29
"Be comforted' ho said to Sarah. 1 hope to see you at church on Sunday."
He included both women In his glance, then he hurried away to take his place
at the head of the mourners beside Hamilton.
Sarah stood with the other women at the head of the loanen watching
the funeral procession wind slowly among the fields and vanish in a fold
of the road. But she followed it unseeingiy as she brooded over Sorleyson’s
remarks. And the more she thought on them, so anger and revolt stirred in
her. To her simple mind, the idea of a vast overleaning spirit, ever
present, which with infinite patience followed the coming-in and going-out
of a human being for eighty years, and then, at a pre-ordained time plucked
him from the world, bore me signs of an ultimate responsibility, but now
she suspected, and her anger rose at the thought, that Sorleyson had bent
a fortuitious and tragic occurence to buttress his own beliefs and teachings,
am had in some way robbed the lustre of Andrew’s self-sacrifice.
When the last trap had disappeared Agnes -Simpson went back across the
close. “We’d better be getting redd up, for they’ll be coming back soon,
she said. Martha and Sarah followed her back to the farm.
As they were about to enter the house Martha turned to her daughter and
said in a low voice ”1 was wondering what they’ll dae about us, now the old
man’s gone, did Hmailton say anything?"
“He wants us tae bide on, he says.”
“Well, we could dae that. I don’t doubt but one or t’other of them will
get married soon."
Her daughter turned on her in a blaze of anger. “What makes ye say
that; she cried, striking her hand on the doorpost. “You’re talking daft,
mother!” She strode ahead into the kitchen while Martha gazed after her
in fear and amazement.
