“My father will be up soon, and he will see you almost immediately if you will come into the manse and wait a little while.”
“Yes, I could wait. But he is an old man and it might spare him trouble—afterwards—not to know that I passed this way. Are ye Mr Alex who once took our Willie out of the hole in the moss?”
“Yes; I mind poor Willie well. Poor laddie.”
“Poor laddie ye may well say,” said Allison, and the colour came to her pale face, and her eyes shone as she added eagerly: “You will be in Aberdeen—will you go to see Willie? I canna go to see him because—one might think o’ looking for me there. You are a good man, I have always heard, and he needs some one to speak a kind word to him, and I sore misdoubt that he’s in ill company yonder.”
“I am going to see him soon. My father was speaking about him yesterday. I shall certainly go.”
“And you’ll be kind to him, I’m sure,” said Allison, wistfully. “He is not bad, though that has been said. He is only foolish and not wicked, as they tried to make him out. And ye’ll surely go?”
“That I will. Even if you hadn’t asked me, I would have gone. And, afterwards, if he has a mind to cross the sea, he shall have a fair chance to begin a new life over there. I will be his friend. He shall be like a young brother to me.”
Allison uttered a glad cry and covered her face with her hands.
“I mauna greet. But oh! you have lightened my heavy heart.”
“I only wish you could come with him,” said Mr Hadden sadly. “It would be well for you both.”