btless
when he should distinguish himself in college, as he meant to do, the
mistress would take some of the credit of his success to herself, and
would hold him up as an example to his brothers as persistently as she
had once held him up as a warning.

To-night they were more than friendly, and did not fall out of
conversation of the most edifying sort, Marjorie putting in her word now
and then. All went well till wee Wattie took a fit of coughing, and
Norman followed in turn; and then Mistress Jamieson told them of her
proposed expedition to the Stanin' Stanes, for the benefit of all the
bairns, if the day should prove fine.

Marjorie leaned back in her chair, clasping her hands and looking at her
brother with eager entreaty in her eyes. But Robin would not meet her
look. For Marjorie had a way of taking encouragement to hope for the
attainment of impossible things when no encouragement was intended, and
then when nothing came of it, her disappointment was as deep as her
hopes had been high.

Then she turned her eyes to the mistress, but resisted the impulse to
speak. She knew that her words would be sympathetic and encouraging,
but that it must end in words as far as she was concerned.

"And it's ay best to go straight to my mother," said Marjorie to
herself, remembering past experiences; "and there will be time enough to
speak in the morning if the day should be fine."

So she wisely put the thought of the morrow away, and took the good of
the present. And she had her reward. Warned by Robin, Allie said not a
word of what awaited the school bairns next day, though the little boys
discussed it eagerly in the kitchen. So, when the mother came home, she
found her little daughter quietly asleep, which was not often the case
when anything had happened to detain her father and mother from home
later than was expected.

But though Allison said nothing, she thought all the more about the
pleasure which the child so longed to enjoy with the rest. Before she
slept, she startled her mistress not a little, entering of her own free
will into an account of the schoolmistress' plan to take the bairns to
the hills for the sake of their health, and ending by asking leave to
take little Marjorie to "the Stanin' Stanes" with the rest. She spoke
as quietly as if she had been asking a question about the morning's
breakfast, and waited patiently for her answer. Mrs Hume listened
doubtfully.

"I hope she has not been se