Morning Tide by Neil M. Gunn

Author:Neil M. Gunn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780285640047
Publisher: Profile
Published: 2011-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

V

An hour later, Alan and Hugh left their home under a half moon. It was a calm night with a touch of chill. Alan did not speak to Hugh, who now and then looked sideways at the uplifted face against the sky. The darkness of that face was like the discomfort in their minds.

For their mother had offered no objection to their going. They had somehow thought that father or mother would have objected strongly to Hugh’s being included in such a dangerous expedition. The father had merely turned away, as if it were no affair of his. And all the mother had said was:

“Are you really going, Alan?”

It wasn’t an appeal. Oh, it was nothing. It was only her face, which had looked at him for a moment with its white light. The tone had been quiet. He had turned away saying that Tom Macrae and David o’ Sandy’s were going too, and that it was all arranged. His voice had somehow begun to mutter harshly and trail off.

Spending his last night away from the old home, leaving his father and mother alone, with folk dropping in to say good-bye—and him not there! It was partly to avoid the embarrassment of leave-takings that in a moment of exuberance they had arranged the outing.

But Alan saw now exactly what it meant, and his heart was heavy in him and tormented, and his mind was dark. Hugh understood this. They walked all the way to the birch wood in silence, their steps thudding on the empty night.

“If I hadn’t promised to meet the boys in Hector the Roadman’s, we might have hung about for another hour or two,” said Alan.

“Yes,” said Hugh.

They went on as before.

“Dash it, I’m vexed about it!” Alan’s voice was thick.

Hugh said nothing. Alan’s head seemed lifted higher than ever against the night.

Suddenly he broke into a torrent of talk. What was the good of hanging about the house? Nothing to do, nothing to say. Old Alexina coming in to mourn over his departure. What was the use of that? Damn the thing. Honestly, it would make a fellow swear. So it would. Honestly. His voice grew angry and harsh and sarcastic, and suddenly ceased.

They went on again in silence until they approached the county road, where they avoided two lots of people by slipping over a bank.

Soon they were on the footpath that ran into the glen. They went carefully, treading the grassy verge and keeping eyes and ears open. Where a side path went up on the right to Hector the Roadman’s cottage, Alan paused.

“Look here,” he whispered, “if there’s any way of getting out of this, we’ll go back home. What do you say?”

“Yes.”

“You see—it’s hardly right. I mean—”

“I know,” helped Hugh. Suddenly he touched Alan on the arm.

They both listened.

“That will be Tom and Davie. Let us squat and give them a fright!” whispered Alan out of his tormented mood.

The moon was rising at their backs. They would see at once who it was when the footsteps came round the bend a score of yards away.

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