"I will wait and see what will happen, and I will trust. Surely nothing
can go wrong when God guides us. At any rate, I shall say nothing to
vex Allister or Shenac; but I wish it was well over."
It was the first visit to Shenac Dhu which, partly from shyness and
partly from some other feeling, she did dread a little; but she need not
have feared it so much. She did not have to put a constraint on herself
to _seem_ glad; for the very first glimpse she caught of Shenac's sweet,
kind face put all her vexed thoughts to flight, and she was really and
truly glad for Allister and for herself too.
She went to her uncle's one night, not at all expecting to see her
cousin; but she had returned sooner than was expected, and when she went
in she found her sitting with her father and Allister. Shenac did not
see her brother, however. She hastily greeted her uncle, and going
straight to her cousin put her arms round her neck and kissed her many
times. Shenac Dhu looked up in surprise.
"I know it now, Cousin Shenac," said Allister's sister; and in a moment
Allister's arms were round them both. It was Angus Dhu's turn to be
surprised now. He had not been so startled since the day that Shenac
Bhan told him her mind down by the creek. The girls escaped, and
Allister explained how matters stood. The old man was pleased, but he
grumbled a little, too, at the thought of losing his last daughter.
"You must make an exchange, Allister, my man. If you could give us your
Shenac--"
Allister laughed. In his heart he thought his sister too good to be
sent there, and he was very glad he had not the matter to decide.
"Shenac, my woman," said the old man as they were going away, "I wonder
at you being so willing to give up the fine new house. I think it is
very good in you."
"I would not--to anybody else," said she, laughing.
"But she's not going to give it up, father," said Shenac Dhu eagerly.
"Well, well, maybe not, if you can keep her."
Shenac still pondered over the question of what would be best for them
all, and wearied herself with it many a time; but she gave none the less
interest to the progress of the house and its belongings. She spun the
wool for the carpet, and bleached the new linen to snowy whiteness, and
made all other preparations just the same as if she were to have the
guiding and governing of the household. She was glad with Allister and
glad with Shenac, and, for herself and the rest, quite content to wait
and see what time would bring to pass.