. Bertram to her husband;
'will it be lang before Mr. Kennedy comes back?'

'I expect him every moment, my dear,' said the Laird; 'perhaps he is
bringing some of the officers of the sloop with him.'

'My stars, Mr. Bertram! why did not ye tell me this before, that we might
have had the large round table? And then, they're a' tired o' saut meat,
and, to tell you the plain truth, a rump o' beef is the best part of your
dinner. And then I wad have put on another gown, and ye wadna have been
the waur o' a clean neck-cloth yoursell. But ye delight in surprising and
hurrying one. I am sure I am no to baud out for ever against this sort of
going on; but when folk's missed, then they are moaned.'

'Pshaw, pshaw! deuce take the beef, and the gown, and table, and the
neck-cloth! we shall do all very well. Where's the Dominie, John? (to a
servant who was busy about the table) where's the Dominie and little
Harry?'

'Mr. Sampson's been at hame these twa hours and mair, but I dinna think
Mr. Harry cam hame wi' him.'

'Not come hame wi' him?' said the lady; 'desire Mr. Sampson to step this
way directly.'

'Mr. Sampson,' said she, upon his entrance, 'is it not the most
extraordinary thing in this world wide, that you, that have free
up-putting--bed, board, and washing--and twelve pounds sterling a year,
just to look after that boy, should let him out of your sight for twa or
three hours?'

Sampson made a bow of humble acknowledgment at each pause which the angry
lady made in her enumeration of the advantages of his situation, in order
to give more weight to her remonstrance, and then, in words which we will
not do him the injustice to imitate, told how Mr. Francis Kennedy 'had
assumed spontaneously the charge of Master Harry, in despite of his
remonstrances in the contrary.'

'I am very little obliged to Mr. Francis Kennedy for his pains,' said the
lady, peevishly; 'suppose he lets the boy drop from his horse, and lames
him? or suppose one of the cannons comes ashore and kills him? or
suppose--'

'Or suppose, my dear,' said Ellangowan, 'what is much more likely than
anything else, that they have gone aboard the sloop or the prize, and are
to come round the Point with the tide?'

'And then they may be drowned,' said the lady.

'Verily,' said Sampson, 'I thought Mr. Kennedy had returned an hour
since. Of a surety I deemed I heard his horse's feet.'

'That,' said John, with a broad grin, 'was Grizzel chasing the humble-cow