and made the tea. And then wha' should I
see but Brownrig himsel', riding on his black horse and followed by his
uncanny tyke. I had only time to draw thegither the doors o' my
press-bed ere he was upon me.

"I was feared at the sicht o' the dog, and the man saw it; but it wasna
for mysel' that I was feared, and that he didna see.

"`Ye needna gang white like that at the dog. He'll do ye no harm,' said
he.

"`No, unless ye bid him,' said I.

"He gaed me a dark look, and said he: `I'm not like to do that, though I
hear ye have accused me of it.'

"So I saw he was gaen to speak me fair, and I cam' to the door, and a'
at once I saw the twa cups that I had set on the table for Allie and me.

"`Ye're to hae a veesitor the nicht?' said he.

"`Wha' kens?' said I. `I'm ay ready, and it is to be you the nicht.
Come ye away in and take a cup o' tea, and maybe I'll find a drappie o'
something stronger, gin ye'll promise no' to tell the gauger. No' that
I'm feared at _him_. He's a frien' o' mine, and that's mair than I
would mak' bauld to say o' ye're-sel',' said I, giein' another feared
look at the dog. `Come in by, and sit doon.'

"But it was growing late, he said, and he must awa'. He had only a
question to speir at me. Had I, by ony chance, seen his wife passing by
that day? And in whose company?

"`Ye're wife?' said I, as gin I had forgotten. I whiles do forget.

"`Ay, my wife, Mistress Brownrig--her that was Allison Bain!'

"`Oh!' said I then; `bonny Allie Bain? Ay, I did that! In the early,
_early_ mornin' I saw her ower yonder, lying wi' her face on the
new-made grave.'

"I spak' laich (low) when I said it.

"`And did ye no' speak to her?' said he.

"`I daured na,' said I.

"`And which way went she?' said he.

"`She stood up on her feet, and looked about her like one dazed, and
then somebody spoke to her from ower the wall. And in a wee while I
cam' round and said a word, but she never answered me.'

"`And wha was the man? Or was it a man?'

"`Oh! ay. It was a man. It was the minister's son wha has come lately
frae America. But I heard na a word he said.'

"`Hadden?' he said. `I'll hae a word wi' him.' And he gaed off in a
hurry, and I was glad enow. Then I cried after him: `Take ye're dog wi'
ye, and the next time ye come leave him at hame.' But he never heeded,
but hurried awa'."

"And what happened then?" asked Saunners, trying to hide the interest he
took in the story, le