re in the glory of such an
exciting revelation. "He's as dead as a salt herring."

"Oh, Father!" cried Jean, "aren't you glad? Now we won't have to
leave the wee bit hoosie and the Glen."

"I'm none so sure of that," said the Shepherd slowly, when he had
recovered from the first shock of surprise. "The new Laird may be
worse than the old. Be that as it may, I'm not one to rejoice at
the death of any man. Death is a solemn thing, my dawtie, but the
Lord's will be done, and I'm not pretending to mourn."

"We went to the village," cried Jean, "to get a bit of meat for the
pot, and there was a whole crowd of people around the post-office
door. 'T was the post-master gave us the news, and Mr. Craigie and
Angus Niel have put weeds on their hats and look as mournful as Tam
when he's scolded. We saw them out of the school-house window not two
hours gone."

"They have reason to mourn," said the Shepherd grimly, "not for
the Auld Laird's death only, but for their own lives as well.
Aye, that's a subject for grief." He shook his head dubiously,
and, seeming to feel it was an occasion for a moral lesson, he
added, "'Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end
of that man is peace.'"

"What has that to do with the Auld Laird?" asked Jock, much
mystified.

"Nothing at all, maybe," answered the Shepherd, "but it's a wise
word to remember against our own time."

"I wish Angus Niel would remember it," exclaimed Jean.

"And Mr. Craigie no less," added Jock.

"Well, well," said the Shepherd, "heard ye anything more in the
village?"

"Aye, that we did," said Jean, who loved to prolong the
excitement of news.

"Let me tell that," said Jock. "You told about the Auld Laird.
Well, then, Father, there's all kinds of tales about the new
Laird. It's said he's a wee bit of a laddie, not more than four
years old, and not the son of the Auld Laird at all, but a cousin
or something. It's said he's weak and sickly-like and not long
for this world."

"Sandy's mother was in the village and walked with us to the
bridge," interrupted Jean, "and she heard that the heir is a
young man living in Edinburgh, and not even known to the Auld
Laird, who had no near kin. She had it from the minister's wife,
so it must be true."

"Didn't Mr. Craigie say anything? He ought to know more about it
than any one. He's the Auld Laird's factor to carry out his will
while he was living. It's likely he'd know more than any other
about his wil