n go with me! At this I was amazed, because
it was not at all like mother; and knowing how well I had behaved, ever
since the time of our snowing up, I was a little moved to tell her that
she could not understand me. However my sense of duty kept me, and my
knowledge of the catechism, from saying such a thing as that, or even
thinking twice of it. And so I took her at her word, which she was
not prepared for; and telling her how proud I was of her trust in
Providence, and how I could run in my new snow-shoes, I took a short
pipe in my mouth, and started forth accordingly.

CHAPTER XLIII

NOT TOO SOON

When I started on my road across the hills and valleys (which now were
pretty much alike), the utmost I could hope to do was to gain the crest
of hills, and look into the Doone Glen. Hence I might at least descry
whether Lorna still was safe, by the six nests still remaining, and the
view of the Captain's house. When I was come to the open country, far
beyond the sheltered homestead, and in the full brunt of the wind, the
keen blast of the cold broke on me, and the mighty breadth of snow. Moor
and highland, field and common, cliff and vale, and watercourse, over
all the rolling folds of misty white were flung. There was nothing
square or jagged left, there was nothing perpendicular; all the rugged
lines were eased, and all the breaches smoothly filled. Curves, and
mounds, and rounded heavings, took the place of rock and stump; and all
the country looked as if a woman's hand had been on it.

Through the sparkling breadth of white, which seemed to glance my eyes
away, and outside the humps of laden trees, bowing their backs like a
woodman, I contrived to get along, half-sliding and half-walking, in
places where a plain-shodden man must have sunk, and waited freezing
till the thaw should come to him. For although there had been such
violent frost, every night, upon the snow, the snow itself, having never
thawed, even for an hour, had never coated over. Hence it was as soft
and light as if all had fallen yesterday. In places where no drift had
been, but rather off than on to them, three feet was the least of
depth; but where the wind had chased it round, or any draught led like a
funnel, or anything opposed it; there you might very safely say that
it ran up to twenty feet, or thirty, or even fifty, and I believe some
times a hundred.

At last I got to my spy-hill (as I had begun to call it), although I
never should h