53
Chapter Ten
Encouraged by Agnes’s advice Pentland overcame his doubts and
went back to Rathard a few evenings later. He went determined not to
be irritated by Frank, repeating to himself, as he climbed the loanen,
Agnes's saying about the honey and the sting. But he was perplexed to
find that his cousin’s demeanour had changed. The tolerant scorn had
gone from his voice and he gave Fergus a brief and sullen answer to his
greeting. Fergus was perplexed and yet, at first, a hope rose in him.
Perhaps the issue had been joined between Frank and the girl and the
verdict had gone in his favour, and against his cousin. But nothing in
Sarah’s manner encouraged him in this hope. At every whispered word
from Fergus she glanced fearfully across at rank before she responded.
When the young man asked her to put away her work and com® out, as they
always did on dry evenings, she pleaded that the night air was ran and
cold. Yet she did not seam to be afraid of Echlin. Her eyes were hard
when she looked at him,as if challenging him. Perhaps, thought Pentland,
and the hair bristled on his neck, perhaps he said he would thrash me if
I came back. He leaned back out of the circle of lamplight the better
to see his cousin. He gripped the seat of his chair. In a few seconds
his scalp itched with sweat as if he had been running under the sun, and
his eyes felt as if they were bursting. But Echlin sat brooding over
the fire, only moving his lips when he shot long slivers of spittle
into the flame, or lifted an eyebrow to gaze at the outline of Sarah’s
