ew was falling like the
little tears of the fairies out of the blue lift, where the gloaming-star
soon began to glow and glitter bonnily.

What I had seen and witnessed made my thoughts heavy and my heart sad; I
could not get the better of it. I looked round and round me, as we
jogged along over the height, down on the far distant country, that
spread out as if it had been a great big picture, with hills, and fields,
and woods; and I could still see to the norward the ships lying at their
anchors on the sea, and the shores of Fife far far beyond it. It was a
great and a grand sight; and made me turn from the looking at it into my
own heart, causing me to think more and more of the glory of the Maker's
handiworks, and less and less of the littleness of prideful man. But
Tammie had gotten his drappikie, and the tongue of the body would not lie
still a moment; so he blethered on from one thing to another, as we
jogged along, till I was forced at the last to give up thinking, and
begin a twa-handed crack with him.

"Have you your snuff-box upon ye?" said Tammie. "Gi'e me a pinch."

Having given him the box, I observed to him, that "it was beginning to
grow dark and dowie."

"'Deed is't," said Tammie; "but a body can now scarcely meet on the road
wi' ony think waur than themsell. Mony a witch, de'il, and bogle,
however, did my grannie see and hear tell of, that used to scud and
scamper hereaway langsyne like maukins."

"Witches!" quo' I. "No, no, Tammie, all these things are out of the land
now; and muckle luck to them. But we have other things to fear; what
think ye of highway robbers?"

"Highway robbers!" said Tammie. "Kay, kay; I'll tell ye of something
that I met in wi' mysell. Ae dark winter night, as I was daundering hame
frae Pathhead--it was pitmirk, and about the twall--losh me, I couldna
see my finger afore me!--that a stupid thocht cam into my head that I wad
never wun hame, but be either killed, lost, murdered, or drowned, between
that and the dawing. All o' a sudden I sees a light coming dancing
forrit amang the trees; and my hair began to stand up on end. Then, in
the next moment--save us a'!--I sees anither light, and forrit, forrit
they baith cam, like the een of some great fiery monster, let loose frae
the pit o' darkness by its maister, to seek whom it might devour."

"Stop, Tammie," said I to him, "ye'll wauken Benjie. How far are we from
Dalkeith?"

[Picture: T