The House on the Moor, v. 2/3Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
General
The House on the Moor, v. 2/3
Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
Fiction
grieved reproach, "Why did you not wait a little?--could you not trust
_me_?"
Sometimes for an instant the face he had seen upon that moorland road
beside Marchmain--the young face troubled and blushing, which knew and
recognized him, in spite of itself, flashed for a moment before Roger's
dreaming eyes; and then he turned away from the water and the heavens
with a quick sigh, and turned back to the little world which made its
passage over that sea--the noisy world between those wooden bulwarks,
lounging here and there, playing cards, sleeping in the sun, jesting,
quarrelling, talking unprofitable talk, and laughing loud laughter. This
was _his_ world, where Roger had to live.
At the same time an incident occurred to trouble him. A detachment of a
regiment of infantry shared the comforts of the same transport; and one
day, shortly after they sailed, Roger was startled to meet Sam Gilsland,
who for his part came to an amazed stand before him, and sheepishly put
up his hand to his forehead in respectful salutation. Nothing could
persuade Sam that "th' young Squire" was, like himself, in the ranks. A
hurried conversation ensued, in which Roger made strenuous endeavours to
knock the fact into the thick head of his countryman; and Sam went away
with a confused idea that he was not to touch his cap any more to this
unexpected shipmate, or to address the rifleman as Mr. Roger, or to
speak of him as the young Squire. This incident at once grieved Roger
and comforted him. Somehow there was a certain consolation in the idea
that one individual, at least, in that little community knew what and
who he really was. But the annoyance overbalanced the comfort. Sam after
this could not come in contact with his former patron but with a
ludicrous and embarrassing consciousness, which would have made Roger
laugh if it had not pained him; the simple lout felt himself alarmingly
on his good behaviour whenever he suspected Roger's neighbourhood, and
made a hundred furtive errands and clumsy attempts to do something for
him, which at once disturbed his mind and touched his heart. He was by
no means a bad fellow, this Sam--a certain gleam of chivalrous sentiment
warmed his opaque spirit at sight of the sad equality with himself to
which, in appearance, never in reality, the young Squire was reduced.
The honest clown felt a certain mortification and downfall in his own
person to think that Roger in his crowded cabin was cleaning his own
accoutrements like "a common man!" Sam made stealthy private expeditions
into the rifleman's quarters to do it for him, moved by an indescribable
mixture of compassion and respect, and those tender home-associations
which never had been so warm in the simple fellow's heart as now, and
could not comprehend the burst of mortified gratification--the mixture
of pain and pleasure, wrath and gratitude, with which Roger sent him
away. After that he had to content himself with touching his cap
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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