CHAPTER X.
"MAY THE GODS GIVE US TWAIN A GOOD DAY."
When they arrived there it was as Yaspard had said. Signy was on thebeach waiting for her brother, and great was her surprise to see Fredin the _Osprey_.
But when her brother explained, and told her of the part they expectedher to play, the little girl's heart began to beat with the wildesthopes and fears that ever stirred in one so young.
The shadow of that terrible family feud had early fallen on her gentlespirit, and the vivid imagination which made her almost realise manymerely ideal fancies had exaggerated that inherited enmity intosomething too dreadful to put into words. Such thoughts had beenfostered, of course, by the inconsiderate way in which Mr. Adiesen hadspoken and acted, never thinking, as he ought to have done, of thetender years of one who marked his words--never caring that hissentiments were the reverse of Christian. I think he rather "pridedhimself" upon the feud as a thing pertaining to his family tree, and tobe cherished along with the motto on his crest! No one had dared totell the Laird of Boden plainly that he was acting as no civilised--farless God-fearing--man should act, and he had never taken himself totask upon the subject. Consequently he had put no restraint on hisspeech, nor cared who heard him, when denouncing the Lairds of Lundaand all pertaining to them!
Signy would, of her own free will, as soon have put her hand into ared-hot fire as have asked Uncle Brues to receive Fred Garson in ahospitable manner; but she was made of fine metal, and would carry outYaspard's wishes, although all the thunders of Thor and Odin were readyto burst on her little head.
She put her hand frankly into that of Fred and walked up to the house,soon followed by Yaspard, who had only lingered a moment to give someinstructions to the Harrisons before they left, with Gloy, for theirhome.
When Moolapund was reached Yaspard said to Signy, "Take Mr. Garson tothe parlour, and I will go and tell Aunt Osla he is here."
The parlour, you may remember, was being used as a study while the Denwas undergoing renovation; and Mr. Adiesen was sitting at a tableexamining some pieces of rock which greatly delighted him, for he wassaying to himself, in tones of extreme satisfaction, "I knew it! I wasconvinced of it! I always believed it was to be found in thoseislands! and _I_ am the discoverer!"
"Uncle!" said the soft little voice, and the scientist turned round toface his hereditary foe!
He had never seen Fred, but some striking traits peculiar to his race,made it easy for Mr. Adiesen to recognise a Garson in the bold youthwho stood there smiling and holding out the hand of good-fellowship.
The old man was completely taken aback. The instinct of hospitality,which is held like a sacred thing among Shetlanders, bade him receivewith a measure of courtesy whoever chanced to come under his"rooftree," but another instinct, as deeply rooted, and more ready toexhibit itself, was also moving within him.
Fortunately no time was given him to choose between two courses. Signycaught his hand between her own, kissed it with quick fervency, andlaid it in that of Fred, saying as she did so, "Dear Uncle Brues, for mysake, for your own little Signy's sake."
They did not give him a single moment to recover himself--not a singledemon of hatred, jealousy, or pride got a chance to reassert its powerin time to prevent that hand-clasp; and before he could speak either,the ground was half cut from under him!
As if they had been meeting every day, and were old friends, Fred said,as their hands met, "How do you do? I see _you_ have triumphed whereeven the famous geologist Congreve failed. We have chipped the rocksfor years, and Mr. Congreve has searched high and low, in Lunda andBurra Isle, in every skerry and locality where that" (pointing to thebeautifully veined bits of mineral) "ought to be found, but withoutsuccess. Allow me to congratulate you on such a discovery. You are tobe envied, Mr. Adiesen. May I take a near view of your specimens?"
How it came about no one could ever tell, but a few minutes laterYaspard and Aunt Osla, coming in much trepidation to the parlour, foundFred and Mr. Adiesen in amicable conversation over the stones, whileSigny stood between her uncle's knees, with his arm around her, and hisfingers lovingly twined among her bright curls!
Aunt Osla was nervous and tearful, and would have made a scene, nodoubt, but for Fred's admirable tact. He addressed her, as he had donethe Laird, just as if they were ordinary acquaintances meeting in themost matter-of-fact, every-day kind of manner. Wrath and sentimentalike collapsed before such commonplace salutations, and both Mr.Adiesen and his sister felt they would only make themselves ridiculousif they met young Garson's simple civility with any expression ofdeeper feelings.
So the conversation glided smoothly into the well-worn and usefulchannels of ordinary talk about the weather, and the crops, and thefishing, and "the South," until Miss Adiesen was at her ease enough tosay, "I hope your dear mother is well?"
"She is regaining strength and a degree of cheerfulness, thank you,"said Fred; and then quite naturally, as if he knew he were talking on asubject interesting to his hearers, he went on to speak of the trialthey had passed through in the loss of his father; and when he had saidjust enough about that he quietly glided into Mr. Adiesen's favouritethemes, surprising the old gentleman considerably by his knowledge ofnatural science and his intelligent appreciation of the scientisthimself!
Yaspard sat near, a delighted listener, while Fred, using his utmostpowers of fascination, talked Uncle Brues into good humour, and so pavedthe way to an amicable adjustment of some of the differences betweenthe rival Lairds.
It was not till tea had been served, and the day was far spent, thatFred asked the loan of a boat, and his young friend Yaspard's crew, totake him back to Lunda. Permission was given, of course; and when ourViking-boy went off to get the _Osprey_ ready Signy went too, and AuntOsla disappeared to indite a letter to her old friend, Fred's mother.Thus the two men were left alone, which was exactly what Fred desired,and he was not long in taking advantage of an opportunity he had beendevoutly desiring would come.
"What a fine lad that is!" he said, speaking of Yaspard. "He is quitethe ideal Hialtlander!"
"He is rather too fond of romance and the like," answered the old man;but he smiled, for he was fond of his nephew, and liked to hear himpraised.
"Yes, I think with you that there is an excess of romantic sentiment inhis character; and that kind of thing is apt to become exaggerated intoeccentricity or foolishness. I suppose he can't help it, living somuch within himself, as it were."
"Possibly--that is--so!" Mr. Adiesen replied slowly.
"I hope," Fred resumed, and he smiled very pleasantly, "that thisViking fancy he has taken up may be of service to him in bringing himinto contact with boys of his own age and rank. The young Mitchellsare capital fellows, and _you_ know better than most folk what sort ofcompanions he is likely to find in Dr. Holtum's family."
"The Doctor is a man in a thousand. He did me a service I am notlikely to forget on this side the grave. I don't see him as oftenas--might be under different circumstances. But I respect him. Yes,young man, I respect Dr. Holtum!" And the frown which had gathered onthe old man's brow at mention of the Mitchells cleared up more rapidlythan Fred had dared to hope for.
"I don't know how we should get along without Dr. Holtum--we youngones, I mean," he remarked. "He enters so much into all our fun, andthen he is so very clever too, a first-rate scientist. They have a'menagerie,' as large and interesting as your own, at Collaster. Andthe twins--they are a little older than your lovely little niece, butshe would find them companionable, for she is older than her years, Ithink. I suppose it will be with her as it is with Yaspard in somerespects?"
"Signy is quite contented without girls' society, and she can neverbecome either eccentric or foolish," Mr. Adiesen said hurriedly; butall the same he suddenly had a vision of his pet growing up to bepeculiar, and an old maid perhaps resembling Aunt Osla, or some otherof the many spinster ladies whose insular life had doomed them to thatfate.
"My sister Isobel and
I," said Fred, "always feel that we are morefortunate than the greater number of Lairds' families in having so manycompanions in our island. It has been desperately good for me, I know,to have such clever chaps as Eric Mitchell and Svein Holtum for mychums."
"And your sister? Dr. Holtum's girls are younger?"
"Yes, and Isobel suffers in consequence. We all make a great fuss overIsobel, and she thinks a little too much of her own consequence. Butstill she has advantages--from the society of ladies, forinstance--which your Signy cannot have."
The entrance of Signy herself put a stop to the conversation, but Fredwas satisfied that he had sown good seed which would produce the rightkind of fruit by-and-by. When he left Boden his heart was light withinhim. He took Mr. Adiesen's insolent note from his pocket and tore itto bits, scattering them on the sea, and saying within himself, "A softanswer turneth away wrath;" then to Yaspard he said, "Now, Sir Viking,for _your_ letter. You want the answer, don't you?"
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