t me what she
could lay hands upon for my support.

As I grew whole we had much merriment, when she told me of the straits
she was often in to get slipping away, without betraying the object of
her solicitude.

The two eldest of my brother Sandy's bairns were a boy of seven and a
girl of eight, and in a house where the soldiers took the most and the
best, there was sometimes but scant fare for the younger folk.

Now none of the serving folk or even of the family knew that I was in
the neighbourhood, saving only my mother, Maisie of the Duchrae, and
Patrick Laing. To tell more people was to risk a discovery, which meant
not less than a stretched tow rope for my neck, and that speedily.

Of all Sandy's bairns little Jock was the merriest and the worst, and of
him Maisie had many stories to tell me, making merry when she brought me
my piece in the twilight.

"You are getting me a terrible name for a great eater," she said. "It
was but this day at dinner time that Jock cried out, 'Whatna daft-like
chuckie hen! It's gotten twa wings but only ae leg!' For I had hidden
the other on my lap for you. That caused much merriment, for we all
laughed to think of a chuckie hopping and standing upon but one leg. Yet
because Cornet Graham was there, we had all to laugh somewhat carefully,
and pass the matter off with a jest."

"On another occasion," said Maisie, "when half a dozen eggs could not be
found, little Jock cried out, 'The ae-legged chuckie wull be clockin'
them!' And this caused more merriment."

Such tales as these Maisie Lennox told me in the quiet of the gloaming,
when I abode still in the well-house chamber, and only the drip, drip of
the water at the bottom came to us. It was strange and pleasant for me
to lie there and hear her kind low voice telling me humoursome tales of
what had befallen during the day.

Jean Hamilton, Sandy's wife, came but once to see me, and gave me much
religious advice. She was ever a great woman for experiences, being by
nature one of those who insist that all shall be exactly of her pattern,
a thing which I saw no hope of--nor yet greatly desired.

"My life is all sin," she would say, "if it were but to peel the bark
off a kail castock and eat, I sin in the doing of it!"

"That would show a great want of sense, at any gate, gin ye could get
better meat to eat!" I replied, for the woman's _yatter, yatter_
easily vexed me, being still weak. Also, I wished greatly for her to be
gone,