," he said laying it on the table, "an' leave my
hoose. Man, you're a pitiable crittur to tak the chance, when I was
oot, o' playin' upon the poverty o' an onweel woman."

It was with such unwonted severity as this that Hendry called upon
Jamie to follow him to church; but the boy went off, and did not return
till dusk, defiant and miserable. Jess had been so terrified that she
forgave him everything for sight of his face, and Hendry prayed for him
at family worship with too much unction. But Leeby cried as if her
tender heart would break. For a long time Jamie refused to look at
her, but at last he broke down.

"If ye go on like that," he said, "I'll gang awa oot an' droon mysel,
or be a sojer."

This was no uncommon threat of his, and sometimes, when he went off,
banging the door violently, she ran after him and brought him back.
This time she only wept the more, and so both went to bed in misery.
It was after midnight that Jamie rose and crept to Leeby's bedside.
Leeby was shaking the bed in her agony. Jess heard what they said.

"Leeby," said Jamie, "dinna greet, an' I'll never do't again."

He put his arms round her, and she kissed him passionately.

"O, Jamie," she said, "hae ye prayed to God to forgie ye?"

Jamie did not speak.

"If ye was to die this nicht," cried Leeby, "an' you no made it up wi'
God, ye wouldna gang to heaven. Jamie, I canna sleep till ye've made
it up wi' God."

But Jamie still hung back. Leeby slipped from her bed, and went down
on her knees.

"O God, O dear God," she cried, "mak Jamie to pray to you!"

Then Jamie went down on his knees too, and they made it up with God
together.

This is a little thing for me to remember all these years, and yet how
fresh and sweet it keeps Leeby in my memory.

Away up in the glen, my lonely schoolhouse lying deep, as one might
say, in a sea of snow, I had many hours in the years long by for
thinking of my friends in Thrums and mapping out the future of Leeby
and Jamie. I saw Hendry and Jess taken to the churchyard, and Leeby
left alone in the house. I saw Jamie fulfil his promise to his mother,
and take Leeby, that stainless young woman, far away to London, where
they had a home together. Ah, but these were only the idle dreams of a
dominie. The Lord willed it otherwise.

CHAPTER XIX

A TALE OF A GLOVE

So long as Jamie was not the lad, Jess twinkled gleefully over tales of
sweethearting. There was little Kitty Lamby