two of my kinsfolk have not behaved to you altogether very
well. And the one of them two is James More, my father, and the other is
the Laird of Prestongrange. Prestongrange will have spoken by himself,
or his daughter in the place of him. But for James More, my father, I
have this much to say: he lay shackled in a prison; he is a plain honest
soldier and a plain Highland gentleman; what they would be after, he
never would be guessing; but if he had understood it was to be some
prejudice to a young gentleman like yourself, he would have died first.
And for the sake of all your friendships, I will be asking you to pardon
my father and family for that same mistake."

"Catriona," said I, "what that mistake was I do not care to know. I know
but the one thing, that you went to Prestongrange and begged my life
upon your knees. O, I ken well it was for your father that you went, but
when you were there you pleaded for me also. It is a thing I cannot
speak of. There are two things I cannot think of in to myself; and the
one is your good words when you called yourself my little friend, and
the other that you pleaded for my life. Let us never speak more, we two,
of pardon or offence."

We stood after that silent, Catriona looking on the deck and I on her;
and before there was more speech, a little wind having sprung up, in the
nor'-west, they began to shake out the sails and heave in upon the
anchor.

There were six passengers besides our two selves, which made of it a
full cabin. Three were solid merchants out of Leith, Kirkaldy, and
Dundee, all engaged in the same adventure into High Germany; one was a
Hollander returning; the rest worthy merchants' wives, to the charge of
one of whom Catriona was recommended. Mrs. Grebbie (for that was her
name) was by great good fortune heavily incommoded by the sea, and lay
day and night on the broad of her back. We were besides the only
creatures at all young on board the _Rose_, except a white-faced boy
that did my old duty to attend upon the table; and it came about that
Catriona and I were left almost entirely to ourselves. We had the next
seats together at the table, where I waited on her with extraordinary
pleasure. On deck, I made her a soft place with my cloak; and the
weather being singularly fine for that season, with bright frosty days
and nights, a steady, gentle wind, and scarce a sheet started all the
way through the North Sea, we sat there (only now and again walking to
and