or ten year auld at that time. Ay,
ay, an' he's come back. What a state Eppie 'll be in!"

"Tell's wha he is, mother."

"Od, he's Eppie Guthrie's son. Her man was William Geogehan, but he
died afore you was born, an' as Jeames was their only bairn, the name
o' Geogehan's been a kind o' lost sicht o'. Hae ye seen him, Hendry?
Is't true 'at he made a fortune in thae far-awa countries? Eppie 'll
be blawin' aboot him richt?"

"There's nae doubt aboot the siller," said Hendry, "for he drove in a
carriage frae Tilliedrum, an' they say he needs a closet to hing his
claes in, there's sic a heap o' them. Ay, but that's no a' he's
brocht, na, far frae a'."

"Dinna gang awa till ye've telt's a' aboot 'im. What mair has he
brocht?"

"He's brocht a wife," said Hendry, twisting his face curiously.

"There's naething surprisin' in that."

"Ay, but there is, though. Ye see, Eppie had a letter frae 'im no mony
weeks syne, sayin' 'at he wasna deid, an' he was comin' hame wi' a
fortune. He said, too, 'at he was a single man, an' she's been
boastin' aboot that, so you may think 'at she got a surprise when he
hands a wuman oot o' the carriage."

"An' no a pleasant ane," said Jess. "Had he been leein'?"

"Na, he was single when he wrote, an' single when he got the length o'
Tilliedrum. Ye see, he fell in wi' the lassie there, an' juist gaed
clean aft his heid aboot her. After managin' to withstand the women o'
foreign lands for a' thae years, he gaed fair skeer aboot this stocky
at Tilliedrum. She's juist seventeen years auld, an' the auld fule
sits wi' his airm round her in Eppie's hoose, though they've been
mairit this fortnicht."

"The doited fule," said Jess.

Jeames Geogehan and his bride became the talk of Thrums, and Jess saw
them from her window several times. The first time she had only eyes
for the jacket with fur round it worn by Mrs. Geogehan, but
subsequently she took in Jeames.

"He's tryin' to carry't aff wi' his heid in the air," she said, "but I
can see he's fell shamefaced, an' nae wonder. Ay, I'se uphaud he's
mair ashamed o't in his heart than she is. It's an awful like thing o'
a lassie to marry an auld man. She had dune't for the siller. Ay,
there's pounds' worth o' fur aboot that jacket."

"They say she had siller hersel," said Tibbie Birse.

"Dinna tell me," said Jess. "I ken by her wy o' carryin' hersel 'at
she never had a jacket like that afore."

Eppie was not the only person i