"Well, what I said I have said, and what I said I'll stick to."
"Just so," returned Ian, with a peculiar smile, "and, knowing this, I
have come here to claim the knoll for my father and Elsie for myself."
This was such a glaring absurdity in the old gentleman's eyes that he
uttered a short contemptuous laugh. At that moment Angus Macdonald
appeared upon the scene. His look of amazement at beholding his son may
be imagined. Angus was not, however, demonstrative.
He only stepped across the fire, and gave Ian a crushing squeeze of the
hand.
"It iss fery glad to see you I am, my poy, but it is taken py surprise I
am, _whatever_. An' ho!" (as his eyes fell on Tony), "it iss the child
you hef found. Well, it iss a happy father you will pe this night, Mr
Ruvnshaw. I wish you choy. Don't let me stop you, whatever. It wass
something interesting you would pe telling these chentlemen when I came
up."
"I was just going to tell them, father," said Ian, resting a hand on his
sire's shoulder, "that I have come straight from Willow Creek with the
news that this day I have, with my own unaided hands,"--he cast a
sidelong glance at the old gentleman--"transported your house to Mr
Ravenshaw's knoll, and have asked Elsie Ravenshaw to be my wife, and
been accepted."
"Moreover," continued Ian, in a calm, steady tone, "my father's biggest
barn has, without any assistance from any one, stranded itself on Mr
Ravenshaw's lawn!"
"Bless me, Ian, iss it jokin' ye are?"
"No, father. It's in earnest I am."
Good reader, the aspect of the party--especially of old Ravenshaw and
Angus--on hearing these announcements is beyond our powers of
description; we therefore prefer to leave it to your own vivid
imagination.