raith would not be long absent, wishing to
give him a pleasant surprise, they had gone on with the erection of his
house, and completed it, declaring that as their reward they would sell
their property, for which they had had several advantageous offers, and
go and live with him till they should fix on another location further
off in the wilderness, to bring under cultivation.

"He must have been at home several weeks, and had plenty of time to
arrange his affairs with his brothers," observed David.

"I wonder he has not written to us. Perhaps the letter, or the vessel
herself bringing it, may have been lost," observed Donald. "That has
been the fate of several of Margaret's letters. Depend upon it we shall
hear from him or our sister before long, and he is sure to pay her a
visit before he comes back, that he may bring us news of her and Janet."

They were seated together one evening in their log-house, their meal
just placed on the table. "I fancy I heard footsteps," said David.
"Yes, some one hails."

It was Alec Galbraith's voice. Donald and David rushed out. There
stood Margaret and Alec Galbraith, while dear old Janet followed with
eager looks close behind them. Donald, seizing his sister's hands, drew
her to him, while David grasped those of Alec, till his brother could
relinquish Margaret to him, and then land Janet, rushing forward, threw
her arms around both the brother's necks, and sobbed out, "My bairns, my
bairns, though I feared the salt sea I would have gone over more than
twice the distance to hold ye thus agen!"

The new arrivals were soon seated at the already spread board. As
Margaret happened to place her hand on the table Donald observed a plain
gold ring on her finger.

"What!" he exclaimed, turning quickly to Alec. "Is it really so?"

"I thought we should surprise you," he answered, laughing. "But I would
not come away without her, and as she knew that you would mourn my
absence, she at last consented to return with me as my wife, provided
Janet would come also. It was a hard matter, however, I can assure you,
to persuade her to venture across the ocean."

"Indeed, my dear Donald," said Margaret, when she and her brother were
shortly afterwards together, and her husband was absent, "much as I
found I loved him, and had loved him since I was a girl, I would not
have consented to be his wife had I not been convinced that he had
abandoned those infidel principles which had caused h