ll his experience was a mockery of her inexperience.
Her clenched fist beat her brow, which had become hot....

All that day her mind had painfully enacted such fantasies of hatred or
had waited blankly for this moment which the old man's shuffling step
was now bringing towards her. She braced herself, though she did not
look up from the table.

"Nelly, I've brought you a bit rock from Ferguson's."

She gazed cannily at the white paper parcel. It was the largest box he
had ever given her; he always gave her sweeties when Mr. Philip had been
talking against her. Ought she therefore to deduce from the unusual size
that he had been saying something unusually cruel? But, on the other
hand, surely no one could ever give sweeties to a girl if they thought
she had let herself be kissed. "You're just too kind, Mr. James," she
said mournfully.

"Take out a stick and give me one. What for did I have false teeth put
in at great expense if it was not that I might eat rock with my Nelly?
I'll take a bit of the peppermint. My wife is a leddy and will not let
me eat peppermint in my ain hoose." He always spoke to Ellen, he did not
know why, in the same rough, soft, broad Scots tongue that he had talked
with his mother and father when he was a wee boy in the carter's cottage
on the Lang Whang of the Old Lanark Road, that he still talked to his
cat in his little study at the back of his square, decent residence.
"Ay, that's right. But lassie, what ails ye? You're looking at the box
as though you'd taken a turn at the genteel and become an Episcopalian
and it was Lent. If you've lost that fine sweet tooth of yours ye must
be sickening for something."

"Och, me. I'm all right," said Ellen drearily, and picked a ginger
stick, and bit it joylessly; and laid it down again, and pressed her
hand to her heart. She hearkened to the racing beat of her agony with
eyes grown remote and lips drawn down at the corner with disgust, like a
woman feeling the movements of an unwanted child. And Mr. Mactavish
James, was so wrung with pity for the wee thing, and the mature dignity
with which she wore her misery, and the next moment so glowing with
pleasure at himself for this generous emotion, that he beamed on her and
purred silently, "Ech, the poor bairn! I will go straight to the point
and make her mind easy." He wriggled into an easier position in his
chair, readjusted his glasses, and settled down to enjoy this pleasant
occupation of lifting the