at Mr. McLean had only been speaking sarcastically; of a
sudden they saw through and despised their captain. Tears of
mortification rose in Tommy's eyes, and kind-hearted Miss Ailie saw
them, and she thought it was her lover's irony that made him smart. She
had said little hitherto, but now she put her hand on his shoulder, and
told them all that she did indeed owe the supreme joy that had come to
her to him. "No, Gavinia," she said, blushing, "I will not give you the
particulars, but I assure you that had it not been for Tommy, Mr. McLean
would never have asked me to marry him."

Elspeth crossed proudly to the side of her noble brother (who could
scarcely trust his ears), and Gavinia cried, in wonder, "What did he
do?"

Now McLean had seen Tommy's tears also, and being a kindly man he
dropped the satirist and chimed in warmly, "And if I had not asked Miss
Ailie to marry me I should have lost the great happiness of my life, so
you may all imagine how beholden I feel to Tommy."

Again Tommy was the centre-piece, and though these words were as
puzzling to him as to his crew, their sincerity was unmistakable, and
once more his head began to waggle complacently.

"And to show how grateful we are," said Miss Ailie, "we are to give him
a--a sort of marriage present. We are to double the value of the bursary
he wins at the university--" She could get no farther, for now Elspeth
was hugging her, and Corp cheering frantically, and Mr. McLean thought
it necessary to add the warning, "If he does carry a bursary, you
understand, for should he fail I give him nothing."

"Him fail!" exclaimed Corp, with whom Miss Ailie of course agreed. "And
he can spend the money in whatever way he chooses," she said, "what will
you do with it, Tommy?"

The lucky boy answered, instantly, "I'll take Elspeth to Aberdeen to
bide with me," and then Elspeth hugged him, and Miss Ailie said, in a
delighted aside to Mr. McLean, "I told you so," and he, too, was well
pleased.

"It was the one thing needed to make him work," the school-mistress
whispered. "Is not his love for his sister beautiful?"

McLean admitted that it was, but half-banteringly he said to Elspeth:
"What could you do in lodgings, you excited mite?"

"I can sit and look at Tommy," she answered, quickly.

"But he will be away for hours at his classes."

"I'll sit at the window waiting for him," said she.

"And I'll run back quick," said Tommy.

All this time another problem h