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053 - Another Expulsion · Whats Mines Mine

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  Speaker 1: Volume three, chapter nineteen of What's Mine's Mind by George
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  Speaker 1: mac Donald. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Another expulsion. Mister Peregrine Palmer brooded more and more upon
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  Speaker 1: what he counted the contempt of the Chief. It became
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  Speaker 1: in him almost a fixed idea. It had already sent
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  Speaker 1: out several succors, and had, amongst others, developed the notion
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  Speaker 1: that he was despised by those from whom first of
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  Speaker 1: all he looked for the appreciation after which his soul
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  Speaker 1: thirsted his own family. He grew therefore yet more moody,
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  Speaker 1: and his moodiness and distrust developed suspicion. It is scarce
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  Speaker 1: credible what a crushing influence the judgment he pretended to
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  Speaker 1: scorn thus exercised upon him. It was not that he
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  Speaker 1: acknowledged in it the smallest justice. Neither was it that
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  Speaker 1: he cared altogether for what such a fanatical fool as
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  Speaker 1: the Chief might think. But he reflected that if one
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  Speaker 1: could so despise his money because of its source, there
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  Speaker 1: might be others, might be many who did so. At
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  Speaker 1: the same time, had he been sure of the approbation
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  Speaker 1: of all the world beside, it would have troubled him
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  Speaker 1: not a little in his thirst. After recognition that any gentleman,
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  Speaker 1: one of family, especially however old fashioned and absurd he
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  Speaker 1: might be, should look down upon him. His smoldering causelessly
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  Speaker 1: excited anger, His evident struggle to throw off an oppression,
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  Speaker 1: and the fierce resentment of the Chief's judgment which he
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  Speaker 1: would now and then betray, revealed how closely the offense
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  Speaker 1: clung to his consciousness, flattering himself from her calmness that
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  Speaker 1: Mercy had got over her foolish liking for the bore
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  Speaker 1: as he would not unfrequently style the Chief. He had
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  Speaker 1: listened to the prayers of her mother and submitted to
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  Speaker 1: her company at the dinner table, but he continued to
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  Speaker 1: treat her as one who had committed a shameful fault
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  Speaker 1: that evening the great little Man could hardly eat for
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  Speaker 1: recurrent wrathful memories of the interview of the morning. Perhaps
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  Speaker 1: his most painful reflection was that he had not been
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  Speaker 1: quick enough to embrace the opportunity of annihilating his enemy.
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  Speaker 1: Thunder lowered portentous in his black brows, and not until
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  Speaker 1: he had drunk several glasses of wine did a word
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  Speaker 1: come from his lips. His presence was purgatory without the
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  Speaker 1: purifying element. What do you think that fellow has been
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  Speaker 1: here about this morning? He said? At length? What fellow
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  Speaker 1: asked his wife unnecessarily, for she knew what visitor had
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  Speaker 1: been shown into the study, The Highland fellow, he answered,
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  Speaker 1: that claims to do what he pleases on my property.
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  Speaker 1: Mercy's face grew hot. Came actually to offer me the
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  Speaker 1: refusal of his land. The merest trick to get into
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  Speaker 1: the house confound him as much, as told me. If
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  Speaker 1: I did not buy it off hand, I should not
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  Speaker 1: have the chance again. The cheek of the brute to
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  Speaker 1: dare show his face in my house after trifling with
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  Speaker 1: my daughter's affections on the pretense that he could not
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  Speaker 1: marry a girl whose father was in trade. Mercy felt
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  Speaker 1: she would be false to the man she loved and
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  Speaker 1: whom she knew to be true if she did not speak.
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  Speaker 1: She had no thought of defending him, but simply of
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  Speaker 1: witnessing to him. I beg your pardon, Papa, she said,
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  Speaker 1: But the mac crude never trifled with me. He loves
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  Speaker 1: me and has not given me up. If he told
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  Speaker 1: you he was going to part with his land, he
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  Speaker 1: is going to part with it, and came to you
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  Speaker 1: first because he must return good for evil. I saw
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  Speaker 1: him from my window ride off as if he were
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  Speaker 1: going to meet the afternoon coach. She would not have
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  Speaker 1: been allowed to say so much had not her father
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  Speaker 1: been speechless with rage. This was more than he or
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  Speaker 1: any man could bear. He rose from the table, his
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  Speaker 1: eyes blazing. Return me good for evil, he exclaimed, A
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  Speaker 1: beast who has done me more wrong than ever I
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  Speaker 1: did in all my life, A scoundrel bumpkin who loses
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  Speaker 1: not an opportunity of insulting me, as never man was
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  Speaker 1: insulted before. You are an insolent, heartless, depraved girl, ready
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  Speaker 1: to sacrifice yourself, body and soul to a man who
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  Speaker 1: despises you and yours with the pride of a savage. You, hussy,
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  Speaker 1: I can scarce keep my hands off you. He came
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  Speaker 1: toward her with a threatful stride. She rose, pushed back
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  Speaker 1: her chair, and stood facing him. Strike me, she said,
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  Speaker 1: with a choking voice, if you will, Papa, But Mamma
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  Speaker 1: knows I am not what you call me. I should
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  Speaker 1: be false and cowardly if I did not speak the
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  Speaker 1: truth for the man to whom I owe, she was
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  Speaker 1: going to say, more than to any other human being,
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  Speaker 1: but she checked herself. If the beggar is your God,
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  Speaker 1: said her father, and struck her on the cheek with
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  Speaker 1: his open hand, you can go to him. He took
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  Speaker 1: her by the arm and pushed her before him out
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  Speaker 1: of the room and across the hall, then, opening the door,
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  Speaker 1: shoved her from him into the garden and flung the
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  Speaker 1: door too behind her. The rain was falling in torrents.
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  Speaker 1: The night was very dark, and when the door shut,
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  Speaker 1: she felt as if she had lost her eyesight. It
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  Speaker 1: was terrible, but thank god, she was free without a
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  Speaker 1: moment's hesitation. While her mother wept and pleaded, Christina stood,
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  Speaker 1: burning with indignation. The two little ones sat white with
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  Speaker 1: open mouths, and the servants hurried about, scared but trying
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  Speaker 1: to look as if nothing had happened. Mercy fled into
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  Speaker 1: the dark. She stumbled into the shrubbery several times, but
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  Speaker 1: at last reached the gate, and while they imagined her
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  Speaker 1: standing before the house waiting to be let in, was
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  Speaker 1: running from it, as if from the jaws of the pit,
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  Speaker 1: in terror of a voice calling her back. The pouring
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  Speaker 1: rain was sweet to her, whole indignant person, and especially
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  Speaker 1: to the cheek where burned the brand of her father's blow.
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  Speaker 1: The way was deep in mud, and she slipped and
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  Speaker 1: fell more than once as she ran. Missus mc crue
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  Speaker 1: was sitting in the little parlor, no one but Nancy
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  Speaker 1: in the house when the door opened and in came
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  Speaker 1: the wild looking girl, draggled and spent and dropped, kneeling
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  Speaker 1: at her feet. Great masses of long black hair hung
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  Speaker 1: dripping with rain about her shoulders. Her dress was torn
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  Speaker 1: and wet and soiled with clay from the road and
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  Speaker 1: earth from the shrubbery. One cheek was white and the
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  Speaker 1: other had a red patch on it. My poor child,
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  Speaker 1: cried the mother. What has happened? Alistair is away? I
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  Speaker 1: know that panted Mercy. I saw him go, but I
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  Speaker 1: thought you would take me in, though you do not
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  Speaker 1: like me much, not like you, my child echoed the
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  Speaker 1: mother tenderly. I love you. Are you not my Allister's choice?
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  Speaker 1: There are things I could have wished otherwise, But well
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  Speaker 1: could I wish them otherwise? Too interposed, Mercy, I do
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  Speaker 1: not wish another father, and I am not quite able to.
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  Speaker 1: She hadn't struck me and put me out into the
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  Speaker 1: darkened rain, but struck you and put you out, my child?
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  Speaker 1: What did he do it for? Perhaps I deserved it.
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  Speaker 1: It is difficult to know how to behave to a father.
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  Speaker 1: A father is supposed to be one whom you not
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  Speaker 1: only love as I do mine, but of whom you
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  Speaker 1: can be proud as well. I can't be proud of mine,
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  Speaker 1: and don't know quite how to behave to him. Perhaps
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  Speaker 1: I ought to have held my peace, but when he
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  Speaker 1: said things that were not not correct about Alister, misinterpreting
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  Speaker 1: him altogether, I felt it cowardly and false to hold
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  Speaker 1: my tongue, so I said, I did not believe that
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  Speaker 1: was what Alister meant. It is but a quarter of
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  Speaker 1: an hour ago, and it looks a fortnight. I don't
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  Speaker 1: think I quite know what I am saying. She ceased,
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  Speaker 1: laid her head on Missus mcgrud's knee, then sank to
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  Speaker 1: the floor and lay motionless. All the compassion of the woman,
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  Speaker 1: all the protective pride of the chieftainess, woke in the mother.
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  Speaker 1: She raised the girl in her arms and vowed that
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  Speaker 1: not one of her house should set eyes on her
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  Speaker 1: again without the consent of her son. He should see
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  Speaker 1: how his mother cared for what was his, How wide
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  Speaker 1: her arms, how big her heart to take in what
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  Speaker 1: he loved. Dear to him, the daughter of the man
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  Speaker 1: she despised, should be as the apple of her eye.
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  Speaker 1: They would, of course repent and want her back, but
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  Speaker 1: they should not have her. Neither should a sound of
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  Speaker 1: threat or demand reach the darling's ears. She should be
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  Speaker 1: in peace until Allister came to determine her future. There
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  Speaker 1: was the mark of the wicked hand on the sweet,
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  Speaker 1: sallow cheek. She was not beautiful, but she would love
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  Speaker 1: her the more to make up. Thank God, they had
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  Speaker 1: turned her out, and that made her free of them.
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  Speaker 1: They should not have her again. Allister should have her,
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  Speaker 1: and from the hand of his mother she got her
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  Speaker 1: to bed and sent for a rob of the angels
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  Speaker 1: with injunctions to silence. She told him to fetch his
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  Speaker 1: father and be ready as soon as possible to drive
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  Speaker 1: a cart to the chief's cave. There to make everything
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  Speaker 1: comfortable for herself and miss Mercy palmer Mercy slept well,
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  Speaker 1: and as the day was breaking, Missus mc cruid woke
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  Speaker 1: her and helped her to dress. Then they walked together
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  Speaker 1: through the lovely spring morning to the turn of the
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  Speaker 1: valley road, where a cart was waiting them, half filled
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  Speaker 1: with oat straw. They got in and were born up
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  Speaker 1: and up at a walking pace to the spot. Mercy
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  Speaker 1: knew so well, never by swiftest coach had she enjoyed
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  Speaker 1: a journey so much as that slow crawl of the mountains.
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  Speaker 1: In the rough, springless cart of her plow and lover.
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  Speaker 1: She felt so protected, so happy, so hopeful. Allister's mother
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  Speaker 1: was indeed a hiding place from the wind, a covert
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  Speaker 1: from the tempest. Having consented to be her mother, she
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  Speaker 1: could mother her no way but entirely an outcast. For
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  Speaker 1: the sake of her Allister, she should have the warmest
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  Speaker 1: corner of her heart next to him. And ian Into
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  Speaker 1: the tomb they went and found everything strangely comfortable, the
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  Speaker 1: stone floor covered with warm and wooly skins of black
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  Speaker 1: faced sheep, a great fire glowing, plenty of provisions hung
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  Speaker 1: and stored, and the death keen eyed father with the
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  Speaker 1: swift keen eared son for attendants. You will not mind
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  Speaker 1: sharing your bed with me, will you, my child, said
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  Speaker 1: missus mc crud. Our accommodation is scanty, but we shall
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  Speaker 1: be safe from intrusion only those two faithful men know
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  Speaker 1: where we are. Mother will be terribly frightened, said Mercy.
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  Speaker 1: I thought of that, and left a note with Nancy,
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  Speaker 1: telling her you were safe and well, but giving no
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  Speaker 1: hint of wear. I said that her dove had flown
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  Speaker 1: to my bosom for shelter, and there she should have it.
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  Speaker 1: Mercy answered with a passionate embrace. End of Volume three,
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  Speaker 1: chapter nineteen. Recording by Hannah Mary