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haangit。  If I set ye down at Hermiston I'll have to see you work that 

place the way it has never been workit yet; ye must ken about the sheep 

like a herd; ye must be my grieve there; and I'll see that I gain by ye。  

Is that understood?〃



〃I will do my best;〃 said Archie。



〃Well; then; I'll send Kirstie word the morn; and ye can go yourself the 

day after;〃 said Hermiston。  〃And just try to be less of an eediot!〃 he 

concluded with a freezing smile; and turned immediately to the papers on 

his desk。







CHAPTER IV … OPINIONS OF THE BENCH







LATE the same night; after a disordered walk; Archie was admitted into 

Lord Glenalmond's dining…room; where he sat with a book upon his knee; 

beside three frugal coals of fire。  In his robes upon the bench; 

Glenalmond had a certain air of burliness: plucked of these; it was a 

may…pole of a man that rose unsteadily from his chair to give his 

visitor welcome。  Archie had suffered much in the last days; he had 

suffered again that evening; his face was white and drawn; his eyes wild 

and dark。  But Lord Glenalmond greeted him without the least mark of 

surprise or curiosity。



〃Come in; come in;〃 said he。  〃Come in and take a seat。  Carstairs〃 (to 

his servant); 〃make up the fire; and then you can bring a bit of 

supper;〃 and again to Archie; with a very trivial accent: 〃I was half 

expecting you;〃 he added。



〃No supper;〃 said Archie。  〃It is impossible that I should eat。〃



〃Not impossible;〃 said the tall old man; laying his hand upon his 

shoulder; 〃and; if you will believe me; necessary。〃



〃You know what brings me?〃 said Archie; as soon as the servant had left 

the room。



〃I have a guess; I have a guess;〃 replied Glenalmond。  〃We will talk of 

it presently … when Carstairs has come and gone; and you have had a 

piece of my good Cheddar cheese and a pull at the porter tankard: not 

before。〃



〃It is impossible I should eat〃 repeated Archie。



〃Tut; tut!〃 said Lord Glenalmond。  〃You have eaten nothing to…day; and I 

venture to add; nothing yesterday。  There is no case that may not be 

made worse; this may be a very disagreeable business; but if you were to 

fall sick and die; it would be still more so; and for all concerned … 

for all concerned。〃



〃I see you must know all;〃 said Archie。  〃Where did you hear it?〃



〃In the mart of scandal; in the Parliament House;〃 said Glenalmond。  〃It 

runs riot below among the bar and the public; but it sifts up to us upon 

the bench; and rumour has some of her voices even in the divisions。〃



Carstairs returned at this moment; and rapidly laid out a little supper; 

during which Lord Glenalmond spoke at large and a little vaguely on 

indifferent subjects; so that it might be rather said of him that he 

made a cheerful noise; than that he contributed to human conversation; 

and Archie sat upon the other side; not heeding him; brooding over his 

wrongs and errors。



But so soon as the servant was gone; he broke forth again at once。  〃Who 

told my father?  Who dared to tell him?  Could it have been you?〃



〃No; it was not me;〃 said the Judge; 〃although … to be quite frank with 

you; and after I had seen and warned you … it might have been me … I 

believe it was Glenkindie。〃



〃That shrimp!〃 cried Archie。



〃As you say; that shrimp;〃 returned my lord; 〃although really it is 

scarce a fitting mode of expression for one of the senators of the 

College of Justice。  We were hearing the parties in a long; crucial 

case; before the fifteen; Creech was moving at some length for an 

infeftment; when I saw Glenkindie lean forward to Hermiston with his 

hand over his mouth and make him a secret communication。  No one could 

have guessed its nature from your father: from Glenkindie; yes; his 

malice sparked out of him a little grossly。  But your father; no。  A man 

of granite。  The next moment he pounced upon Creech。  ‘Mr。 Creech;' says 

he; ‘I'll take a look of that sasine;' and for thirty minutes after;〃 

said Glenalmond; with a smile; 〃Messrs。 Creech and Co。 were fighting a 

pretty up…hill battle; which resulted; I need hardly add; in their total 

rout。  The case was dismissed。  No; I doubt if ever I heard Hermiston 

better inspired。  He was literally rejoicing IN APICIBUS JURIS。〃



Archie was able to endure no longer。  He thrust his plate away and 

interrupted the deliberate and insignificant stream of talk。  〃Here;〃 he 

said; 〃I have made a fool of myself; if I have not made something worse。  

Do you judge between us … judge between a father and a son。  I can speak 

to you; it is not like 。。。 I will tell you what I feel and what I mean 

to do; and you shall be the judge;〃 he repeated。



〃I decline jurisdiction;〃 said Glenalmond; with extreme seriousness。  

〃But; my dear boy; if it will do you any good to talk; and if it will 

interest you at all to hear what I may choose to say when I have heard 

you; I am quite at your command。  Let an old man say it; for once; and 

not need to blush: I love you like a son。〃



There came a sudden sharp sound in Archie's throat。  〃Ay;〃 he cried; 

〃and there it is!  Love!  Like a son!  And how do you think I love my 

father?〃



〃Quietly; quietly;〃 says my lord。



〃I will be very quiet;〃 replied Archie。  〃And I will be baldly frank。  I 

do not love my father; I wonder sometimes if I do not hate him。  There's 

my shame; perhaps my sin; at least; and in the sight of God; not my 

fault。  How was I to love him?  He has never spoken to me; never smiled 

upon me; I do not think he ever touched me。  You know the way he talks?  

You do not talk so; yet you can sit and hear him without shuddering; and 

I cannot。  My soul is sick when he begins with it; I could smite him in 

the mouth。  And all that's nothing。  I was at the trial of this Jopp。  

You were not there; but you must have heard him often; the man's 

notorious for it; for being … look at my position! he's my father and 

this is how I have to speak of him … notorious for being a brute and 

cruel and a coward。  Lord Glenalmond; I give you my word; when I came 

out of that Court; I longed to die … the shame of it was beyond my 

strength: but I … I …〃 he rose from his seat and began to pace the room 

in a disorder。  〃Well; who am I?  A boy; who have never been tried; have 

never done anything except this twopenny impotent folly with my father。  

But I tell you; my lord; and I know myself; I am at least that kind of a 

man … or that kind of a boy; if you prefer it … that I could die in 

torments rather than that any one should suffer as that scoundrel 

suffered。  Well; and what have I done?  I see it now。  I have made a 

fool of myself; as I said in the beginning; and I have gone back; and 

asked my father's pardon; and placed myself wholly in his hands … and he 

has sent me to Hermiston;〃 with a wretched smile; 〃for life; I suppose … 

and what can I say? he strikes me as having done quite right; and let me 

off better than I had deserved。〃



〃My poor; dear boy!〃 observed Glenalmond。  〃My poor dear and; if you 

will allow me to say so; very foolish boy!  You are only discovering 

where you are; to one of your temperament; or of mine; a painful 

discovery。  The world was not made for us; it was made for ten hundred 

millions of men; all different from each other and from us; there's no 

royal road there; we just have to sclamber and tumble。  Don't think that 

I am at all disposed to be surprised; don't suppose that I ever think of 

blaming you; indeed I rather admire!  But there fall to be offered one 

or two observations on the case which occur to me and which (if you will 

listen to them dispassionately) may be the means of inducing you to view 

the matter more calmly。  First of all; I cannot acquit you of a good 

deal of what is called intolerance。  You seem to have been very much 

offended because your father talks a little sculduddery after dinner; 

which it is p

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