s Allison Bain!"

Then he rose and moved about the room. He, too, had something to say of
Allison Bain--something which it would be a pain for the sick man to
hear, but which must be said, and there might come no better time for
saying it than this. And yet he shrunk from the task. He paused by the
window and took out his watch.

"Mistress Allison," said he, speaking, as was his way when addressing
her, with the utmost gentleness and respect, "I have half an hour at my
disposal to-day. Go your ways down to the sands, and breathe the fresh
air while I am here. The days are too short to put it off later, and
you need the change."

"Yes, I will go," said Allison.

"And do not return to-night, neither here nor to the long ward. Mind, I
say you must not."

As her hand was on the latch Brownrig called her name. When she came
and stood beside the bed he looked at her, but did not speak.

"Were you needing anything?" she asked, gently.

"No. Oh! no, only just to see your face. You'll come early in the
morning?"

"Yes, I will come early."

But as she moved away there came into her eyes a look as of some
frightened woodland creature, hemmed in and eager to escape. There was
silence for a moment, and just as the doctor was about to speak,
Brownrig said:

"Yes, it was well to send her away to get the air, and what I have to
say may as well be said now, for it must not be said in her hearing.
And it may be better to say it to you than to Rainy, who is but a--no
matter what he is. But to you I must say this. Think of Allison Bain!
Think of my wife,--for she _is_ my wife, for all that's come and gone.
It is for her sake that I would fain win home to Blackhills. It is to
help to make it all easy for her afterward. If I were to die here, do
you not see that it would be a hard thing for her to go and lay me down
yonder, in the sight of them who canna but mind the time, when she
seemed to think that the touch of my hand on his coffin would do
dishonour to her father's memory among them? It would hurt her to go
from my grave to take possession of her own house, with the thought of
all that in her mind, and with all their een upon her. But if they were
to see us there together, and to ken all that she has done and been to
me for the last months, they would see that we had forgiven one another,
and they would understand. Then she would take her right place easily
and naturally, and none would dare to say that sh