wish to give information of the lawless band, I
could only inform as to the females; the others had managed so well I
could not have identified one of them.

At length my horses arrived, and I prepared to depart. As I took my
leave, I put five guineas into the hand of Mary. She looked at the sum,
then at me, and refused to accept any remuneration for our shelter.

"Keep it," said I, "to enable you to induce James to quit his dangerous
trade." She blushed, trembled, and then became pale as death. My heart
smote me for what I had said. She gave me such an anxious, imploring
look, as her trembling lips murmured--

"Oh, what shall I do?"

"Fear nothing, Mary, from me; I owe you much more for your goodness of
heart. If you and James will come to reside near Allan Gow, he shall do
all in his power to assist you." Amidst blessings from the mother, and
the silent gratitude of the daughter, I rode off, on my way to Glasgow,
and on the following day was under my parents' roof.

It is now many years since then. James and Mary are settled in the
neighbourhood, and prosperous. Malcolm is still with me; but whether
servant or companion, I can scarce tell at times. When my strange
imaginations come upon me--for I have never been, for any length of time
free from them--he is almost master of my small establishment.

THE YOUNG LAIRD.[5]

In one of the midland counties of Scotland lies the estate of Sir
Patrick Felspar. On this estate, and on the southern declivity of a
moderately-high hill, stood, about thirty years ago, two old-fashioned
farmsteads, called Nettlebank and Sunnybraes, of which, as we have a
long story to tell, we can only say that the former--being the
largest--was tenanted by Mr. Black, and the latter by William Chrighton;
that the family of the one consisted of a boy and a girl called
_Gilbert_ and _Nancy_; and that the other was the father of an only son,
named _George_.

The harvest had been concluded, and preparations were making for
lifting the potato crop, when Mrs. Black was taken ill of a fever; and
her husband, on discovering that she was seriously indisposed, after
sending the servant girl to "tell Elspeth Roger that her mistress wished
to speak with her," left the house, to which he did not return for
several days. Elspeth, who was the wife of one of the farm servants,
being thus sent for, hastened to her mistress's presence. On entering
the room, and seeing the state of the sufferer, she saw