"Well done, Rachel! It proves what Alick always said, that her great
characteristic is candour!"
"I hope she was not knocked up by the long night journey all at one
stretch. Mrs. Curtis was very uneasy about it, but nothing would move
her; she owned that Alick did not expect her, for she had taken care he
should not object, by saying nothing of her intention, but she was sure
he would be ill on Wednesday morning, and then Mrs. Curtis not only gave
in directly, but all we married women turned upon poor Grace for
hinting that Alick might prefer a day's solitary illness to her being
over-tired."
"She was extremely welcome! Alick was quite done for by all he had gone
through; he was miserably ill, and I hardly knew what to do with him,
and he mended from the moment his face lightened up at the sight of
her."
"There's the use of strength of mind! How is Alick?"
"Getting better under M'Vicar and Edinburgh winds. It was hard on him to
have borne the brunt of all the nursing that terrible last week, and in
fact I never knew how much he was going through rather than summon me.
His sauntering manner always conceals how much he is doing, and poor
Keith was so fond of him, and liked his care so much that almost the
whole fell upon him at last. And I believe he said more that was good
for Keith, and brought in Mr. Clare more than perhaps I should ever have
been able to do. So though I must regret having been away, it may have
been the best thing."
"And it was by your brother's earnest wish," said Ermine; "it was not as
if you had stayed away for your own pleasure."
"No! Poor Keith repeatedly said he could not die in peace till he had
secured our having the sole charge of his son. It was a strong instinct
that conquered inveterate prejudice! Did I tell you about the will?"
"You said I should hear particulars when you came."
"The personal guardianship is left to us first, then to Alick and
Rachel, with £300 a year for the expenses. Then we have Auchinvar. The
estate is charged with an equivalent settlement upon Mary, a better
plan, which I durst not propose, but with so long a minority the
estate will bear it. Alick has his sister's fortune back again, and
the Menteith children a few hundreds; but Menteith is rabid about the
guardianship, and would hardly speak to Alick."
"And you?"
"They always keep the peace with me. Isabel even made us a wedding
present--a pair of miniatures of my father and mother, that I am very
glad to rescue, though, as she politely told me, I was welcome to them,
for they were hideously dressed, and she wanted the frames for two sweet
photographs of Garibaldi and the Queen of Naples."