CHAPTER V


The House of Glenfernie and the House of Touris became friends. A
round of country festivities, capped by a great party at Black Hill,
wrought bonds of acquaintanceship for and with the Scots family
returned after long abode in England. Archibald Touris spent money
with a cautious freedom. He set a table and poured a wine better by
half than might be found elsewhere. He kept good horses and good dogs.
Laborers who worked for him praised him; he proved a not ungenerous
landlord. Where he recognized obligations he met them punctually. He
had large merchant virtues, no less than the accompanying limitations.
He returned to the Church of Scotland.

The laird of Glenfernie and the laird of Black Hill found
constitutional impediments to their being more friendly than need be.
Each was polite to the other to a certain point, then the one glowered
and the other scoffed. It ended in a painstaking keeping of distance
between them, a task which, when they were in company, fell often to
Mrs. Jardine. She did it with tact, with a twist of her large,
humorous mouth toward Strickland if he were by. Admirable as she was,
it was curious to see the difference between her method, if method
there were, and that of Mrs. Alison. The latter showed no effort, but
where she was there fell harmony. William Jardine liked her, liked to
be in the room with her. His great frame and her slight one, his
rough, massive, somewhat unshaped personality and her exquisite