e letter," said Mrs
Esselmont in a whisper.

So when Allison came home to see a light in the parlour window, and a
tall shadow moving back and forth upon the blind, she knew who was
waiting for her there.

An hour later Robert Hume came to the house.

"Mistress Allison must have gone to the inn with Mrs Esselmont and her
friends," said Mrs Robb, "and here has the poor lad been waiting for
her in the parlour an hour and more. What can be keepin' her, think
you? And I dinna just like to open the door."

Robert laughed. "Poor fellow, indeed!" said he. "I suppose we may at
least knock and ask leave to open it."

They had seen each other already, but the hands of the two young men met
in a clasp which said some things which neither would have cared to put
into words for the other's hearing. Then Robert turned to Allison, who
was sitting there "just as usual," he thought at first. But there was a
look on her face, which neither he nor any one else had seen there till
now.

"No. I am not going to sit down," said Robert. "But I promised my
mother that I would write to-night, to tell her how it all ended, and I
need my time."

"Ended! It is only beginning," said John.

"Robert," said Allison gravely, "does John ken?"

Robert laughed.

"There are few things that John doesna ken, I'm thinking. What I mean
is this. How did old Rainy and you agree at last?"

"Yes, Allison, I ken," said John, as she turned to him, "and I say as
you said: The end is as right as right can be."

"Were you there, John?" said Allison wondering.

"Surely, I was there as Captain Douglas' friend. He had a right to ask
me, you see."

"You know him, John, and Miss Mary?"

"We sailed together, and I had seen Captain Douglas before that time."

"Yes, when he went to see my brother. A friend helped him, he told me,
a friend of Willie's, and I knew it must be you."

John told something of the interview between them, and when a pause
came, Robert, who had been standing all this time, said:

"There is just one thing more which I must tell my mother. When are you
coming home to the manse? and--when is it to be?"

"You are a bold lad, Robin. _I_ have not dared to ask that yet," said
John.

But when Robert was gone he asked it, and Allison was kind and let him
"name the day."

"A week hence! But is not that very soon, considering all you have to
do?"

"Oh, no! All that I have to do can be done after," said John. "Will it