s does, when he's dressed like that, before he kisses me
good-night, but he takes off his boots and things first,' and she sobbed
again, for fear Perrowne was coming to kiss them all, put out the
candles, and go to bed. If Miss Du Plessis had not been a sober-minded
lass, she would have laughed out in the middle of the choir. As it was,
she had to hand Marjorie over to a neighbour in a back seat, before the
bit lassie would be comforted."

"Ah! did you ever now? the little innocent!"

"It's not that improbable that there'll be a marriage in the church
before long. Perrowne's just clean daft and infatuated with his
occasional soprano. He's sent her the 'Mirror of Devotion' and the
'Soul's Questioner,' and a lot of nicely bound trash, and walks home
with her whenever he has the chance, to the scandal and rage of all his
farmers' daughters. It's very injudeecious o' Perrowne, and has dreeven
two of his best families to the Kirk. Not that she's no a braw looking
lass, stately and deegnified, but she has na the winsomeness of Miss
Marjorie."

"Is that your quarter, Mr. Errol?"

"Hech, sirs, I'm an old bachelor that'll never see five and forty again;
but, as we say in Scotch or the vernacular Doric, 'an auld carle micht
dae waur.' There's not a more sensible, modest, blithesome, bonnie
lassie in all the land. It's a thousand peeties some young, handsome,
well to do steady, God-fearing man has na asked at her to be 'the light
o' his ain fireside.' Gin I were as young as you, Mr. Coristine, I would
na think twice about it."

"Avaunt, tempter!" cried the lawyer, "such a subject as matrimony is
strictly tabooed between me and my friend."

"I'll be your friend, I hope, but I cannot afford to taboo marriages.
Not to speak of the fees, they're the life of a well-ordered, healthy
congregation."

A neat turn-out, similar to that of Mrs. Thomas, came rattling along the
road. "That's John Carruthers' team," remarked the minister, and such it
turned out to be.

"Maister Errol," said its only occupant, a strong and honest-faced man
with a full brown beard, "yon's a fine hanky panky trick to play wi'
your ain elder an' session clerk."

"Deed John," returned the minister, relapsing into the vernacular; "I
didna ken ye were i' the toon ava, but 'oor bit dander has gien us the
opportunity o' becomin' acquent wi' twa rale dacent lads." Then, turning
to the lawyer, "excuse our familiar talk, Mr. Coristine, and let me
introduce Squir