enly animated, "and--well--I do believe, _without_ a kilt! But he's
got the reg'lar orthodox shepherd's--whew!"

A prolonged whistle ended the boy's sentence, as he glanced quickly in
Susan's face. The flushed cheeks told eloquently that she also had made
a discovery; and the rapid strides of the "native" showed that he was
likewise affected in a similar way.

The Colonel's head,--thrust out at the carriage window, and exclaiming,
"Why, Dora, we've arrived! Here is Mr Laidlaw himself!"--completed, as
it were, the _tableau vivant_.

Another moment and hands were being heartily shaken with the insides.
But David did not linger. Nodding pleasantly to the tiger, he held up
both hands. Being so tall, he just managed to reach those of Susan, as
she stood up in the rumble.

"Jump!" he said; "ye needna fear, my lassie."

Susan jumped, and was made to alight on Scottish soil like a feather of
eider-down. Laidlaw stooped, apparently to whisper something in the
girl's ear, but, to the unspeakable delight of the observant tiger, he
failed to get past the mouth, and whispered it there!

"Go it, Da-a-a-vid!" exclaimed the urchin, with a patronising wink and a
broad smile.

"Look there, Susy," said Laidlaw, pointing to the sun-bathed cottage.

"Home?" asked the maiden, with an inquiring glance.

"Hame!" responded David. "Mither is waiting for 'e there. Do ye see
the track across the field where the burn rins? It's a short cut. The
coach'll have to gang roond by the brig. Rin, lassie!"

He released Susy, who sprang down the bank, crossed the streamlet by a
plank bridge, and ran into the cottage, where she found Mrs Laidlaw in
the passage, with eager eyes, but labouring under powerful
self-restraint.

"Mother!" exclaimed Susy, flinging her arms round the stout old woman's
neck.

"Eh!--my bonnie wee doo!" said Mrs Laidlaw, as she looked kindly down
on the little head and stroked the fair hair with her toil-worn hands,
while a venerable old man stood beside her, looking somewhat imbecile,
and blowing his nose.

Just then the carriage rolled up to the door, and Mrs Laidlaw, leaving
her "auld man" for a few minutes to do the honours of the house, retired
to her chamber, and there on her knees confessed, thankfully, that she,
like her son, had been effectually conquered by a "waux doll!"

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Reader, what more can we say? Is it necessary to ad