e whisper
out of the lattice, and then came this morning to rake out the
footsteps. I've been watching sin' ten, that I have, and had no chance
of warning ye when I saw the rogue had two to help him. And even then,
my lassie, I thought they were only to take care of him, instead of
being midnight robbers. But I sune fun them oot."

"Oh, Mr McCray, it was a blessing you came!" sobbed Jane.

"Weel, yes, lassie, I just think it was. But ye'll no foregather with
the villin no more, will ye? Ye'll ne'er speak to him again?"

"No, no--oh, never!" groaned Jane.

"That's weel; and I won't judge you for greeting over it all a bit,
lassie. Your puir heart's sair now, but it will heal up again, never
fear. And now, I won't say ony mair to ye, only recollect, Miss Jenny,
I'm an honest man, and I lo'e ye verra dearly."

Mr McCray had been growing somewhat excited as he spoke, and hence more
broad in his language; but he cooled down into the matter-of-fact
gardener after delivering himself of the above, and took a pinch of
snuff to calm his feelings; for he felt that it would be wrong to press
his suit with the poor girl while she was in such trouble, and his
Scottish dignity was roused. Here was a damsel in distress--and were
not the McCrays honourable men, from the time when they all wore plaid
and wielded claymore, down to the present day, when their representative
followed the pursuit of his forefather Adam?

"Oh, what is to become of me?" sobbed Jane.

"Just nothing at all but an honest man's wife one of these days," said
Sandy.

"What shall I do?" cried Jane.

"Just wipe your bright eyes, and don't talk quite so loud," said Sandy.

"Oh, they'll all be down directly," cried Jane.

"Weel, I don't know that," said Sandy. "If any folk had been coming,
they'd have been here sooner; so I think as no one knows anything about
it but we twain, my lassie, why, ye'd better put oot the candle, and
lock the door, and then go up to bed."

"But do you think no one will know?" sobbed Jane.

"That's just what I do think, my lassie; and if ye'll promise me, like a
good girl, never to have word again with Mr Jock Gurdon, I'll be up wi'
the dawn, and put the damage reet outside, and then nobody'll be a bit
the wiser."

"Oh, Mr McCray, how can I ever thank you?" sobbed Jane, catching one of
his great hands in hers. "I do promise you, indeed!" And she tried to
kiss it.

"Nay--nay, my puir bairn, that's for me to do." A