en.

"I want you, though you lead this lonely life with me, Aleck," he would
say, frowning heavily the while, "to grow up fairly learned in what is
necessary for a young man's education, so that some day, when I am dead
and gone out of this weary world, you may take your place as a
gentleman--not an ornamental gentleman, whose sole aim is to find out
how he can best amuse himself, but a quiet, straightforward, honourable
gentleman, one whom, if people do not admire because his ways are not
the same as theirs, they will find themselves bound to respect."

These strange fits of what Aleck, perhaps instigated by Jane, their one
servant, called "master's temper," would be followed by weeks of mental
blue sky, when the black clouds rolled away and the sun of a genial
disposition shone out, and the old man seemed as if he could not lavish
enough affection upon his nephew. The result of all this was that the
boy's feelings towards the old man, who had always occupied the position
of father to him as well as preceptor, were a strange mingling of fear
of his harshness, veneration of his learning and power of instructing
him in everything he learned, and love. For there were times when Aleck
would say, gloomily, to himself, "I'm sure uncle thoroughly hates me and
wishes me away," while there were times when he was as happy as the days
were long, and ready to feel certain that the old man loved him as much
as if he were his own child.

"He must," thought the boy, "or he wouldn't have nursed and coddled me
up so when I had that fever and the doctor told Jane that he had done
all he could, and that I should die--go out with the tide next day.
That's what I like in uncle," he mused, "when he isn't out of temper--
he's so clever. Knew ever so much better than the doctor. What did he
say then? `Doctors are all very well, Aleck, but there are times when
the nurse is the better man--that is, when it's a cock nurse and not a
hen. You had a cock nurse, boy, and I pulled you through.'"

But the love was in abeyance on this particular morning at the Den, as
the old man had named his out-of-the-way solitary dwelling, and Aleck
felt that the place was rightly named as he stood ready to face the
savage-looking denizen of the place, who, after staring him down with a
pair of fiercely glowing eyes, suddenly opened upon him with:

"Now, then, sir! So you've been fighting?"

"Yes, uncle," said the boy, meekly.

"Who with?"

"Some of