in you to be lending your name to me."

"My name and all that I have," cried the father, and took his son into
the house.

Well, well, it is easy to be writing of that meeting, but the dread of
it that was on me I kent afterwards when we were at meat, when we had
all laughed together. It would be Betty that brought the laughing on
us, for she would be crying to us to ken who was the stranger.

And when Bryde went to her bedside, she scrambled up among her pillows.

"Will you have been fetching a silk dress for Betty?" she cried at him.

"Silk and lace and more," said Bryde.

"Not brandy," says she, her lips pursed up.

"Just brandy."

"Come and be kissing me first," said she, a little tremulously, "and
then we will maybe be having a drop of it."

The halflin, a stout man now, and clever with horse, came in to the
house to be seeing Bryde.

"Ye can be riving the skin off my bones," said he, "for I was telling
her about yon."

"About what?" said Bryde, but I think that he kent, for his face was
dark.

"About the words ye would be telling her yon night ye left wi' the
kist, and her not there to be hearing. She would be giving me siller,"
said the halflin.

I am thinking he would get mair siller. And most of that day, it would
be nothing but questions, Bryde sitting with his brother on his knee,
and Dan going out of himself with little kindnesses.

"Hugh is not married, ye tell me. What ails the man?"

"Och," said I, "his days o' freedom will be getting fewer, for they
will be at the marrying soon."

"We will be having a spree then," said Bryde. "I am thinking I have a
present for Mistress Helen in my traps."

And his kists and bags and droll cases came from the stone quay in the
evening, and I was greatly taken with the cunningness of the cases of
leather, fashioned likely from a cow belly, and with the hair still
sticking, although maybe a little bare and worn, and the corners
clamped with iron, making a box of leather of a handy shape for a pack
beast, or easy to be stored in a ship.

And the cries of Betty when she had her dress (all of fine black silk
with much lace, fine like cobwebs), the cries of her were heartening in
a body so old, but maybe a little foolish. For his mother he had a
host of things--a chain of fine gold with a pearl here and there at
intervals, and a watch for me of chased silver, very large and
handsome. To his father he gave a bridle of plaited hair and
ornamented w