e and agreeable.

I would be trying the drink often, and took my glass with the Laird, my
uncle, but it would not be bettering me any, and a man that drink will
not be making merrier company of is in no good way.

At the farm in the hills the halflin would be doing finely--a little
lavish with the feeding, as a body will be when the keep is not his
own, but the beasts would be looking well, and the steading clean and
tidy. Belle, it seemed to me, was a little dazed for many a long day,
and whiles I would be finding her with some wee childish garb of
Bryde's, and greeting and laughing at it in her hands, and old Betty
yammering by the fireside, mixing her stories of bawkins and wee folk,
and the ploys she would be having in her young days at the peats.

There was a moon at the New Year, I mind, and me standing in front of
Belle's house, and Belle herself at the open door, with the light
behind her, when there came to my ears the sound of a shod beast
walking, and, thinks I to myself, this will be a horse broke loose.
Then I saw the beast, and after a little wheedling and coaxing I was
able to get my hand on his bridle. He was a great horse, bigger than
any of ours, and a weight-carrier; but it was the gear on him that I
could not be understanding, for there was on him a heavy saddle with a
high pommel and cantle, and his bridle would have strange contrivances
on it, but especially a spare curb chain strapped to the headpiece, and
the bit was altogether new to me, resembling the bit with the long
curving bars that the old crusaders would be using long ago.

He was thin and drawn up at the belly, but his eye was full and fiery,
and I kent this was no serving-man's beast, but I took him to the
stable and gave him a stall, with dry bracken for a bedding, and a
measure of corn and peas, and the halflin came from the loft and got at
the rubbing of him down, gabbling all the time about pasterns and
withers, and Belle watched me, saying no word.

"There will be word for him in the morning," said I; "this will surely
be a beast from the Castle," and at that Belle went into the house, and
I left the halflin still watching the strange horse and made my way on
foot across the hill. The peewits were circling over me with eerie
cries, and now and then on the moor-side the curlews would be crying
into the night--lonely as I was lonely; and in every heather tussock I
would be seeing shapes, and dreading the thought of the Nameles