Chapter 36

OF FOUR MINISTERS WHO AFTERWARDS BOASTED THAT THEY HAD KNOWN TOMMY
SANDYS

Bursary examination time had come, and to the siege of Aberdeen marched
a hungry half-dozen--three of them from Thrums, two from the Glenuharity
school. The sixth was Tod Lindertis, a ploughman from the Dubb of
Prosen, his place of study the bothy after lousing time (Do you hear the
klink of quoits?) or a one-roomed house near it, his tutor a dogged
little woman, who knew not the accusative from the dative, but never
tired of holding the book while Tod recited. Him someone greets with the
good-natured jeer, "It's your fourth try, is it no, Tod?" and he answers
cheerily, "It is, my lathie, and I'll keep kick, kick, kicking away to
the _n_th time."

"Which means till the door flies open," says the dogged little woman,
who is the gallant Tod's no less gallant wife, and already the mother of
two. I hope Tod will succeed this time.

The competitors, who were to travel part of the way on their shanks, met
soon after daybreak in Cathro's yard, where a little crowd awaited them,
parents trying to look humble, Mr. Duthie and Ramsay Cameron thinking
of the morning when they set off on the same errand--but the results
were different, and Mr. Duthie is now a minister, and Ramsay is in the
middle of another wob. Both dominies were present, hating each other,
for that day only, up to the mouth, where their icy politeness was a
thing to shudder at, and each was drilling his detachment to the last
moment, but by different methods; for while Mr. Cathro entreated Joe
Meldrum for God's sake to mind that about the genitive, and Willie
Simpson to keep his mouth shut and drink even water sparingly, Mr.
Ogilvy cracked jokes with Gav Dishart and explained them to Lauchlan
McLauchlan. "Think of anything now but what is before you," was Mr.
Ogilvy's advice. "Think of nothing else," roared Mr. Cathro. But though
Mr. Ogilvy seemed outwardly calm it was base pretence; his dickie
gradually wriggled through the opening of his waistcoat, as if bearing a
protest from his inward parts, and he let it hang crumpled and
conspicuous, while Grizel, on the outskirts of the crowd, yearned to put
it right.

Grizel was not there, she told several people, including herself, to say
good-by to Tommy, and oh, how she scorned Elspeth, for looking as if
life would not be endurable without him. Knowing what Elspeth was, Tommy
had decided that she should not accompany him to the yard (of course she
was to follow him to Aberdeen if he distinguished himself--Mr. McLean
had promised to bring her), but she told him of her dream that he headed
the bursary list, and as this dream coincided with some dreams of his
own,