o have words with.

"I'll train him--I'll train him to hate your very name," said the
Paymaster with an oath.

"I'm obliged for your cake and wine," said the General, still smiling,
"and I wish you all good day." He lifted his hat and bowed and left the
room.

"This is a most unfortunate contretemps," said Brooks, all trembling.
"If I had thought a little whistle, a mere _tibia_ of ash, had power to
precipitate this unlucky and unseemly belligerence I would never have
opened my desk."

The great bell upon the roof of the church swung upon its arms like an
acrobat in petticoats, and loudly pealed the hour of seven. Its hammer
boomed against the brassy gown, the town rang from end to end with the
clamour of the curfew, and its tale of another day gone rumoured up
the glens. Near at hand the air of the playground and of the street
was tossed by the sound into tumultuous waves, so that even in the
schoolroom the ear throbbed to the loud proclamation. Into the avenue
streamed the schools of crows from their wanderings on the braes of
Shira, and the children ceased their shinty play and looked up at the
flying companies, and called a noisy song--

"Crow, crow, fly away home,
Your fires are out and your children gone."

"That's a most haughty up-setting crew, and the queue-haired rover the
worst of the lot!" said the Paymaster, still red and angry. "What I
say's true, Brooks; it's true I tell you! You'll not for your life put
it out of the boy's head when you have the teaching of him; he must hate
the Turners like poison. Mind that now, mind that now!"

And turning quickly on his heels, the Paymaster went out of the
schoolroom.

CHAPTER V--THE BROTHERS

Gilian, meanwhile, sat on a high chair in Miss Mary's room. She gave him
soup till her ladle scraped against the bottom of the tureen; she cut
for him the tenderest portions of the hen; she gave him most generously
of cheese--not the plain skim-milk curd cheese of Ladyfield, the
leavings of the dairy, but the Saturday kebboch as it was called, made
of the overnight and morning's milk, poured cream and all into the
yearning-tub. And as she served him, her tongue went constantly upon
themes of many varieties, but the background of them all, the conclusion
of them all, was the greatness of her brothers. Ah! she was a strange
little woman with the foolish Gaelic notion that an affection bluntly
displayed to its object is an affection discreditable.

"Y