CHAPTER XV.
"AND PEACE SHALL BE SURER."
A large party were stationed on the lawn at Collaster when Fred rodeup. His sister and Mrs. Mitchell had come to plan a picnic in honourof Yaspard, and the Manse boys were of course "to the fore" on such anoccasion. The Holtum girls, with the Doctor, his wife, and the Viking,were all there. If it had been pre-arranged it could not have beenmanaged better.
"It's like a bit out of a book," Signy said in a whisper, as Arabpranced up to the door, and everybody there struck an attitude(unconsciously) with quite dramatic effect.
Yaspard was the first to speak and act.
"Signy! have you come from Boden on a witch's broomstick? Where didyou find her, Mr. Garson?" he said, as he lifted his little sister fromthe saddle.
"I've come to ransom you, brodhor," said she; and then she was given upto the ladies to be petted and welcomed with the greatest tenderness,while Fred explained; and the appearance of the boat sent Yaspard andthe Mitchell boys racing off to the quay.
It had been arranged that the picnic should consist of an excursion upthe gill (ravine) near the Ha' at Blaesound, and a strawberry tea inthe Ha' garden. Fred and his mother were very anxious to draw Yaspardwithin the circle of their best affections, but they knew they must becareful not to touch Mr. Adiesen's weak points in extending the hand offriendship to his nephew. He would, as likely as not, resent theirwell-meant intentions if they invited the boy to their house, but apicnic under Dr. Holtum's auspices to the neighbourhood of the Ha' wasdifferent.
Any of us who remember the recorded adventures of the Lads of Lunda andthe Yarl of Burra Isle, will know with what perfect successentertainments of the sort were conducted by the Garsons or any oftheir friends. There seldom had been a day more happily spent by thoseyoung folks than _that_ day, and each and all combined to make it aperiod of unclouded bliss to Yaspard and Signy.
They revelled in the society of so many charming girls and fine boys,and thought that life could need nothing more than the pleasure suchcompanionship afforded. How they enjoyed the scramble up the gill, thefun bubbling up constantly, the manner in which the fathers and mothersshared in the children's play; the running and singing and laughter;the dainty meal of cake and chicken and strawberries with rich cream,dispensed--after a very un-English but wholly satisfactory manner--inheaped platefuls! The scent of flowers, the sunshine and universalhilarity, cast a spell over Signy, and she sat on the garden turfeating her strawberries without speaking for some time, but radiantwith happiness.
"Are you dreaming, or composing an ode, little lady?" Fred asked her,after having watched the soft play of her expressive features for someminutes.
"I was--thinking, and I never enjoyed anything so much before;but"--and she looked up wistfully--"I was wishing too that there hadnever been any feud, and that Uncle Brues could see for himself how goodyou all are. _I wish he could!_"
"I hope he will before long. I think, now the ice is broken, that itwill all come right, little one."
I ought to have mentioned before that the Harrison boys had gone withGloy to see his mother, and had been directed to return in their ownboat to Boden before night; so when the Holtums, with their guest andthe Viking, returned to Collaster at dayset, they were just in time tosee James Harrison's boat disappear round the Head of Collaster.
"I am so glad," said Yaspard, "that uncle gave you leave to come and tostay overnight, Mootie."
"I wish she might remain some days," said Mrs. Holtum; but the Doctor,understanding best the kind of man Mr. Adiesen was, remarked, "Thatwill be next time. We must not take more than his lairdship hasconceded. By-and-by we may venture to stretch a point with him."
"What has been settled about the captive Viking?" Harry Mitchell thenasked. "I am sorry to remind you, Yaspard, in such an abrupt manner ofyour precarious position; but we must not forget that we have to makecapital of you."
"I offered him free, gratis, and for nothing to this high and haughtymiss; but she tossed her curls and declined my civility," answered Tom.
"There would be no fun in that," Yaspard said in an aside; and Signyremarked, "Brodhor is worth a great deal to me, and he ought to beworth a lot to his captors. Just put a price on him that I am able topay, and you shall have it."
"Bravo!" shouted the boys in chorus.
"Do you then absolutely refuse my princely offer?" Tom asked her, andthe little girl replied boldly--
"Yes. I'd be ashamed to take him for nothing."
"The lads of Lunda," answered he loftily, "don't make bargains withladies. If you won't take my offer you're 'out of it,' miss! Now, SirViking, let me tell you under what condition I will set you free. Youshall give me your royal word--on the faith of a Viking--that you willgive me your assistance in a deed of high emprise which I have vowed toperform."
"Why, Harry," exclaimed Bill, "you could not have said that in a morebooky way yourself!"
"I haven't got another word of the sort in my vocabulary, so mustreturn to my usual style, gentlemen," said Tom. "The long and theshort of it is, when I was a prisoner at Trullyabister, I discoveredthat I was not the only poor wretch whom the ogre had nabbed. Thereare others----"
"Oh, goloptious!" shouted Yaspard, interrupting Tom without the leastceremony. "You have found out the very thing I meant to tell you. Imeant to ask you fellows to help me."
"Then it would seem," said Dr. Holtum, smiling--for he had had aprivate talk with Tom, and had come to a conclusion of his own--"thatYaspard's 'knightly quest' and Tom's 'deed of high emprise' are one andthe same. You have my approval, boys; only let me warn you to be verywary, for if you do _not_ succeed you will have no support from anyone, and may find yourselves in an awkward fix."
"Doctor!" Harry exclaimed, "did the lads of Lunda ever fail to carryout their schemes, or squirm out of the ugliest fix in creation?"
"I must own," laughed the Doctor, "that collectively you have awonderful faculty for emerging with _eclat_ from every adventure; but Ican't say as much for you individually."
"One for you, Tom," whispered Bill.
"And one for yourself," retorted Tom.
Meantime Signy had crept into Yaspard's arms, and was coaxing him totell her the secret; but he put her off with a promise of telling itwhen they were on the way home. "And, Mootie," he added thoughtfully,"I believe we ought not to stay here very long to-morrow, just thatUncle Brues may see that we aren't anxious to take the greatestadvantage of his permission. Besides, we don't want him to feel thatwe like being away from Boden so awfully much."
She squeezed his hand. She understood him perfectly, and Yaspard,laughing into her upraised eyes, said aloud, "Here is a little girl whowouldn't contradict me for worlds, and is agreed with me in statingthat the _Osprey_ must be on wing to-morrow morning."
But when to-morrow morning came there had been a breeze in the nightwhich had raised the sea a bit, and Dr. Holtum would not permit them toleave until it had subsided, notwithstanding the Viking's declarationthat he never minded such a small thing as that.
"My boat and I go out in rough weather," he declared; "and even Signywould laugh at the idea of calling this a 'rough morning!'"
The Doctor was firm, however, and the morning slipped happily away inthe pleasant companionship of so many new and agreeable friends.
It was arranged that the Lunda boys were to run across to Boden on theevening of the following day, to carry out the mysterious plans of Tomand Yaspard. They were to wait at the geo for Yaspard and his chums,and the mighty deed was to be done at the witching hour of night. Sothey planned, and put aside with unwonted impatience the Doctor'sdeclaration that there was going to be unsettled weather, and that theymust not count upon being able to carry out their scheme in such anexpeditious way.
"I don't know what has come to father," Tom muttered; "he is quitescarey: he proposes that some of us go in the boat with you, Yaspard;or that we escort you in our own boat!"
The Viking's face flushed hotly, fo
r he knew himself to be an expert"seaman," and it was exasperating that anybody should be afraid forhim; but Harry Mitchell soothed his wounded pride by saying, "I expectthe Doctor is thinking of Signy. He is always so careful that girlsshall not be frightened--and she might be, you know, if she saw a bigwave alongside, and no one with her but you."
"Signy wouldn't be afraid if she were left floating in mid-ocean on aplank _with me_," Signy's brother made answer.
So the _Laulie_ did not go farther than the Head of Collaster, but tookthe way to Westervoe when the _Osprey_ set her face to Boden.
There was not much wind, but a long and gentle swell, and the littleboat went dancing over the waves in a manner wholly delightful to thebrother and sister.
"This is delicious, brodhor," said Signy, "and we have had a splendidtime; but it is nice to be going home. Now tell me about your quest."