第68章

While they ate and drank， which his lordship did sparingly， not a word was spoken. Donal would have found it embarrassing had he not been prepared for the peculiar. His lordship took no notice of his guest， leaving him to the care of the butler. He looked very white and worn--Donal thought a good deal worse than when he saw him first. His cheeks were more sunken， his hair more gray， and his eyes more weary--with a consuming fire in them that had no longer much fuel and was burning remnants. He stooped over his plate as if to hide the operation of eating， and drank his wine with a trembling hand. Every movement indicated indifference to both his food and his drink.

At length the more solid part of the meal was removed， and they were left alone， fruit upon the table， and two wine-decanters. From one of them the earl helped himself， then passed it to Donal， saying， "You are very good to my little Davie， Mr. Grant！ He is full of your kindness to him. There is nobody like you！"

"A little goes a long way with Davie， my lord，" answered Donal.

"Then much must go a longer way！" said the earl.

There was nothing remarkable in the words， yet he spoke them with the difficulty a man accustomed to speak， and to weigh his words， might find in clothing a new thought to his satisfaction. The effort seemed to have tried him， and he took a sip of wine. This， however， he did after every briefest sentence he uttered： a sip only he took， nothing like a mouthful.

Donal told him that Davie， of all the boys he had known， was far the quickest， and that just because he was morally the most teachable.

"You greatly gratify me， Mr. Grant，" said the earl. "I have long wished such a man as you for Davie. If only I had known you when Forgue was preparing for college！"

"I must have been at that time only at college myself， my lord！"

"True！ true！"

"But for Davie， it is a privilege to teach him！"

"If only it might last a while！" returned the earl. "But of course you have the church in your eye！"

"My lord， I have not."

"What！" cried his lordship almost eagerly； "you intend giving your life to teaching？"

"My lord，" returned Donal， "I never trouble myself about my life.

Why should we burden the mule of the present with the camel-load of the future. I take what comes--what is sent me， that is."

"You are right， Mr. Grant！ If I were in your position， I should think just as you do. But， alas， I have never had any choice！"

"Perhaps your lordship has not chosen to choose！" Donal was on the point of saying， but bethought himself in time not to hazard the remark.

"If I were a rich man， Mr. Grant，" the earl continued， "I would secure your services for a time indefinite； but， as every one knows， not an acre of the property belongs to me， or goes with the title.

Davie， dear boy， will have nothing but a thousand or two. The marriage I have in view for lord Forgue will arrange a future for him."

"I hope there will be some love in the marriage！" said Donal uneasily， with a vague thought of Eppy.

"I had no intention，" returned his lordship with cold politeness， "of troubling you concerning lord Forgue！"

"I beg your pardon， my lord，" said Donal.

"--Davie， poor boy--he is my anxiety！" resumed the earl， in his former condescendingly friendly， half sleepy tone. "What to do with him， I have not yet succeeded in determining. If the church of Scotland were episcopal now， we might put him into that： he would be an honour to it！ But as it has no dignities to confer， it is not the place for one of his birth and social position. A few shabby hundreds a year， and the associations he would necessarily be thrown into！--However honourable the profession in itself！" he added， with a bow to Donal， apparently unable to get it out of his head that he had an embryo-clergyman before him.

"Davie is not quite a man yet，" said Donal； "and by the time he begins to think of a profession， he will， I trust， be fit to make a choice： the boy has a great deal of common sense. If your lordship will pardon me， I cannot help thinking there is no need to trouble about him."

"It is very well for one in your position to think in that way， Mr. Grant！ Men like you are free to choose； you may make your bread as you please. But men in our position are greatly limited in their choice； the paths open to them are few. Tradition oppresses us. We are slaves to the dead and buried. I could well wish I had been born in your humbler but in truth less contracted sphere. Certain r鬺es are not open to you， to be sure； but your life in the open air， following your sheep， and dreaming all things beautiful and grand in the world beyond you， is entrancing. It is the life to make a poet！"

"Or a king！" thought Donal. "But the earl would have made a discontented shepherd！"

The man who is not content where he is， would never have been content somewhere else， though he might have complained less.

"Take another glass of wine， Mr. Grant，" said his lordship， filling his own from the other decanter. "Try this； I believe you will like it better."

"In truth， my lord，" answered Donal， "I have drunk so little wine that I do not know one sort from another."

"You know whisky better， I daresay！ Would you like some now？ Touch the bell behind you."

"No， thank you， my lord； I know as little about whisky： my mother would never let us even taste it， and I have never tasted it."

"A new taste is a gain to the being."

"I suspect， however， a new appetite can only be a loss."

As he said this， Donal， half mechanically， filled a glass from the decanter his host had pushed towards him.

"I should like you， though，" resumed his lordship， after a short pause， "to keep your eyes open to the fact that Davie must do something for himself. You would then be able to let me know by and by what you think him fit for！"