THE WIZARD'S SON
A Novel
BY MRS. OLIPHANT
AUTHOR OF "THE CURATE IN CHARGE," "YOUNG MUSGRAVE," ETC.
IN THREE VOLUMES
VOL. II.
London
MACMILLAN AND CO.
1884
[The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved]
LONDON:
R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
BREAD STREET HILL.
THE WIZARD'S SON.
CHAPTER I.
When Walter seated himself beside Oona in the boat, and Hamish pushedoff from the beach, there fell upon both these young people a sensationof quiet and relief for which one of them at least found it verydifficult to account. It had turned out a very still afternoon. Theheavy rains were over, the clouds broken up and dispersing, with a sortof sullen stillness, like a defeated army making off in dull haste, yetnot without a stand here and there, behind the mountains. The loch wasdark and still, all hushed after the sweeping blasts of rain, but blackwith the reflections of gloom from the sky. There was a sense of safety,of sudden quiet, of escape, in that sensation of pushing off, away fromall passion and agitation upon this still sea of calm. Why Oona, whofeared no one, who had no painful thoughts or associations to flee from,should have felt this she could not tell. The sense of interest in, andanxiety for, the young man by her side was altogether different. Thatwas sympathetic and definable; but the sensation of relief was somethingmore. She looked at him with a smile and sigh of ease as she gatheredthe strings of the rudder into her hands.
"I feel," she said, "as if I were running away, and had got safe out ofreach; though there is nobody pursuing me that I know of," she added,with a faint laugh of satisfaction.
The wind blew the end of the white wrapper round her throat towards hercompanion, and he caught it as she had caught the rudder ropes.
"It is I that am pursued," he said, "and have escaped. I have a feelingthat I am safe here. The kind water, and the daylight, and you—but howshould you feel it? It must have gone from my mind to yours."
"The water does not look so very kind," said Oona, "except that itseparates us from the annoyances that are on land—when there areannoyances."
She had never known any that were more than the troubles of a childbefore.
"There is this that makes it kind. If you were driven beyond bearing, aplunge down there and all would be over——"
"Lord Erradeen!"
"Oh, I don't mean to try. I have no thought of trying; but look howpeaceful, how deep, all liquid blackness! It might go down to themystic centre of the earth for anything one knows."
He leant over a little, looking down into those depths profound whichwere so still that the boat seemed to cut through a surface which hadsolidity; and in doing this put the boat out of trim, and elicited agrowl from Hamish.
It seemed to Oona, too, as if there was something seductive in thatprofound liquid depth, concealing all that sought refuge there. She putout her hand and grasped his arm in the thrill of this thought.
"Oh, don't look down," she said. "I have heard of people being caught,in spite of themselves, by some charm in it." The movement was quiteinvoluntary and simple; but, on second thoughts, Oona drew away herhand, and blushed a little. "Besides, you put the boat out of trim," shesaid.
"If I should ever be in deadly danger," said Walter, with theseriousness which had been in his face all along, "will you put out yourhand like tha