The way in which the master treated him awoke like
respect in his pupils. Boys and girls were equally
ready t. make room for him on their forms, and any
one of the latter who had by some kind attention awakened
the watery glint of a smile on the melancholy features
of the troubled man, would boast of her success.
Hence it came that the neighbourhood of Portlossie
was the one spot in the county where a person of weak
intellect or peculiar appearance might go about free
of insult.
The peculiar sentence the laird so often uttered was
the only one he invariably spoke with definite clearness.
In every other attempt at speech he was liable to
be assailed by an often recurring impediment, during
the continuance of which he could compass but a word
here and there, often betaking himself in the agony
of suppressed utterance, to the most extravagant gestures,
with which he would sometimes succeed in so supplementing
his words as to render his meaning intelligible.
The two boys representing the earth and the moon,
had returned to their places in the class, and Mr
Graham had gone on to give a description of the moon,
in which he had necessarily mentioned the enormous
height of her mountains as compared with those of
the earth. But in the course of asking some questions,
he found a need of further explanation, and therefore
once more required the services of the boy sun and
boy moon. The moment the latter, however, began
to describe his circle around the former, Mr Stewart
stepped gravely up to him, and, laying hold of his
hand, led him back to his station in the class:
then, turning first one shoulder, then the other to
the company, so as to attract attention to his hump,
uttered the single word Mountain, and took on himself
the part of the moon, proceeding to revolve in the
circle which represented her orbit. Several of
the boys and girls smiled, but no one laughed, for
Mr Graham’s gravity maintained theirs. Without
remark, he used the mad laird for a moon to the end
of his explanation.
Mr Stewart remained in the school all the morning,
stood up with every class Mr Graham taught, and in
the intervals sat, with book or slate before him,
still as a Brahmin on the fancied verge of his re-absorption,
save that he murmured to himself now and then,
“I dinna ken whaur I cam frae.”
When his pupils dispersed for dinner, Mr Graham invited
him to go to his house and share his homely meal,
but with polished gesture and broken speech, Mr Stewart
declined, walked away towards the town, and was seen
no more that afternoon.
