a sob.
‘Oh, Janet, my lassie.’ Fingal drew her tenderly into his arms and she clung to him, sobbing against his father’s dusty waistcoat which he had donned to help Donald in the stables. Anger flared in Fingal’s young heart.
‘I have heard of dominies who like to use the cane too freely. Some of the fellows at university tell tales of cruelty – but to beat you, a girl? And so cruelly….’
‘He – he’s horrid. I hate him. Mama says we are never going back.’
‘I see … I’m glad you are not returning to the house of such a man, but—’
‘Fingal?’ Donald Baird’s voice came from the stable below. ‘Is the wee maid all right? Have you wakened her?’
‘Yes. We’re coming down. Can you help her, Donald? She has been badly beaten.’
‘Beaten?’ Donald reached up two muscular arms and lowered Janet gently to the floor of the stable. He watched her move her stiff limbs and try to flex her shoulders. ‘Beaten?’ he repeated. ‘Who has done such a thing, lassie?’
‘The dominie,’ Fingal told his brother-in-law grimly.
‘So it’s true! Angus and Beth say he takes pleasure in using thecane. We thought they must deserve it. They told us he caned Miss Janet every day. We did not believe them.’
‘It’s true,’ whispered Janet. ‘And I tried so hard.’
‘I’m sure you did my lamb,’ Donald’s voice was gruff. ‘No wonder our two bairns say they will walk to school through the snow rather than stay in the dominie’s house.’
‘You only have to look at Janet. See her face. She was not even in school. She had been obeying her mother’s instructions to go on an errand.’
‘The letter!’ Janet gasped in dismay. ‘I forgot to give Mama the reply from Mr Cole.’ She pulled a thick white envelope from her pinafore pocket.
‘Your mother is with Peggy, lassie. You take her up to the cottage, Fingal. We’ll be getting on with the horses.’
‘How is Andrew?’ Janet asked as they walked side by side.
‘He has the cough still, but he is working hard at his studies. Most of the students believe he will get the trophy for the best mathematics student next year. He works so hard….’ He hesitated, then added, ‘Sometimes Janet, I fear for his health. I believe he would forget to eat if I did not insist.’
‘You are a good friend to him.’ Janet stopped and seized his hand. ‘We are grateful to you, Fingal.’
‘I hope I shall always be a good friend, to both of you, Janet. You are as dear to me as my own family. You will promise to tell me if ever you are in trouble? If ever you need my help? If only I could take care of you. One day….’ He broke off and bit his lip. ‘I hate to think of the dominie caning you so,’ he said vehemently. ‘I would like to – to….’
‘No one can help with that. He – he takes pleasure in caning all of us. B-but he seemed to have a grudge against me.’
‘I would like to give him a caning….’
Janet looked up at him and he caught a glimpse of her old, impish smile.
‘I wish you could. You are certainly as big as he is now. I think you could cane him very well. Has Andrew grown as tall as you?’
‘No. He is very thin…. I do worry about him, Janet, but I don’t like to trouble your Mama, especially now when she has moretrouble than ever.’ He pushed the door of his sister’s cottage open for her to enter.
Mary and Peggy broke off their conversation.
‘Come in, lassie, and have some porridge,’ Peggy greeted Janet warmly. ‘Oh, my bairn! What has that monster done to you? Your poor face….’ Peggy turned Janet’s face to the light, and then examined her scarred hands, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘You could never have deserved such caning! You were never a bad wee bairn.’ Janet did not answer. There was nothing to say and she was ravenous for the plate of steaming porridge Peggy set before her with a bowl of cream.
‘Now, you two,’ Peggy turned to Angus and Beth, ‘it is time you were on
‘Oh, Janet, my lassie.’ Fingal drew her tenderly into his arms and she clung to him, sobbing against his father’s dusty waistcoat which he had donned to help Donald in the stables. Anger flared in Fingal’s young heart.
‘I have heard of dominies who like to use the cane too freely. Some of the fellows at university tell tales of cruelty – but to beat you, a girl? And so cruelly….’
‘He – he’s horrid. I hate him. Mama says we are never going back.’
‘I see … I’m glad you are not returning to the house of such a man, but—’
‘Fingal?’ Donald Baird’s voice came from the stable below. ‘Is the wee maid all right? Have you wakened her?’
‘Yes. We’re coming down. Can you help her, Donald? She has been badly beaten.’
‘Beaten?’ Donald reached up two muscular arms and lowered Janet gently to the floor of the stable. He watched her move her stiff limbs and try to flex her shoulders. ‘Beaten?’ he repeated. ‘Who has done such a thing, lassie?’
‘The dominie,’ Fingal told his brother-in-law grimly.
‘So it’s true! Angus and Beth say he takes pleasure in using thecane. We thought they must deserve it. They told us he caned Miss Janet every day. We did not believe them.’
‘It’s true,’ whispered Janet. ‘And I tried so hard.’
‘I’m sure you did my lamb,’ Donald’s voice was gruff. ‘No wonder our two bairns say they will walk to school through the snow rather than stay in the dominie’s house.’
‘You only have to look at Janet. See her face. She was not even in school. She had been obeying her mother’s instructions to go on an errand.’
‘The letter!’ Janet gasped in dismay. ‘I forgot to give Mama the reply from Mr Cole.’ She pulled a thick white envelope from her pinafore pocket.
‘Your mother is with Peggy, lassie. You take her up to the cottage, Fingal. We’ll be getting on with the horses.’
‘How is Andrew?’ Janet asked as they walked side by side.
‘He has the cough still, but he is working hard at his studies. Most of the students believe he will get the trophy for the best mathematics student next year. He works so hard….’ He hesitated, then added, ‘Sometimes Janet, I fear for his health. I believe he would forget to eat if I did not insist.’
‘You are a good friend to him.’ Janet stopped and seized his hand. ‘We are grateful to you, Fingal.’
‘I hope I shall always be a good friend, to both of you, Janet. You are as dear to me as my own family. You will promise to tell me if ever you are in trouble? If ever you need my help? If only I could take care of you. One day….’ He broke off and bit his lip. ‘I hate to think of the dominie caning you so,’ he said vehemently. ‘I would like to – to….’
‘No one can help with that. He – he takes pleasure in caning all of us. B-but he seemed to have a grudge against me.’
‘I would like to give him a caning….’
Janet looked up at him and he caught a glimpse of her old, impish smile.
‘I wish you could. You are certainly as big as he is now. I think you could cane him very well. Has Andrew grown as tall as you?’
‘No. He is very thin…. I do worry about him, Janet, but I don’t like to trouble your Mama, especially now when she has moretrouble than ever.’ He pushed the door of his sister’s cottage open for her to enter.
Mary and Peggy broke off their conversation.
‘Come in, lassie, and have some porridge,’ Peggy greeted Janet warmly. ‘Oh, my bairn! What has that monster done to you? Your poor face….’ Peggy turned Janet’s face to the light, and then examined her scarred hands, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘You could never have deserved such caning! You were never a bad wee bairn.’ Janet did not answer. There was nothing to say and she was ravenous for the plate of steaming porridge Peggy set before her with a bowl of cream.
‘Now, you two,’ Peggy turned to Angus and Beth, ‘it is time you were on
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