"I thought," said Malcolm, assuming his best English, "your
ladyship might not choose to part with an old servant at the will
of a factor, and so took upon me to appeal to your ladyship to
decide the question."
"But how is that? Did you not return to your fishing when the
household was broken up?"
"No, my lady. Mr Crathie kept me to help Stoat, and do odd jobs
about the place."
"And now he wants to discharge you?"
Then Malcolm told her the whole story, in which he gave such
a description of Kelpie, that her owner, as she imagined herself,
expressed a strong wish to see her; for Florimel was almost
passionately fond of horses.
"You may soon do that, my lady," said Malcolm. "Mr Soutar, not
being of the same mind as Mr Crathie, is going to send her up. It
will be but the cost of the passage from Aberdeen, and she will
fetch a better price here if your ladyship should resolve to part
with her. She won't fetch the third of her value anywhere, though,
on account of her bad temper and ugly tricks."
"But as to yourself, MacPhail--where are you going to go?" said
Florimel. "I don't like to send you away, but, if I keep you,
I don't know what to do with you. No doubt you could serve in the
house, but that would not be suitable at all to your education and
previous life.
Pages:
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76