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Chapter 16
“Puttinghisheadinabees’byke!”
“Heistoturnthetenantsoutbyforce,Ihear?”saidI.
“Yes,”sayshe,“butthebusinesshasgonebackandforth,asfolksay.First,JamesoftheGlensrodetoEdinburgh,andgotsomelawyer(aStewart,naedoubt—theyallhingtogetherlikebatsinasteeple)andhadtheproceedingsstayed.AndthenColinCampbellcam’inagain,andhadtheupper-handbeforetheBaronsofExchequer.Andnowtheytellmethefirstofthetenantsaretoflitto-morrow.It’stobeginatDurorunderJames’sverywindows,whichdoesnaeseemwisebymyhumblewayofit.”
“Doyouthinkthey’llfight?”Iasked.
“Well,”saysHenderland,“they’redisarmed—orsupposedtobe—forthere’sstillagooddealofcoldironlyingbyinquietplaces.AndthenColinCampbellhasthesogerscoming.Butforallthat,ifIwashisladywife,IwouldnaebewellpleasedtillIgothimhomeagain.They’requeercustomers,theAppinStewarts.”
Iaskediftheywereworsethantheirneighbours.
“Nothey,”saidhe.“Andthat’stheworstpartofit.ForifColinRoycangethisbusinessdoneinAppin,hehasitalltobeginagaininthenextcountry,whichtheycallMamore,andwhichisoneofthecountriesoftheCamerons.He’sKing’sFactoruponboth,andfrombothhehastodriveoutthetenants;andindeed,Mr.Balfour(tobeopenwithye),it’smybeliefthatifheescapestheonelot,he’llgethisdeathbytheother.”
Sowecontinuedtalkingandwalkingthegreatpartoftheday;untilatlast,Mr.
