“I know not,” replied Walter, as he sat musing with a clouded brow.
“He was not at supper last night,” observed Patrick again; “nay, I know not that I have seen him for these three days bypast.”
“He was not at supper,” said Sir Walter, still absorbed by his own thoughts.
“Murdoch is an idle good-for-nothing,” said the Lady Stradawn, joining in the conversation, from the place where she stood by the side of Sir Allan’s chair. “Though he be mine own son, I will say that for him, that it would be well for him to take a pattern by his elder brothers, and be killing wolves, or doing some such useful work, and not be staying out whole days and nights this way, at weddings and merry-makings, without ever showing us his face. I wish you would give him a good word of your brotherly advice, my dear son Walter.”
“Chut!—tut!” cried old Sir Allan,—“let the boy alone!—aye, aye—let the boy alone. The lad is young.—I was a wild slip myself once in a day—that I was. But old age will creep on—hech sirs!—aye, aye—what days I have seen!—Och, hey!”
“Here, take this, my dear Sir Allan,” said the lady,—“take this, dearest—’tis the last spoonful.”
“Where art thou going, brother?” said Patrick, rising to follow his brother Sir Walter, who had left the table, and was moving towards the door.
“Up the glen to look for a deer,” replied Walter.
“Then have with thee brother,” said Patrick.
Sir Walter would have fain shaken himself free from his brother, for that morning at least; but he felt that he could not do so without a certain appearance of unkindness, which the warm affection that subsisted between them could not allow him to use, or that otherwise, he must have given him an explanation, which he was conscious that he could not have given him, consistently with those designs which he then privately cherished in his bosom. He was therefore compelled silently to assent to his accompanying him. They both accordingly assumed that humble garb, which they usually wore when bent upon the pursuit of the deer,—in which, but for their carriage and bearing, they might easily have been mistaken for the humblest of their party, and, after such preparation, they sallied forth.