Then she hesitated a little.Was it maidenliness in the waning woman of five-and-forty? It was, I believe; for how can a woman always remember how old she is? If ever there was a young soul in God's world, it was Letty Napier.And the young man was tall and stately as a Scandinavian chief, with a look of command, tempered with patient endurance, in his eagle face, for he was more like an eagle than any other creature, and in his countenance signs of suffering.Miss Letty seeing this, was moved, and her heart swelled, and she grew conscious and shy, and turning to Robert, said,'Come up the stair wi' 's, Robert; I may want ye.'
Robert jumped to his feet.His heart too had been yearning towards the stranger.
As if yielding to the inevitable, Ericson rose and followed Miss Letty.But when they had reached the room, and the door was shut behind them, and Miss Letty pointed to a chair beside which stood a little wooden tub full of hot water, saying, 'Sit ye doon there, Mr.
Ericson,' he drew himself up, all but his graciously-bowed head, and said,'Ma'am, I must tell you that I followed the rest in here from the very stupidity of weariness.I have not a shilling in my pocket.'
'God bless me!' said Miss Letty--and God did bless her, I am sure--'we maun see to the feet first.What wad ye du wi' a shillin'
gin ye had it? Wad ye clap ane upo' ilka blister?'
Ericson burst out laughing, and sat down.But still he hesitated.
'Aff wi' yer shune, sir.Duv ye think I can wash yer feet throu ben' leather?' said Miss Letty, not disdaining to advance her fingers to a shoe-tie.
'But I'm ashamed.My stockings are all in holes.'
'Weel, ye s' get a clean pair to put on the morn, an' I'll darn them 'at ye hae on, gin they be worth darnin', afore ye gang--an' what are ye sae camstairie (unmanageable) for? A body wad think ye had a clo'en fit in ilk ane o' thae bits o' shune o' yours.I winna promise to please yer mither wi' my darnin' though.'
'I have no mother to find fault with it,' said Ericson.
'Weel, a sister's waur.'
'I have no sister, either.'
This was too much for Miss Letty.She could keep up the bravado of humour no longer.She fairly burst out crying.In a moment more the shoes and stockings were off, and the blisters in the hot water.
Miss Letty's tears dropped into the tub, and the salt in them did not hurt the feet with which she busied herself, more than was necessary, to hide them.
But no sooner had she recovered herself than she resumed her former tone.
'A shillin'! said ye? An' a' thae greedy gleds (kites) o'
professors to pay, that live upo' the verra blude and banes o'
sair-vroucht students! Hoo cud ye hae a shillin' ower? Troth, it's nae wonner ye haena ane left.An' a' the merchan's there jist leevin' upo' ye! Lord hae a care o' 's! sic bonnie feet!--Wi'
blisters I mean.I never saw sic a sicht o' raw puddin's in my life.Ye're no fit to come doon the stair again.'
All the time she was tenderly washing and bathing the weary feet.
When she had dressed them and tied them up, she took the tub of water and carried it away, but turned at the door.
'Ye'll jist mak up yer min' to bide a twa three days,' she said;'for thae feet cudna bide to be carried, no to say to carry a weicht like you.There's naebody to luik for ye, ye ken.An' ye're no to come doon the nicht.I'll sen' up yer supper.And Robert there 'll bide and keep ye company.'
She vanished; and a moment after, Peggy appeared with a salamander--that is a huge poker, ending not in a point, but a red-hot ace of spades--which she thrust between the bars of the grate, into the heart of a nest of brushwood.Presently a cheerful fire illuminated the room.
Ericson was seated on one chair, with his feet on another, his head sunk on his bosom, and his eyes thinking.There was something about him almost as powerfully attractive to Robert as it had been to Miss Letty.So he sat gazing at him, and longing for a chance of doing something for him.He had reverence already, and some love, but he had never felt at all as he felt towards this man.Nor was it as the Chinese puzzlers called Scotch metaphysicians, might have represented it--a combination of love and reverence.It was the recognition of the eternal brotherhood between him and one nobler than himself--hence a lovely eager worship.
Seeing Ericson look about him as if he wanted something, Robert started to his feet.
'Is there onything ye want, Mr.Ericson?' he said, with service standing in his eyes.