d that just proves he hadna burned the letter, for he hadna time.
If he didna do it at the first impulse, he'll no do it now."

Every little while the boys were sent along the road to look in at
Aaron's end window and report.

At seven in the evening Aaron had not left his box, and the blind man's
reputation for seeing farther than those with eyes was fallen low.

"It's a good sign," he insisted, nevertheless. "It shows his mind's
troubled, for he usually louses at six."

By eight the news was that Aaron had left his mill and was sitting
staring at his kitchen fire.

"He's thinking o' Inverquharity and the cushie doos," said Blinder.

"More likely," said Dite Deuchars, "he's thinking o' the Cuttle Well."

Corp Shiach clattered along the road about nine to say that Aaron Latta
was putting on his blacks as if for a journey.

At once the blind man's reputation rose on stilts. It fell flat,
however, before the ten-o'clock bell rang, when three of the
Auchterlonie children, each pulling the others back that he might arrive
first, announced that Aaron had put on his corduroys again, and was back
at the mill.

"That settles it," was everyone's good-night to Blinder, but he only
answered thoughtfully, "There's a fierce fight going on, my billies."

Next morning when his niece was shaving the blind man, the razor had to
travel over a triumphant smirk which would not explain itself to
womankind, Blinder being a man who could bide his time. The time came
when the smith looked in to say, "Should I gang yont to Aaron's and see
if he'll give me the puir woman's address?"

"No, I wouldna advise that," answered Blinder, cleverly concealing his
elation, "for Aaron Latta's awa' to London."

"What! How can you ken?"

"I heard him go by in the night."

"It's no possible!"

"I kent his foot."

"You're sure it was Aaron?"

Blinder did not consider the question worth answering, his sharpness at
recognizing friends by their tread being proved. Sometimes he may have
carried his pretensions too far. Many granted that he could tell when a
doctor went by, when a lawyer, when a thatcher, when a herd, and this is
conceivable, for all callings have their walk. But he was regarded as
uncanny when he claimed not only to know ministers in this way, but to
be able to distinguish between the steps of the different denominations.

He had made no mistake about the warper, however. Aaron was gone, and
ten days elapsed before he was agai