“I am very sorry,” said Donal, with a pang: he had thought things were going right with her. “What is the matter?”
“It’s no sae easy to say!” returned the grandmother. “It may weel be only a fancy o’ the auld fowk, but it seems to baith o’ ’s she has a w’y wi’ her ’at disna come o’ the richt. She’ll be that meek as gien she thoucht naething at a’ o’ hersel’, an’ the next moment be angert at a word. She canna bide a syllable said ’at ’s no correc’ to the verra hair. It’s as gien she dreidit waur ’ahint it, an’ wud mairch straucht to the defence. I’m no makin’ my meanin’ that clear, I doobt; but ye’ll ken ’t for a’ that!”
“I think I do,” said Donal. “—I see nothing of her.”
“I wudna mak a won’er o’ that, sir! She may weel haud oot o’ your gait, feelin’ rebukit afore ane ’at kens a’ aboot her gaein’s on wi’ my lord!”
“I don’t know how I should see her, though!” returned Donal.
“Didna she sweep oot the schoolroom first whan ye gaed, sir?”
“When I think of it—yes.”
“Does she still that same?”
“I do not know. Understanding at what hour in the morning the room will be ready for me, I do not go to it sooner.”
“It’s but the luik, an’ the general cairriage o’ the lassie!” said the old woman. “Gien we had onything to tak a haud o’, we wad maybe think the less. True, she was aye some—what ye micht ca’ a bit cheengeable in her w’ys; but she was aye, whan she had the chance, unco willin’ to gie her faither there or mysel’ a spark o’ glaidness like. It pleased her to be pleasin’ i’ the eyes o’ the auld fowk, though they war but her ain. But noo we maunna say a word til her. We hae nae business to luik til her for naething! No ’at she’s aye like that; but it comes sae aft ’at at last we daur hardly open oor moo’s for the fear o’ hoo she’ll tak it. Only a’ the time it’s mair as gien she was flingin’ something frae her, something she didna like an’ wud fain be rid o’, than ’at she cared sae verra muckle aboot onything we said no til her min’. She taks a haud o’ the words, no doobt! but I canna help thinkin’ ’at ’maist whatever we said, it wud be the same. Something to compleen o’ ’s never wantin’ whan ye’re ill-pleast a’ready!”