brought, was also silent. Nor was it
till Nancy Black had whispered, "It's true enough--Geordie never tells
lies," that she recollected it was her part to make a reply.

Hitherto the boy had not been aware of the presence of his schoolfellow;
but no sooner had he heard her voice, than his eye brightened, and he
turned as if to seek the reward of his labours from her; and--girl as
she was--he found it in her approving smile. But that smile was of short
duration; for as soon as she had a full view of his face, it passed
away, and, hurrying toward him, she exclaimed, in an anxious tone--"What
ails you, Geordie? What's that on your upper lip, an' your chin?"

"What is't?" repeated the youngster, drawing the back of his hand
across the place alluded to, as if to ascertain if anything was wrong in
that quarter; and then, examining the hand so employed, he
continued--"What is't? It's bluid; but where it comes frae I canna
tell." After a short pause, during which he recollected the opposition
he had met from the door--"It's my nose--it's just my nose," he added,
laughing as he spoke, to free the heart of Nancy from those
apprehensions, the shade of which he saw gathering on her countenance.
"I didna ken the door was steekit afore my nose played crack on the
sneck--and noo it's bluidin."

Sure enough, his nose was bleeding, and had been so ever since he came
in, though unobserved. The attention of the widow and Nancy was
instantly directed to staunch the bleeding: the latter brought the key
from the outer door, and the former placed it between his shoulders,
bathing his temples at the same time with cold water. In a few minutes
the blood ceased to flow, and, after his face had been washed, Nancy's
smile returned.

When they were about to depart, the widow, taking one in each hand, and
drawing them close together, said--"May God bless ye baith, my bonny
bairns! An', in his ain way an' time, He _will_ bless ye; for, when men
and women had forsaken me, an' my heart was sinking in despair, ye have
provided a hame for the widow and the faitherless. May His blessing rest
on ye, an' may He be your friend when ither friends forsake you!"

The _clay-cats_ were made, and carried in, in the manner proposed; the
lum was constructed, and the old barn made as commodious as possible;
and, in a few days after, Elspeth and her two children came to inhabit
it. But though it was only intended for a temporary residence, when a
twelvemonth had