ht enough in saying, 'I should soon tire;'
but tire or not, I am too proud to go back--no! Young Charles Hobbins
shall marry Jane Somers. I will settle them here for three or four
months in the summer, and we can all go back to his house for the rest
of the year. A real chieftain will be something to look at there,
though, in this cursed country, it does not seem to create much
admiration. What can be keeping sister Alice?"

The gentleman walked to the window once more, and, opening it a little
way, shouted "Angus Mohr! Angus Mohr!" A feeble voice in a short time
answered from the dilapidated end of the building.

"Her's comin'--fat ta teil does ta fat havril want?" Uncertain steps
not long after sounded along the creaking passage; the door was
opened, and presented to the impatient glance of the new proprietor
the visage of the grumbling Gael. He was an old decrepit man, with
bright ferocious eyes gleaming through his elf-locks. If he had
succeeded in making a "swap" of his habiliments with any scarecrow
south of the Tay, he would have had by far the best of the bargain,
for his whole toilet consisted in a coarse blue kilt or petticoat (for
it had none of the checkers that give a showy appearance to the kilt);
his stocking--for he only rejoiced in one--was wrinkled down almost
over his shoe; his coat was tattered and torn in every variety of
raggedness; and the filth, which was almost thick enough to cover the
glaring redness of his fortnight's beard, showed that Angus Mohr took
very little interest in the great question about the soap duties. "Fat
d'ye want, auld man?" inquired the visitor--"bringin' a poddy a' this
way to hear yer havers."

"I merely wish to know, Angus, if there is any lad here you can send
to the side of the hill to see if a carriage is coming this way."

"Tere's a laud oot in the byre," replied Angus; "but he's four score
year auld, an' has been teaf and blind since they took him to
Inferness jail for dirking the packman--teil tak their sowls for
pittin an honest man in ony such places--ye can pid him gang, if ye
like."

"Why, if he's deaf and blind, Angus, he will be no great help."

"Ten gang yersell; petter that than sitting filling yer pig wame wi'
whisky."

"You shall have a glass, Angus, when I have tea brought in."

"An' little thanks for it too. It's a small reward for comin' a' this
way through the cauld."

"You may go now," said our fat friend, who was now more anxious to get