The captain shortly related the circumstance of Miss Carlaw’s visit to David Willis’s house, and, almost before the words were out of his mouth, his hearer had turned sharply and set off at a run, with a beaming face; his dejection was gone, and it was only when he neared the house that he recollected the necessity for a dignified bearing, and moderated his pace. As he turned into the garden, he strolled quite easily and casually up the garden path and tapped at the door.
His sister heard him, and asked Comethup who it was. The boy, who had glanced out of the window, told her. She began to laugh again, but straightened her face as her brother entered the room.
That brother, who had been admitted by the little servant, advanced toward Comethup as though to speak to him; saw the great figure in the chair, rocking itself over the head of its stick, and started back in astonishment. “My dear sister,” he exclaimed, “I never expected to find you here. I do assure you I——”
“Don’t tell lies,” she exclaimed.
“My dear Charlotte, I have been hunting everywhere for you.”
“Well, I know that,” she returned. “And you’ve just met Captain What’s-his-name, and he told you where I was. Why the devil can’t you tell the truth for once, Bob?”
“My dear sister, I do assure you——” he began; but she fiercely interrupted him.
“There, save your breath. What do you want with me?”
“My dear girl——”
“Don’t talk like a fool; I’m not a girl, nor a child—as you’ve found before to-day. When the Lord sent me into the world without eyes, the devil gave me some of his wits, to redress his Master’s unfairness; you’ve found that out before to-day, Bob. Let us understand each other. I simply wrote and told you I was coming down here, because if you’d met me unexpectedly in the street it might have been too much for your nerves. But I don’t think we have anything to say to each other; I don’t like you, and you don’t like me; we fought like Kilkenny cats when we were youngsters, and you generally got the worst of it, although I couldn’t see where I was hitting. Now we have to behave like decent members of society, and we can’t pummel each other, but I generally manage to get the best of it still. What do you want?”