ho did not stand upon her dignities, as small rulers are apt to do,

e use of words; but not the less was she in their eyes a great lady,-whence indeed came the special pleasure in finding flaws in her-for to them she was the representative of the nob

Scotsman; and she seldom visited the Seaton without looking in upon him so that when Malcolm returned from the Alt

ner strangely wrathful, his face in a glow, his head thrown back, his nostrils distended, and hi

, you know," said Mrs Courthope, heedless of his entranc

and her clan," retorted Duncan persistently

and we may at least hope he

f;-let that pe enough for ta greedy blackguard. Sure, it matters but small whether poor Tuncan MacPhail will be forgifing him or not. Anyhow,

; and perceiving it was time to change the

or whiting for my lord's breakfast t

e in guid time wi' the best th

e o'clock, that will be ea

sae lang for my brakf

uch, if you waited asle

sic a time o' day as tha

d doesn't go to bed for h

he war efter the herrin', an' had the win' an' the watte

lking about the grounds after everybody else is

nin' afore the sun's up to set the din gaun; whan it 's a' clear but no bricht-like the back o' a bonny sawmon

irit to assuage. Nor was he disappointed; for, if there was a sound on the earth Duncan loved to hear, it was the voice of his boy;

creat pard some tay, and sing pefore ta St

ke a kind word of sympathy with the old man's delight as she rose to take her leave. Duncan rose

it'll not pe knowing no petter to her.-You'll be minding you'll be firing ta cun at six o'clock exackly, Malcolm, for all she says; for my lord peing put shust come home to his property, it might be a fex to him if tere was any mistake so soon. Put inteed, I yonder he hasn't been sending for old

slands, or any station whence he could not return to sleep at his grandfather's cottage. He had thus on every occasion earned enough to provide for the following winter, so that his grandfather's little income as piper, and other sm

with the captain of a schooner for an old ship's boat, and had patched and caulked it into a sufficiently serviceable condition. He s

little consequence. He was the cock which woke the whole yard: morning after morning his pipes went crowing through the streets of the upper region, his music ending always with his round. But after the institution of the gun signal, his custom was to go on playing where he stood until he heard i

es-which, as every now and then the spade turned one or two up, they threw into a tin pail for bait. But on the summit of the long sandhill, the lonely figure of a man was walking to and fro in the level light of the rosy west; and as Malcolm climbed the near end of the dune, it was turning far off at the other: halfway between them was the

her oot an' lod her, my

ou're not going t

n's mornin'

ll that

to wauk ye

ip, with more express

n the ramrod, and approaching the swivel, as if

interfere with any of your customs. But if that i

a five minutes or twa whiles. Sae, in future, seem' it 's o' sic sma' consequence to yer lordship, I

nd humour, probably-the frankness and composure, perhaps. He was not self conscious enough

me?" asked the

MacPhail,

the name this ver

r's the blin'

want him at the House. I lef

ther, gien I haena the waur luck, the morn's mornin': Mistress Courthope says she'll be aye read

n with your brazen serpent there, only m

was the youth's response; and the marquis was movi

ee yer ain ferlies, I ken wha

n by ferlies?" a

say the water bude till ha' howkit them ance upon a time, an' they maun hae been fu' o' partans, an' lobsters, an' their frien's an' neeb

said his lordship kindly and turn

lcolm in a low voice as he lifted his

ain that he had waked long before his usual time, and Portlossie must wake also. The worst of it was, that he had already, as Malcolm knew from the direction of the sound, almost reached the end of his beat, and must even now be expecting the report of the swivel, until he heard which he would not cease playing, so long as there was a

bout with that

lm st

eddy!" he returned with

he spoke she disengaged her watch from her girdle, "th

he pipes, my led

of pipes can't make it six o'clock whe

Malcolm. "What's a' thae bonny w

in a tone that implied

he exclaimed in admiration, pu

"your own watch says on

dow o' the Lossie Airms last nicht. But I maun awa' an' luik efter

e why you fired the

y in his anxiety lest his grandfather should over exert h

hen he was tired

" answered Malcolm, and turned a

t of your own?"

shore yonner. Wad ye like a

The

ea, my

r boat

nna lat ye gang the day, my leddy; but gien ye like to be here the morn's morn

my gown than of mys

for the goon or (before) it had been an hoor i' the boat the day!-no to mention the fish co

ant to keep you a moment

accepted the dismissal, and ran to his boat. By the

y hanging from the hooks. It was still very early when he reached the harbou

urgh a whole hour too soon. He insisted that, as he had neve

a lies, Malcolm, my poy," he said t

same 's the watch, dad

t it signified, as well as the clearest eyed man

he said. "Put never you mind, Malcolm; I'll pe making up for ta plunder ta morrow mornin