lat him come till I'm out o' this. He'll tak'
me wi' him," cried Annie.

Mary stood waiting the result.

"But you must go home, you know, Annie," said Mrs Forbes, kindly.

"Ay, but no wi' _him_," pleaded Annie.

From what Mrs Forbes knew of the manners and character of Bruce, she
was not altogether surprised at Annie's reluctance. So, turning to the
maid, she said--

"Have you told Mr Bruce that Miss Anderson is here?"

"Me tell him! No, mem. What's _his_ business?"

"Mary, you forget yourself."

"Weel, mem, I canna bide him."

"Hold your tongue, Mary," said her mistress, hardly able to restrain
her own amusement, "and take the child into my room till he is gone.
But perhaps he knows you are here, Annie?"

"He canna ken that, mem. He jumps at things whiles, though, sharp
eneuch."

"Well, well! We shall see."

So Mary led Annie away to the sanctuary of Mrs Forbes's bed-room.

But the Bruce was not upon Annie's track at all. His visit wants a few
words of explanation.

Bruce's father had been a faithful servant to Mr Forbes's father, who
held the same farm before his son, both having been what are called
gentlemen-farmers. The younger Bruce, being anxious to set up a shop,
had, for his father's sake, been assisted with money by the elder
Forbes. This money he had repaid before the death of the old man, who
had never asked any interest for it. More than a few years had not
passed before Bruce, who had a wonderful capacity for petty business,
was known to have accumulated some savings in the bank. Now the younger
Forbes, being considerably more enterprising than his father, had spent
all his capital upon improvements--draining, fencing, and such
like--when a younger brother, to whom he was greatly attached, applied
to him for help in an emergency, and he had nothing of his own within
his reach wherewith to aid him. In this difficulty he bethought him of
Bruce, to borrow from whom would not involve the exposure of the fact
that he was in any embarrassment, however temporary--an exposure very
undesirable in a country town like Glamerton.

After a thorough investigation of the solvency of Mr Forbes, and a
proper delay for consideration besides, Bruce supplied him with a
hundred pounds upon personal bond, at the usual rate of interest, for a
certain term of years. Mr Forbes died soon after, leaving his affairs
in some embarrassment in consequence of his outlay. Mrs Forbes had paid
the interest of the debt no