m like a man touched wi' a flash o' lightning--pale
as death and trembling like a leaf. But, when they began to talk big owre
me, and to threaten me wi' bringing the terrors o' the law upon my
head--(and be it remembered I have an exceeding horror o' the law, and
would rather lose a pound ony day, than spend six and eightpence, which is
the least ye can spend on it)--as good luck would have it, while they were
stamping their feet, and shaking their nieves in my face, my mother came
forward to where we were standing, and says she to me--'Nicholas, what is
a' this about? What does Mr Thompson and his sons want?'

"The very sound o' her voice inspired me; I regained my strength and my
courage, as the eagle renews its age. And, simple man as I was--'Sir,' said
I, 'what is it that ye mean? Gae ask your daughter wha it was that had his
arm round her waist on Thursday night last, and her hand upon his shouther!
Go to _him_ to marry her!--but dinna hae the audacity to look me in the
face.'

"'Weel said, Nicol,' whispered my mother, coming behint me, and clapping me
on the back; 'aye act in that manner, my man.'

"And both her faithers and her brothers stood looking one to another for an
answer, and slunk away without saying another word either about the law or
our marriage. I found I had gotten the whip hand o' them most completely.
So, there never was another word between me and bonny Jenny Thompson, who,
within a month, ran away wi' the son o' her faither's laird--and, poor
hizzy, I am sorry to say, her end wasna a good one.

"My mother, however, always kept teasing me about Nancy Bowmaker, and
saying what a notable wife she would make. Now, some folk are foolish
enough to say that they couldna like onybody that was in a manner forced
upon them. And, nae doubt, if either a faither or a mother, or onybody else
that has power owre ye, says--'_Like_ such a one,' it is not in your power
to comply, and actually love the person in obedience to a command. Yet this
I will say, that my mother's sermons to me about Nancy Bowmaker, and my
being always _evened_ to her upon that account, caused me to think more
about her than I did concerning ony other woman under the sun. And ye canna
think lang about ony lass in particular, without beginning to have a sort
o' regard for her, as it were. In short, I began to find that I liked Nancy
just as weel as I had done Jenny; we, therefore, were married, and a most
excellent and affectionate wife