"MAY THE GODS GIVE US TWAIN A GOOD DAY."
When they arrived there it was as Yaspard had said. Signy was on the
beach waiting for her brother, and great was her surprise to see Fred
in the _Osprey_.
But when her brother explained, and told her of the part they expected
her to play, the little girl's heart began to beat with the wildest
hopes and fears that ever stirred in one so young.
The shadow of that terrible family feud had early fallen on her gentle
spirit, and the vivid imagination which made her almost realise many
merely ideal fancies had exaggerated that inherited enmity into
something too dreadful to put into words. Such thoughts had been
fostered, of course, by the inconsiderate way in which Mr. Adiesen had
spoken and acted, never thinking, as he ought to have done, of the
tender years of one who marked his words--never caring that his
sentiments were the reverse of Christian. I think he rather "prided
himself" upon the feud as a thing pertaining to his family tree, and to
be cherished along with the motto on his crest! No one had dared to
tell the Laird of Boden plainly that he was acting as no civilised--far
less God-fearing--man should act, and he had never taken himself to
task upon the subject. Consequently he had put no restraint on his
speech, nor cared who heard him, when denouncing the Lairds of Lunda
and all pertaining to them!
Signy would, of her own free will, as soon have put her hand into a
red-hot fire as have asked Uncle Brüs to receive Fred Garson in a
hospitable manner; but she was made of fine metal, and would carry out
Yaspard's wishes, although all the thunders of Thor and Odin were ready
to 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 some
instructions to the Harrisons before they left, with Gloy, for their
home.
When Moolapund was reached Yaspard said to Signy, "Take Mr. Garson to
the 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 Den
was undergoing renovation; and Mr. Adiesen was sitting at a table
examining some pieces of rock which greatly delighted him, for he was
saying to himself, in tones of extreme satisfaction, "I knew it! I was
convinced of it! I always believed it was to be found in those
islands! and _I_ am the discoverer!"
"Uncle!" said the soft little voice, and the scientist turned round to
face 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 youth
who 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 receive
with a measure of courtesy whoever chanced to come under his
"rooftree," but another instinct, as deeply rooted, and more ready to
exhibit itself, was also moving within him.
Fortunately no time was given him to choose between two courses. Signy
caught his hand between her own, kissed it with quick fervency, and
laid it in that of Fred, saying as she did so, "Dear Uncle Brüs, for my
sake, for your own little Signy's sake."
They did not give him a single moment to recover himself--not a single
demon of hatred, jealousy, or pride got a chance to reassert its power
in 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 where
even the famous geologist Congreve failed. We have chipped the rocks
for years, and Mr. Congreve has searched high and low, in Lunda and
Burra Isle, in every skerry and locality where that" (pointing to the
beautifully veined bits of mineral) "ought to be found, but without
success. Allow me to congratulate you on such a discovery. You are to
be 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 later
Yaspard and Aunt Osla, coming in much trepidation to the parlour, found
Fred and Mr. Adiesen in amicable conversation over the stones, while
Signy stood between her uncle's knees, with his arm around her, and his
fingers lovingly twined among her bright curls!
Aunt Osla was nervous and tearful, and would have made a scene, no
doubt, but for Fred's admirable tact. He addressed her, as he had done
the Laird, just as if they were ordinary acquaintances meeting in the
most matter-of-fact, every-day kind of manner. Wrath and sentiment
alike collapsed before such commonplace salutations, and both Mr.
Adiesen and his sister felt they would only make themselves ridiculous
if they met young Garson's simple civility with any expression of
deeper feelings.
So the conversation glided smoothly into the well-worn and useful
channels of ordinary talk about the weather, and the crops, and the
fishing, and "the South," until Miss Adiesen was at her ease enough to
say, "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 a
subject interesting to his hearers, he went on to speak of the trial
they had passed through in the loss of his father; and when he had said
just enough about that he quietly glided into Mr. Adiesen's favourite
themes, surprising the old gentleman considerably by his knowledge of
natural science and his intelligent appreciation of the scientist
himself!
Yaspard sat near, a delighted listener, while Fred, using his utmost
powers of fascination, talked Uncle Brüs into good humour, and so paved
the way to an amicable adjustment of some of the differences between
the rival Lairds.
It was not till tea had been served, and the day was far spent, that
Fred asked the loan of a boat, and his young friend Yaspard's crew, to
take him back to Lunda. Permission was given, of course; and when our
Viking-boy went off to get the _Osprey_ ready Signy went too, and Aunt
Osla 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 been
devoutly desiring would come.
"What a fine lad that is!" he said, speaking of Yaspard. "He is quite
the 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 him
praised.
"Yes, I think with you that there is an excess of romantic sentiment in
his character; and that kind of thing is apt to become exaggerated into
eccentricity or foolishness. I suppose he can't help it, living so
much within himself, as it were."
"Possibly--that is--so!" Mr. Adiesen replied slowly.
"I hope," Fred resumed, and he smiled very pleasantly, "that this
Viking fancy he has taken up may be of service to him in bringing him
into contact with boys of his own age and rank. The young Mitchells
are capital fellows, and _you_ know better than most folk what sort of
companions 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 not
likely to forget on this side the grave. I don't see him as often
as--might be under different circumstances. But I respect him. Yes,
young man, I respect Dr. Holtum!" And the frown which had gathered on
the old man's brow at mention of the Mitchells cleared up more rapidly
than Fred had dared to hope for.
"I don't know how we should get along without Dr. Holtum--we young
ones, I mean," he remarked. "He enters so much into all our fun, and
then he is so very clever too, a first-rate scientist. They have a
'menagerie,' as large and interesting as your own, at Collaster. And
the twins--they are a little older than your lovely little niece, but
she would find them companionable, for she is older than her years, I
think. I suppose it will be with her as it is with Yaspard in some
respects?"
"Signy is quite contented without girls' society, and she can never
become either eccentric or foolish," Mr. Adiesen said hurriedly; but
all the same he suddenly had a vision of his pet growing up to be
peculiar, and an old maid perhaps resembling Aunt Osla, or some other
of the many spinster ladies whose insular life had doomed them to that
fate.
"My sister Isobel and I," said Fred, "always feel that we are more
fortunate than the greater number of Lairds' families in having so many
companions in our island. It has been desperately good for me, I know,
to have such clever chaps as Eric Mitchell and Svein Holtum for my
chums."
"And your sister? Dr. Holtum's girls are younger?"
"Yes, and Isobel suffers in consequence. We all make a great fuss over
Isobel, and she thinks a little too much of her own consequence. But
still she has advantages--from the society of ladies, for
instance--which your Signy cannot have."
The entrance of Signy herself put a stop to the conversation, but Fred
was satisfied that he had sown good seed which would produce the right
kind of fruit by-and-by. When he left Boden his heart was light within
him. He took Mr. Adiesen's insolent note from his pocket and tore it
to bits, scattering them on the sea, and saying within himself, "A soft
answer turneth away wrath;" then to Yaspard he said, "Now, Sir Viking,
for _your_ letter. You want the answer, don't you?"