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184 gone George knew that he would have stayed through everything, but then Allan knew a little Gaelic, and George despised the guttural high-pitched scolding language too much to learn it, and would have been laughed at if he had attempted it. Besides, Allan could make a companion of a book at any time, and George liked human voices and human faces. He had not known how much he had grown attached to the family of Lindsays—how much his meals had been sweetened by their company till now, when Mrs. McLachlan was the only substitute for Mrs. Lindsay and Jessie and Amy and the girls, and Dugald's ignorance for Mrs. Lindsay's shrewd common sense and Allan's fine intelligence. It was a pity that Jessie was no correspondent; he longed for a letter from her or a sight of her. But first came the well-sinking, that could not be left; then the daily drawing of water which was too much to leave for Dugald; then Mr. Lindsay had suggested that some fencing should be done, and his suggestions had the force of commands with George. Even the roughest bush-fence, if round a large area, takes a long time; then came on shearing time, and the year of probation had expired before George could spare time to go to Branxholm.