"I refuse to give away the man who told me," I said stiffly.
He was now in great excitement. He wiped his brow with his hand.
"Graham is a liar!" he cried passionately, "it was _him_ that said it to
_me_!"
"But you agreed with him?" I insinuated.
Brown drew himself up stiffly.
"Well, damn you, I did!"
"Quits!" I cried, and I held out my hand.
Later as we sat together over a hot whiskey I tried hard to persuade him
that Graham had never said a word to me; I told him again and again that
I had made a lucky guess, and at last I managed to persuade him to
believe me. Yet somehow I feel that he'll look askance at poor Graham
the next time he meets him.
* * *
We were threshing to-day. During the dinner interval Margaret and I
chanced to meet in the barn. I threw my arms round her and kissed her. A
chuckle came from the straw. I looked up to find the eyes of Jim Jackson
upon us.
"Aw'll no tell!" he cried, and Margaret fled blushing from the barn.
"Right, Jim! We'll trust you with the secret. Margaret and I are in love
with each other."
"When is it to be?" he asked eagerly.
"You are thinking of the wedding feast I presume, my lad, what?"
He did not answer; he seemed to be thinking.
"Bob Scott has a' the luck," he said dolefully; "when he was ten his
mither was married, when he was eleven his sister Bets dee'd, and syne
when he was twel his father was married. Aw've only had a marriage and a
daith. Aw like marriages better gyn daiths; ye get mair to eat, and ye
dinna hae to look solemn. A christenin' doesna coont; ye jest get a wee
bit o' cake, and the minister prays."
"Jim," I said suddenly, "will you be my best man?"
He gaped.
"Will Aw be yer--?" He was too much surprised to complete the sentence.
"Yes, and carry the ring," I said.
His eyes danced.
"And kiss the bridesmaids," I continued.
His face fell.
"No," he said slowly, "Aw'm ower young to be a best man." He considered
for a while. "But Geordie Tamson wud kiss them for a hank o' candy," he
said half aloud.
"No," I said, "you can't delegate your powers to another in a case of
this sort. But of course if you think Geordie would be the better man to
sit on the dickey of the carriage, and lead the bride to the wedding
feast, and throw out the sweeties and pennies to the children, and--"
"Aw'll be yer best man!" he roared.