident tone than the declaration he had just made, adding,-- ‘I never thought he would hae used me in this way. I’m sure I was ay indulgent to him.’ ‘Overly sae,’ interrupted Mrs. Walkinshaw, ‘and often I told you that he would gie you a het heart for’t, and noo ye see my words hae come to pass.’ Claud scowled at her with a look of the fiercest aversion, for at that moment the better feelings of his nature yearned towards Charles, and almost overcame the sordid avidity with which he had resolved to cut him off from his birthright, and to entail the estate of Grippy with the Plealands on Walter,--an intention which, as we have before mentioned, he early formed, and had never abandoned, being merely deterred from carrying it into effect by a sense of shame, mingled with affection, and a slight reverence for natural justice; all which, however, were loosened from their hold in his conscience, by the warranty which the imprudence of the marriage seemed to give him in the eyes of the world, for doing what he had so long desired to do. Instead, however, of making her any reply, he walked out into the open air, and continued for about half an hour to traverse the green in front of the house, sometimes with quick short steps, at others with a slow and heavy pace. Gradually, however, his motion became more regular, and ultimately ended in a sedate and firm tread, which indicated that his mind was made up on the question which he had been debating with himself. CHAPTER XVIII