ough Angus Dhu "eyed her" at such times. And,
besides, she was too busy to go there or anywhere else. But her cousins
came often to see her when the day's work was over; and Shenac, the
youngest, who was her father's favourite, and who could take liberties
that none of the others could have done at her age, came at other times.
She was older than our Shenac by a year or so; but she was little and
merry, and her jet-black hair was cut close to her head like a child's,
so she seemed much younger. She could not come too often. She was
equally welcome to the grave, quiet Hamish and the boyish Dan, and more
welcome to Shenac than to either. For she never hindered work, but
helped it rather. She brought the news, too, and fought hot, merry
battles with the lads, and for the time shook even Hamish out of the
grave ways that were becoming habitual to him, and did Shenac herself
good by reminding her that she was not an old woman burdened with care,
but a young girl not sixteen, to whom fun and frolic ought to be
natural.

There were not many newspapers taken in those parts about that time; but
Angus Dhu took one, and Shenac used to come over the fence with it, and,
giving it to Hamish, would take his hoe or rake and go on with his work
while he read the news to the rest. The newspaper was English, of
course. Gaelic was the language spoken at home--the language in which
the Bible was read, and the Catechism said; but the young people all
spoke and read English. And very good English too, as far as it went;
for it was book-English, learned at school from books that are now
considered out of date. But they were very good books for all that.
They used to have long discussions about the state of the world as they
gathered it from the newspapers--not always grave or wise, but useful,
especially to Shenac, by keeping her in mind of what in her untiring
industry she was in danger of forgetting, that there was a wide world
beyond these quiet lines within which they were living, where nobler
work than the mere earning of bread was being done by worthy and willing
hands.

CHAPTER FIVE.

July had come. There was a little pause in the field-work, for all the
seed had been sown and all the weeds pulled up, and they were waiting
for a week or two to pass, and then the haying was to begin. Even
haying did not promise to be a very busy season with them, for the
cutting and caring for the hay in their largest field would this