A good many
minutes passed, during which he heard not a sound.
At length the door opened, and his lordship came out. Malcolm looked
up, and saw the light of the candle the marquis carried, reflected
from a face like that of a corpse. Different as they were, Malcolm
could not help thinking of the only dead face he had ever seen. It
terrified him for the moment in which it passed without looking at
him.
"My lord!" said Malcolm gently.
His master made no reply.
"My lord!" cried Malcolm, hurriedly pursuing him with his voice,
"am I to lea' the keyes wi' yon hurdon, and lat her open what doors
she likes?"
"Go to bed," said the marquis angrily, "and leave the woman alone;"
with which words he turned into the adjoining passage, and disappeared.
Mrs Catanach had not come out of the wizard's chamber, and for a
moment Malcolm felt strongly tempted to lock her in once more. But
he reflected that he had no right to do so after what his lordship
had said--else, he declared to himself, he would have given her
at least as good a fright as she seemed to have given his master,
to whom he had no doubt she had been telling some horrible lies.
He withdrew, therefore, into his room--to lie pondering again
for a wakeful while.
This horrible woman claimed then to know more concerning him than
his so called grandfather, and, from her profession; it was likely
enough; but information from her was hopeless--at least until
her own evil time came; and then, how was any one to believe what
she might choose to say? So long, however, as she did not claim
him for her own, she could, he thought, do him no hurt he would be
afraid to meet.
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