the world without seems
cold in death. It is as if the heart of the earth did not mean to
continue beating.

"This is a fearsome nicht," Hendry said, hoarsely.

He turned to grope his way to the stairs, but suddenly went down on his
knees to pray. . . .

There was a quick step outside. I arose in time to see the doctor on
the brae. He tried the latch, but Leeby was there to show him in. The
door of the room closed on him.

From the top of the stair I could see into the dark passage, and make
out Hendry shaking at the door. I could hear the doctor's voice, but
not the words he said. There was a painful silence, and then Leeby
laughed joyously.

"It's gone," cried Jess; "the white spot's gone! Ye juist touched it,
an' it's gone! Tell Hendry."

But Hendry did not need to be told. As Jess spoke I heard him say,
huskily: "Thank God!" and then he tottered back to the kitchen. When
the doctor left, Hendry was still on Jess's armchair, trembling like a
man with the palsy. Ten minutes afterwards I was preparing for bed,
when he cried up the stair--

"Come awa' doon."

I joined the family party in the room: Hendry was sitting close to Jess.

"Let us read," he said, firmly, "in the fourteenth of John."

CHAPTER V

A HUMORIST ON HIS CALLING

After the eight o'clock bell had rung, Hendry occasionally crossed over
to the farm of T'nowhead and sat on the pig-sty. If no one joined him
he scratched the pig, and returned home gradually. Here what was
almost a club held informal meetings, at which two or four, or even
half a dozen assembled to debate, when there was any one to start them.
The meetings were only memorable when Tammas Haggart was in fettle, to
pronounce judgments in his well-known sarcastic way. Sometimes we had
got off the pig-sty to separate before Tammas was properly yoked.
There we might remain a long time, planted round him like trees, for he
was a mesmerising talker.

There was a pail belonging to the pig-sty, which some one would turn
bottom upwards and sit upon if the attendance was unusually numerous.
Tammas liked, however, to put a foot on it now and again in the full
swing of a harangue, and when he paused for a sarcasm I have seen the
pail kicked toward him. He had the wave of the arm that is so
convincing in argument, and such a natural way of asking questions,
that an audience not used to public speaking might have thought he
wanted them to reply. It is an undoubted fac