« A tait o' woo' would be scarce amang us," said the goodwife brightening, « if you should na hae that, and as good a tweel as ever came aff a pirn. I'll speak to Johnnie Goodsire, the weaver at the Castletown, the morn.-Fare ye weel, sir;—and may ye be just as happy yoursell as ye like to see a' body else-and that would be a sair wish to some folk.»

I must not omit to mention, that our traveller left his trusty attendant Wasp to be a guest at Charlies-hope for a season. He foresaw that he might prove a troublesome attendant in the event of his being in any situation where secrecy and concealment might be necessary. He was therefore consigned to the care of the eldest boy, who promised, in the words of the old song, that

and that he should be engaged in none of those perilous pastimes in which the race of Mustard and Pepper had suffered frequent mutilation. Brown now prepared for his journey, having taken a temporary farewell of his trusty little companion.

There is an odd prejudice in these hills in favour of riding. Every farmer rides well, and rides the whole day. Probably the extent of their large pasture farms, and the necessity of surveying them rapidly, first introduced this custom; or a very zealous antiquary might derive it from the times

of the Lay of the Last Minstrel, when twenty thousand horsemen assembled at the light of the beacon-fires. But the truth is undeniable; they like to be on horseback, and can be with difficulty convinced, that any one chuses walking from other motives than those of convenience or necessity. Accordingly Dinmont insisted upon mounting his guest, and accompanying him upon horseback as far as the nearest town in Dumfriesshire, where he had directed his baggage to be sent, and from which he proposed to pursue his intended journey towards Woodbourne, the residence of Julia Mannering.

Upon the way he questioned his companion concerning the character of the fox-hunter; but gained little information, as he had been called to that office while Dinmont was making the round of the Highland fairs. « He was a shakerag-like fellow," he said, «and he dared to say, had gypsey blood in his veins-but at ony rate he was nane of the smacks that had been on their quarters in the moss-he would ken them weel if he saw them again.-There were some no bad folk amang the gypseys too, to be such a gangif ever I see that auld randle-tree of a wife again, I'll gie her something to buy tobacco - I have a great notion she meant me very fair after a'.»

When they were about finally to part, the good farmer held Brown long by the hand, and at length said, « Captain, the woo's sae weel up year, that it's paid a' the rent, and we have

the

naething to do wi' the rest o' the siller, when Ailie has had her new gown, and the bairns their bits o' duds now I was thinking of some safe hand to put it into, for it's ower muckle to ware on brandy and sugar-now I have heard that you army gentlemen can sometimes buy yoursells up a step, and if a hundred or twa would help ye on such an occasion, the bit scrape o' your pen would be as good to me as the siller, and ye might just take ye're ain time of settling it-it wad be a great convenience to me.»> Brown, who felt the full delicacy that wished to disguise the conferring an obligation under the show of asking a favour, thanked his grateful friend most heartily, and assured him he would have recourse to his purse, without scruple, should circumstances ever render it convenient for him. And thus they parted with many expressions of mutual regard.

CHAPTER V.

If thou hast any love of mercy in thee,
Turn me upon my face that I may die.

JOANNA BAILLIE.

OUR traveller hired a post-chaise at the place where he separated from Dinmont, with the purpose of proceeding to Kippletringan, there to enquire into the state of the family at Woodbourne, before he should venture to make his presence in the country known to Miss Mannering. The stage was a long one of eighteen or twenty miles, and the road lay across the country. To add to the inconveniences of the journey, the snow began to fall pretty quickly. The postillion, however, proceeded upon his journey for a good many miles, without expressing doubts or hesitation. It was not until the night was completely set in that he intimated his doubts whether he were in the right road. The increasing snow rendered this intimation truly alarming, for as it drove full in the lad's face, and lay whitening all around him, it served in two different ways to confuse his knowledge of the country, and to

diminish the chance of his recovering the right track. Brown then himself got out and looked round, not, it may be well imagined, from any better hope than that of seeing some house at which he might make enquiry. But none appeared — he could therefore only tell the lad to drive steadily on. The road on which they were, run through plantations of considerable extent and depth, and the traveller therefore conjectured that there must be a gentleman's house at no great distance. At length, after struggling wearily on for about a mile, the postboy stopped, and protested his horses would not budge a foot farther; «but he saw,» he said, « a light among the trees, which must proceed from a house; the only way was to enquire the road there.» Accordingly he dismounted, heavily encumbered with a long great coat, and a pair of boots which might have rivalled in thickness the sevenfold shield of Ajax. As in this guise he was plodding forth upon his voyage of discovery, Brown's impatience prevailed, and, jumping out of the carriage, he desired the lad to stop where he was, by the horses, and he would himself go to the house-a command which the driver joyfully obeyed.

He groped along the side of the inclosure from which the light glimmered, in order to find some mode of approaching in that direction, and after proceeding for some space, at length found a stile in the hedge, and a pathway leading into the plantation, which in that place was of great ex