"Angus Dhu's hand was not firm enough to keep his own son at home, and
he could never guide our Dan. Mother, never heed them that tell you any
ill of Dan. Has he ever disobeyed you once since--since then?"
Shenac's voice failed a little, then she went on again, "Why should Dan
go away, or any of us? Why can't we bide all together, and do the best
we can, till Allister comes home?"
"But that must be a long time yet, if he ever comes," said the mother,
sighing.
"Yes, it may be long," said Shenac eagerly. "Of course it cannot be for
the spring work, and maybe not for the harvest, but he's sure to come,
mother; and think of Allister coming and finding no home! Yes, I know
you are to bide here; but the land would be gone, and it would be no
home long to Allister or any of us without the land. Angus Dhu should
be content with what he's got," continued Shenac bitterly. "Allister
will never be content to let my father's land go out of our hands; and
Angus Dhu promised my father to give it up to Allister. Mother, we must
do nothing till Allister comes home.--Hamish, why don't you tell my
mother to wait till Allister comes home?"
"Till Allister comes home! When Allister comes home!" This had been
the burden of all Shenac's comforting to her mother, even when she could
take no comfort from it herself. For a year seemed a long time to
Shenac; but three months of the year had passed already, and surely,
surely Allister would come.
Hamish raised his face as Shenac appealed to him, but it was anything
but a hopeful face, and Shenac was glad that her mother was looking the
other way.
"But what are we to do in the meantime?" he asked, and his voice was as
little hopeful as his face. For a moment Shenac was indignant at her
brother. It would need the courage of both to make the future look
otherwise than dark to their mother, and she thought Hamish was going to
fail her. She was growing very eager; but she knew that the quick, hot
words that might carry Hamish with her would have no force with her
mother, and she put a strong restraint on herself, and said quietly,--
"We can manage through the summer, mother. The wheat was sown in the
fall, you know, and the elder said we were to have a bee next week for
the oats, and we can do the rest ourselves--Hamish and Dan and I--till
Allister comes home."
"It would be a hard fight for you all," said the mother despondingly.
"You should say Dan and you and little Hugh and Colin," said Hamish
bitterly. "They could help far more than I can, unless I am much better
than I am now." And then he dropped his head on his hands again.
Shenac rose suddenly and placed herself between him and her mother, and
then she said quietly,--
"And, mother, the elder thinks we can do it, or he wouldn't have spoken
about the bee. Nobody can think it right that Angus Dhu should take our
father's land from us; and the elder said nothing about Hugh; and Dan
would never bide with Angus Dhu and work our father's land for him.
Never! never! Mother, we must try what we can do till Allister comes
home."
There was not much said after that. There was no decision in words as
to their plans, but Shenac knew they were to make a trial of the
summer's work--she and her brothers--and she was content.
There were but two rooms downstairs in the little log house, and the
mother and Flora slept in the one in which they had been sitting. So
when Hamish came back from looking whether the gates and barn-doors were
safely shut, he found Shenac, who had much to say to him, waiting for
him outside.
"Hamish," she said eagerly, "what ails you? Why did you not speak to my
mother and tell her what we ought to do? Hamish," she added, putting
out her hand to detain him as he tried to pass her--"Hamish, speak to
me. What ails you to-night, Hamish?"
"What right have I to tell my mother--I, who can do nothing?"
He shook off her detaining hand as if he was angry; but there was a
sound of tears in his voice, and Shenac's momentary feeling of offence
was gone. She would not be shaken off, and putting her arms round his
neck she held him fast. He did not try to free himself after the first
moment, but he turned away his face.
"Hamish," she repeated, "what is it? Don't you think we can manage to
keep together till Allister comes home? Is it that, Hamish? Tell me
what you think it is right for us to do."
"It is not that, Shenac; and I have no right to say anything--I, who can
do nothing."
"Hamish!" exclaimed his sister, in a tone in which surprise and pain
were mingled.
"If I were like the rest," continued Hamish--"I, who am the eldest; but
even Dan can do more than I can. You must not think of me, Shenac, in
your plans."
For a moment Shenac was silent from astonishment; this was so unlike the
cheerful spirit of Hamish. Then she said,--
"Hamish, the work is not all. What could Dan or any of us do without
you to plan for us? We are the hands, you are the head."
Hamish made an impatient movement. "Allister would be head and hands
too," he said bitterly.
"But, Hamish, you are not Allister; you are Hamish, just as you have
always been. You are not surely going to fail our mother now--you, who
have done more than all of us put together to comfort her since then?"
Hamish made no answer.
"It is wrong for you to look at it in that way, Hamish," continued
Shenac. "I once heard my father say that though you were lame, God
might have higher work for you to do than for any of the rest of us. I
did not know what he meant then, but I know now."
"Hush! don't, Shenac," said Hamish.
"No; I must speak, Hamish. It is not right to fret because the work you
have to do is not just the work you would choose. And you'll break my
heart if you vex yourself about--because you are not like the rest. Not
one of us all is so dear to my mother and the rest as you are; you know
_that_, Hamish. And why should you think of this now, more than
before?"
"Shenac, I have been a child till now, thinking of nothing. My looking
forward was but the dreaming of idle dreams. I have wakened since my
father died--wakened to find myself useless, a burden, with so much to
be done."
"Hamish," said Shenac gravely, "that is not true, and it's foolish,
besides. If you _were_ useless--blind as well as lame--if you were as
cankered and ill to do with as you are mild and sweet, there would be no
question of burden, because you are one of us, our own. If you were
thinking of Angus Dhu, you might speak of burdens; but it is nonsense to
say that to me. You know that you are more to my mother than any of us,
and you are more to me than all my brothers put together; but I need not
tell you _that_. Hamish, if it had not been for you, I think my mother
must have died. What is Dan, or what am I, in comparison to you?
Hamish, you must take heart and be strong, for all our sakes."
They were sitting on the doorstep by this time, and Shenac laid her head
on her brother's shoulder as she spoke.
"I know I am all wrong, Shenac. I know I ought to be content as I am,"
said Hamish at last, but he could say no more.
Shenac's heart filled with love and pity unspeakable. She would have
given him her health and strength, and would have taken up his burden of
weakness and deformity to bear them henceforth for his sake. But she
did not tell him so; where would have been the good? She sat quite
still, only stroking his hand now and then, till he spoke again.
"Perhaps I am wrong to speak to you about it, Shenac, but I seem to
myself to be quite changed; I seem to have nothing to look forward to.
If it had been me who was taken instead of Lewis."
"Hamish," said Shenac gravely, "it is not saying it to me that is wrong,
but thinking it. And why should you have nothing to look forward to?
We are young. A year seems a long time; but it will pass, and when
Allister comes home, and we are prosperous again, it will be with you as
it would have been if my father had lived. You will get to your books
again, and learn and grow a wise man; and what will it signify that you
are little and lame, when you have all the honour that wisdom wins? Of
course all these sad changes are worse for you than for the rest. _We_
will only have to work a little harder, but your life is quite changed;
and, Hamish, it will only be for a little while, till Allister comes
home."
"But, Shenac," said Hamish eagerly, "you are not to think I mind _that_
most; I am not so bad as that. If I were strong--if I were like the
rest--I would like nothing so well as to labour always for my mother and
you all; but I can do little."
"Yes, I know," said Shenac; "but Dan can do that, and so can I But your
work will be different--far higher and nobler than ours. Only you must
not be impatient because you are hindered a little just now. Hamish,
bhodach, what is a year out of a whole lifetime? Never fear, you will
find your true work in time."
"Bhodach" is "old man" in the language in which these children were
speaking. But on Shenac's lips it meant every sweet and tender name;
and, listening to her, Hamish forgot his troubles, or looked beyond
them, and his spirit grew bright and trustful again--peaceful for that
night at least. The shadow fell on him many a time again; but it never
fell so darkly but that the sunshine of his sister's face had power to
chase it away, till, by-and-by, there fell on both the light before
which all shadows for ever and for ever flee away.