Willy wrenched away his sleeve.
“Go to the devil! You’re drunk!” he said, in a low angry voice.
“Dhrunk is it? Wait a while, and you’ll see if I’m dhrunk,” said Brian, following him as he turned from him, and speaking more threateningly. “Dhrunk or sober, there’ll be work yet before ye’re done with me.”
Willy made no remark on what had taken place as he joined me where I was standing a few paces in advance of him. I did not know what to say, and we walked silently away up the avenue. The noise of the bagpipes died away behind us in the fog, and the moaning rush of the tide, now full in, on the strand, was again the only sound to be heard. We had got into the darkness of the clump of elms, when Willy stopped short.
“I thought I heard some one there in the trees,” he said. “I wonder if that old blackguard——” He did not finish the sentence, and we both listened.
“I don’t hear anything now, whatever,” he said, moving on. But before we had gone more than a few steps, I heard a twig snap.
“There is something there,” I said apprehensively, coming closer to him. He felt for my hand, and put it into his arm.
“Never mind; very likely it’s only a stray jackass; don’t be frightened at all.”
We walked on quickly until we were in the open beyond the little wood, and we were near the house before he spoke again.
“Theo, I think I’ve made the most miserable hash of my life that ever any one did. You needn’t say anything, and you needn’t think that I’m going to say anything that would annoy you anyway; but I just feel that everything’s gone against me, and I may as well chuck it all up.”