th was asleep in the cradle. Robert,
the eldest, just fifteen, was a "good scholar," and dux in the parish
school. He was ready for the university, and was going there when the
way should be made clear for him. As a general thing, he had a book in
his hand while he munched the oaten bannocks, which formed the chief
part of the boys' evening meal. But to-night he listened and put in his
word with the rest. And there were words in plenty, for their father
had been away ten whole days, and he had much to hear.

The others were handsome, hardy boys, with dark eyes and sun-browned
faces, and the fair hair of so many Scottish laddies, darkening a little
already in the elder ones. They were seen at their best to-night, for
their father had been expected, and clean hands and faces had been a
matter of choice, and not, as was sometimes the case, of compulsion, and
"the lint white locks," longer and more abundant than we usually see
them on boyish heads nowadays, were in reasonable order.

If a hundredth part of the pride and delight which filled their father's
heart, as he looked round on them, had been allowed to appear on his
face, it would have astonished them all not a little. His eyes met
those of their mother with a look in which was thankfulness as well as
pride, but to the boys themselves he said quietly enough:

"I am glad to hear from your mother that you have been reasonably good
boys while I have been away. If there is anything that any of you think
I ought to hear of, you'll tell me yourselves."

A look was exchanged among the older lads.

"The nicht, father?" said one of them.

"Well, to-morrow may do, unless it be something more than usual. Is it
Jack?"

Of course it was Jack. He looked at his mother and hung his head, but
said nothing.

"Hoot, man! get it over the nicht," whispered Robin.

And so he did. But poor Jack's mischief need not be told. It was not
really very serious, though his father listened seriously, and kept his
smiles till he was alone with the boy's mother. _Mischief_ is a generic
term in the Scottish tongue, including some things bad enough, but also
some things in which fun is one of the chief elements, and Jack's
_mischief_ was mostly of this kind. Sometimes his father laughed in
private, even when he found it necessary to show displeasure to the
culprit.

But he was reasonable in his punishments, which was not invariably the
case with even good men and good fathers,