inally sly and espiegle in expression, matrimony had given that
decent matronly air which peculiarly marks the peasant's wife of
Scotland. She had an infant in one arm, and with the other she smoothed
down her apron, to which hung a chubby child of two years old. The elder
girl, whom the traveller had first seen, fell back behind her mother as
soon as she appeared, and kept that station, occasionally peeping out to
look at the stranger.

"What was your pleasure, sir?" said the woman, with an air of respectful
breeding not quite common in her rank of life, but without anything
resembling forwardness.

The stranger looked at her with great earnestness for a moment, and then
replied, "I am seeking a place called Fairy Knowe, and a man called
Cuthbert Headrigg. You can probably direct me to him?"

"It's my gudeman, sir," said the young woman, with a smile of welcome.
"Will you alight, sir, and come into our puir dwelling?--Cuddie,
Cuddie,"--a white-headed rogue of four years appeared at the door of the
hut--"rin awa, my bonny man, and tell your father a gentleman wants him.
Or, stay,--Jenny, ye'll hae mair sense: rin ye awa and tell him; he's
down at the Four-acres Park.--Winna ye light down and bide a blink, sir?
Or would ye take a mouthfu' o' bread and cheese, or a drink o' ale, till
our gudeman comes. It's gude ale, though I shouldna say sae that brews
it; but ploughmanlads work hard, and maun hae something to keep their
hearts abune by ordinar, sae I aye pit a gude gowpin o' maut to the
browst."

As the stranger declined her courteous offers, Cuddie, the reader's old
acquaintance, made his appearance in person. His countenance still
presented the same mixture of apparent dulness with occasional sparkles,
which indicated the craft so often found in the clouted shoe. He looked
on the rider as on one whom he never had before seen, and, like his
daughter and wife, opened the conversation with the regular query,
"What's your wull wi' me, sir?"

"I have a curiosity to ask some questions about this country," said the
traveller, "and I was directed to you as an intelligent man who can
answer them."

"Nae doubt, sir," said Cuddie, after a moment's hesitation. "But I would
first like to ken what sort of questions they are. I hae had sae mony
questions speered at me in my day, and in sic queer ways, that if ye kend
a', ye wadna wonder at my jalousing a' thing about them. My mother gar 'd
me learn the Single Carritch, whilk