le creature holds my finger! Really, I think a
baby is a very pretty thing; and it will be so nice to play with until
Angus comes home."

Elspie turned round from the corner where she sat sewing, and looked
with a half-suppressed sigh at her master's wife, whose delicate English
beauty, and quick, ringing English voice, formed such a strong contrast
to herself, and were so opposed to her own peculiar prejudices. But
she had learned to love the young creature, nevertheless; and for the
thousandth time she smothered the half-unconscious thought that Captain
Angus might have chosen better.

"Children are a blessing frae the Lord, as maybe ye'll see, ane o'
these days, Mrs. Rothesay," said Elspie, gravely; "ye maun tak' them as
they're sent, and mak' the best o' them."

Mrs. Rothesay laughed merrily. "Thank you, Elspie, for giving me such a
solemn speech, just like one of my husband's. To put me in mind of him,
I suppose. As if there were any need for that! Dear Angus! I wonder
what he will say to his little daughter when he sees her; the new Miss
Rothesay, who has come in opposition to the old Miss Rothesay,--ha! ha!"

"The auld Miss Rothesay! She's your husband's aunt," observed Elspie,
feeling it necessary to stand up for the honour of the family. "Miss
Flora was a comely leddy ance, as a' the Rothesays were."

"And this Miss Rothesay will be too, I hope, though she is such a
little brown thing now. But people say that the brownest babies grow the
fairest in time, eh, nurse?"

"They do say that," replied Elspie, with another and a heavier sigh; as
she bent closer over her work.

Mrs. Rothesay went on in her blithe chatter. "I half wished for a boy,
as Captain Rothesay thought it would please his uncle; but that's of
no consequence. He will be quite satisfied with a girl, and so am I.
Of course she will be a beauty, my dear little baby!" And with a deeper
mother-love piercing through her childish pleasure, she bent over the
infant; then took it up, awkwardly and comically enough, as though it
were a toy she was afraid of breaking, and rocked it to and fro on her
breast.

Elspie started up. "Tak' tent, tak' tent! ye'll hurt it, maybe, the puir
wee----Oh, what was I gaun to say!"

"Don't trouble yourself," said the young mother, with a charming
assumption of matronly dignity; "I shall hold the baby safe. I know all
about it."

And she really did succeed in lulling the child to sleep; which was no
sooner accompl