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- Джон Бакен
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- Стр. 164/195
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As
March
drew
to
its
close
the
wheels
of
life
began
once
again
to
run
creakingly
in
Woodilee
.
The
frost
disappeared
under
a
week
of
southwesterly
gales
,
and
then
the
wind
moved
to
the
east
and
blew
dry
and
blighting
,
so
that
the
lean
beasts
shivered
in
the
infields
.
The
gross
unseasonable
herbage
of
the
winter
had
gone
,
and
it
promised
to
be
a
backward
spring
.
The
men
went
out
feebly
to
the
farm
-
work
,
and
the
ploughing
began
,
though
the
draught
-
oxen
were
so
poor
in
condition
that
the
work
moved
slowly
.
The
siege
,
too
,
was
raised
.
Johnnie
Dow
once
again
showed
his
cautious
face
in
the
clachan
and
brought
news
of
the
outer
world
;
the
pack
-
horses
again
struggled
through
Carnwath
Moss
;
and
there
came
word
from
Kirk
Aller
that
the
meeting
of
the
Presbytery
to
adjudicate
on
David
’
s
case
was
fixed
for
a
day
in
April
.
Mr
.
James
rode
over
from
Cauldshaw
and
the
kirk
was
opened
,
but
David
did
not
renew
his
preachings
at
the
kirkyard
gate
.
The
truth
is
that
he
was
weary
to
the
bone
.
Mark
Riddel
met
him
one
morning
on
the
road
and
drew
rein
sharply
at
the
sight
of
his
face
.
"
Man
David
,
you
’
re
like
a
ghost
.
You
’
ve
worked
your
body
ower
sore
these
last
months
,
and
if
you
dinna
take
care
you
’
ll
be
on
your
back
.
You
and
Katrine
are
two
inconsiderate
bairns
.
You
’
ve
both
of
you
done
the
work
of
ten
men
,
and
you
’
ll
no
listen
to
wiser
folk
.
Take
my
advice
and
get
furth
of
this
woeful
parish
till
your
body
is
rested
and
your
mind
quieter
.
"
"
I
am
summoned
to
my
trial
at
Kirk
Aller
in
a
week
’
s
time
.
"
"
And
that
’
s
the
crown
of
it
!
That
’
s
what
you
get
for
wearing
yourself
to
skin
and
bone
for
a
thankless
folk
.
There
are
times
when
I
scunner
at
my
native
land
.
There
’
s
a
rumour
that
Montrose
has
escaped
abroad
and
is
now
at
the
Emperor
’
s
court
,
and
if
it
werena
for
you
and
Katrine
I
could
find
it
in
me
to
join
him
.
There
’
s
a
blight
on
the
country
which
affects
even
a
brisk
heart
like
mine
,
and
I
’
m
getting
mortal
sick
of
the
eternal
crack
of
nowt
and
wedders
.
"
But
though
Mark
came
to
the
manse
every
evening
and
would
have
nursed
him
like
a
mother
,
David
could
not
relax
the
tension
of
body
and
spirit
.
He
slept
badly
,
and
in
spite
of
Isobel
’
s
coaxing
ate
little
;
his
nights
were
filled
with
wild
dreams
,
and
,
worse
,
these
dreams
seemed
to
pursue
him
in
his
waking
hours
.
He
felt
no
special
ailment
of
body
to
which
he
could
attribute
his
distress
,
beyond
an
extreme
fatigue
.
He
would
take
long
walks
by
day
and
night
,
but
though
he
returned
from
them
very
stiff
and
weary
,
they
did
not
bring
him
healthful
sleep
.
He
tried
to
master
himself
,
to
laugh
at
himself
,
but
the
malaise
would
not
be
expelled
.
.
.
.
He
was
the
prey
of
childish
fears
,
looking
nervously
for
something
malign
to
come
out
of
the
dark
or
round
the
corner
.
And
presently
the
barriers
of
the
real
seemed
to
crumble
.
He
saw
faces
where
there
were
none
,
he
listened
to
voices
in
the
deepest
silence
.
Once
,
coming
at
night
up
the
manse
loan
,
he
heard
footsteps
on
the
dry
earth
approaching
him
.
They
grew
louder
,
passed
and
died
away
behind
him
,
and
he
realized
that
the
footsteps
were
his
own
.
A
word
of
Chasehope
’
s
stuck
evilly
in
his
memory
.
The
Lord
had
demanded
a
sacrifice
,
but
the
sacrifice
was
not
yet
complete
,
the
man
had
said
.
The
word
tortured
him
and
he
could
get
no
relief
from
thinking
,
for
the
thing
was
beyond
thought
.
An
oppression
of
coming
disaster
weighed
on
him
.
He
told
himself
that
his
enemy
had
meant
no
more
than
the
Presbytery
trial
,
but
he
could
not
lay
the
ghost
.
Something
darker
,
more
terrible
,
hung
on
the
skirts
of
his
imagination
.
Chasehope
was
no
doubt
mad
,
but
truth
might
lurk
in
madness
;
a
maniac
saw
that
which
was
hidden
from
others
.
It
was
for
Katrine
that
he
feared
,
and
what
he
feared
he
could
not
give
a
shape
to
-
-
there
lay
the
agony
of
it
.
Presently
his
old
dread
of
the
Wood
returned
-
-
that
dread
which
he
thought
he
had
exorcised
for
ever
.
He
had
defied
it
,
but
what
if
it
should
prove
too
strong
for
him
?
In
his
distraught
thoughts
the
pestilence
seemed
to
have
come
out
of
it
-
-
Chasehope
had
moved
unscathed
through
the
weeks
of
plague
-
-
Chasehope
and
the
devils
he
served
were
the
plague
’
s
masters
.
Was
there
some
other
terror
still
in
its
depths
waiting
to
be
loosed
on
him
?
He
had
moments
of
clear
-
sightedness
,
when
he
despised
himself
for
his
folly
,
and
realized
that
to
be
thus
faint
of
heart
was
to
acknowledge
defeat
and
to
abase
himself
before
his
enemy
.
But
the
conviction
returned
,
stronger
than
will
or
reason
,
and
David
would
walk
the
hill
with
clenched
hands
and
muttering
lips
,
or
in
his
closet
struggle
in
blind
prayer
for
a
comfort
that
would
not
come
.
