red her cheek to the departing guest. 'It's little the like of
us can do,' she said, 'little indeed; but yet, if there were but ony
thing--'

'Now, my dear Mrs. Dinmont, you embolden me to make a request: would you
but have the kindness to weave me, or work me, just such a grey plaid as
the goodman wears?' He had learned the language and feelings of the
country even during the short time of his residence, and was aware of the
pleasure the request would confer.

'A tait o' woo' would be scarce amang us,' said the goodwife,
brightening, 'if ye shouldna hae that, and as gude a tweel as ever cam
aff a pirn. I'll speak to Johnnie Goodsire, the weaver at the Castletown,
the morn. Fare ye weel, sir! and may ye be just as happy yoursell as ye
like to see a' body else; and that would be a sair wish to some folk.'

I must not omit to mention that our traveller left his trusty attendant
Wasp to be a guest at Charlie's Hope for a season. He foresaw that he
might prove a troublesome attendant in the event of his being in any
situation where secrecy and concealment might be necessary. He was
therefore consigned to the care of the eldest boy, who promised, in the
words of the old song, that he should have
A bit of his supper, a bit of his bed,
and that he should be engaged in none of those perilous pastimes in which
the race of Mustard and Pepper had suffered frequent mutilation. Brown
now prepared for his journey, having taken a temporary farewell of his
trusty little companion.

There is an odd prejudice in these hills in favour of riding. Every
farmer rides well, and rides the whole day. Probably the extent of their
large pasture farms, and the necessity of surveying them rapidly, first
introduced this custom; or a very zealous antiquary might derive it from
the times of the 'Lay of the Last Minstrel,' when twenty thousand
horsemen assembled at the light of the beacon-fires. [Footnote: It would
be affectation to alter this reference. But the reader will understand
that it was inserted to keep up the author's incognito, as he was not
likely to be suspected of quoting his own works. This explanation is also
applicable to one or two similar passages, in this and the other novels,
introduced for the same reason.] But the truth is undeniable; they like
to be on horseback, and can be with difficulty convinced that any one
chooses walking from other motives than those of convenience or
necessity. Accordingly, Dinmont insisted upo