Distrust awoke pride in the heart
of Blue Pete; and he erred in the lack of the charity that thinketh
no evil.
But the lack and the doubt made little show as yet. The two men
rowed in the dinghy down the river to the Aberdeen wharf to make
arrangements about Kelpie, whose arrival Malcolm expected the
following Monday, then dined together, and after that had a long
row up the river.
CHAPTER XVII: A DIFFERENCE
Notwithstanding his keenness of judgment and sobriety in action,
Malcolm had yet a certain love for effect, a delight, that is,
in the show of concentrated results, which, as I believe I have
elsewhere remarked, belongs especially to the Celtic nature, and
is one form in which the poetic element vaguely embodies itself.
Hence arose the temptation to try on Blue Peter the effect of a
literally theatrical surprise. He knew well the prejudices of the
greater portion of the Scots people against every possible form of
artistic, most of all, dramatic representation. He knew, therefore,
also, that Peter would never be persuaded to go with him to
the theatre: to invite him would be like asking him to call upon
Beelzebub; but as this feeling was cherished in utter ignorance
of its object, he judged he would be doing him no wrong if he made
experiment how the thing itself would affect the heart and judgment
of the unsophisticated fisherman.
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