"Then learn while ye may that there be lesser powers as well as greater
in the scheme o' God's warld, and o' His working o' the wonders therein.
Ye may scoff at me wha' am after all but an aud wife; though one to whom
are Visions given, and in whose ears the Voice has spoken. Ye may pride
yersel' that yer ignorance is mair than the knowledge o' ithers. Ye
may doot the truths that hae been garnered oot o' centuries o' dour
experience, an' tak' the cloak o' yer ignorance as an answer to a' the
mysteries that be. But mark me weel! the day will come--it is no far aff
the noo--when ye will wring yer honds, and pray wi' all the power an'
bitter grief o' yer soul for some licht to guide ye that ye no hae had
yet!" She paused and stood in a sort of trance, stiffening all over like
a pointer at mark. Then she raised one hand high over her head, so that
the long arm seemed to extend her gaunt form to an indefinite length.
With a far-away solemn voice she spoke:
"I see ye too, though no by yer lanes, in the wild tide-race amang the
rocks in the dark nicht, mid leaping waves. An' lo! o'er the waste o'
foam is a floatin' shrood!" Then she stopped, and in a few seconds came
back to herself. In the meantime Marjory, whose lips had grown white as
death, though she never lost her proud bearing, groped blindly for my
hand and held it hard. She never for a moment took her eyes off the
other.
When Gormala was quite her own woman again, she turned without a word
and walked away in her gaunt, stately manner, feeling I am sure, as we
did, that she did not go without the honours of war. Marjory continued
to watch her until she had passed up the track, and had disappeared
behind the curve of the hill.
Then, all at once, she seemed to collapse in a faint; and had I not held
her hand, and so was able to draw her into my arms, she must have fallen
to the ground.
In a wonderfully short time she recovered her senses, and then with a
great effort stood up; though she still had to steady herself by my
hand. When she was all right again she said to me:
"I suppose you wonder why I attacked her like that. Oh! yes, I did
attack her; I meant to," for she saw the question in my eyes. "It was
because she was so hostile to you. What right had she to force you to do
anything? She is harmful to you, Archie. I know it! I know it! I know
it! and I determined not to let her have her way. And besides,"--this
with a shy loving look at me, "as she is hostile to you she must be to
me also. I want to be with you, even in the range of the hate and the
love of others. That is to be one; and as we are to fight together I
must share your lot in all!" I took her in my arms, and for some divine
moments, our hearts beat together.
In those moments my mind was made up as to the wishes of Adams. How
could I refuse in any way to fight the battle, as she might wish it
fought, of a girl who so loyally shared my lot!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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