, which, she said, "were in wonderfu guid order, considerin how
little they had to gie them." Sandy and Jenny were thus left to
themselves; but upon this occasion they seemed to have the greatest
difficulty in keeping up a sort of intermitting conversation upon the
weather, the state of the roads, and some other subjects of the same
kind. Each wished to appear witty and amiable in the eyes of the
other; but somehow their wits seemed to have forsaken them, and they
appeared to be perfectly ignorant of the means by which their wishes
could be accomplished. Perhaps the former conversation had awakened,
or rather called into a state of activity, some feelings which they
knew not how to express; and it might be that, while these feelings
predominated, they could not think of anything else in such a manner
as to talk of it to the purpose; or perhaps it was only the mere
awkwardness of finding themselves, for the first time since they were
children, thus left to each other, which in a great measure locked up
their conversational powers. Be the matter as it may, with the "eldern
dames" it was otherwise.

When they got to the byre, Margaret appeared more willing to resume
the former subject than to look at her neighbour's chattels. "Ye would
maybe think," said she, "that I didna seem sae frank as I micht hae
done when ye spoke about Jenny and Sandy; but, for a' that, I've aften
thought, if ever it were the laddie's luck to get a wife, Jenny would
mak a better ane than ony ither young woman I ken. But after him
that's now awa began to tak death till himsel," she continued,
lowering her voice to a confidential whisper, "when he made owre the
tack to Sandy, he left me as a burden upon Gairyburn. Noo, the place
is but sma, as ye ken, and there's but ae house on't, and, if he were
to marry, I dinna ken how a'thing would answer."

"Hoot, woman," rejoined the other, "ye've a _butt and a ben_; the
house would haud ye a' brawly. And, though our lassie's owre young to
be a wife to onybody, and I was only passin a joke about her and
Sandy, if she were a year or twa aulder, and if a'thing were
agreeable, I canna say but I would like weel to see them gang
thegither. For it's just the gate o' a' mithers--they would aye like
to see their ain bairns gettin guid bargains. No that I would care a
snuff for the lassie gettin a man wi' a hantle riches; but I would
like to see her get ane that would ken how to guide her, and how to
guide the warld