tell it out free, like any other body," she said.

Mrs. Crumpet was a woman of rare penetration. Even Sandy didn't
often get ahead of his mother.

For another week the village waited in suspense for further news,
and then on Saturday the report spread like wildfire through the
town that the new Laird with his party had arrived at the castle
the night before.

It was Sandy who brought the news to the little gray house. "And
they say there were three carriage-loads of them and they never
got to Glen Cairn until dark," he cried; "and the tale is that
the castle ovens have never been cool since the word came a week
ago! Mother says Eppie McLean has been laying in provisions as if
she looked for seven lean years like Joseph in Egypt."

"Losh!" interrupted Jock, "I wish Alan was here. Wouldn't we get
some of those good things for the cave, though."

"But that isn't all the news," cried Sandy, who had come three
miles to tell it and was not going to let it burst from him too
suddenly. "There's more."

"What is it, Sandy?" cried Jean, dancing with impatience. "Hurry,
lad; let out what's bottled up in you or you'll blow the cork!"

"Well," exploded Sandy, "you'll get some of the good things
without Alan, I'm telling you, for there's to be a grand feast at
the castle, and everybody is asked to come! There's a sign up in
the village, and it's to be Monday at five o'clock. They say
Eppie McLean has fowls waiting by the dozen and a barrel of
tatties ready for the pot. Losh! I don't see how the new Laird
can stay weakly with so much to fill him up."

"Sal!" cried Jean, "if he's such a wee laddie as they say, it's
likely his mother will be the one to say what's to be done in
Glen Cairn, and it's not likely she'll be wanting to go rampaging
over the country shooting game like the Auld Laird."

"Ye can never tell," said Sandy, with a worldly air. "Some say
ladies is worse than men."

"Never believe that," said Jean, promptly, and then she added a
little wistfully, "especially if they are mothers."

At church the next day the congregation was in such a state of
excitement it was with the greatest difficulty that the proper
Sabbath decorum was observed. Sandy Crumpet brazenly looked over
his shoulder every time any one passed up the aisle, thinking
that perhaps the new Laird and his mother might come in at any
moment, and even the grown people looked sidewise, but no new
faces appeared and fear was expressed afterwards that