o get
in; for he felt very much as Lady Godiva would have felt if her hair or
her heroism had proved unworthy of confidence.

Poor Murdoch had no mother and no wife; he could not go home and be
comforted. Nor was he a youth, to whom a first failure might be of
small consequence. He was five and forty, and his head was sprinkled
with grey; he was schoolmaster, and everybody knew him; he had boys
under him. As he walked along the deserted streets, he felt that he was
running the gauntlet of scorn; but every one who saw him coming along
with his head sunk on his bosom, drew back from the window till he had
gone by. Returning to the window to look after him, they saw, about
twenty yards behind him, a solitary little figure, with the tears
running down its face, stumping slowly step by step, and keeping the
same distance, after the dejected master.

When Mr Malison went into the vestry, Truffey had gone into the porch,
and there staid till he passed on his way home. Then with stealthily
set crutch, putting it down as the wild beast sets down his miching
paw, out sprang Truffey and after the master. But however silently
Truffey might use his third leg, the master heard the _stump stump_
behind him, and felt that he was followed home every foot of the way by
the boy whom he had crippled. He felt, too, in some dim degree which
yet had practical results, that the boy was taking divine vengeance
upon him, heaping on his head the coals of that consuming fire which is
love, which is our God. And when the first shame was over, the thought
of Truffey came back with healing on his lonely heart.

When he reached his own door, he darted in and closed it behind, as if
to shut out the whole world through which he had passed with that
burden of contempt upon his degraded shoulders. He was more ashamed of
his failure than he had been sorry for laming Truffey. But the shame
would pass; the sorrow would endure.

Meantime two of his congregation, sisters, poor old _mutched wifies_,
were going home together. They were distantly related to the
schoolmaster, whom they regarded as the honour of the family, as their
bond of relation with the world above them in general and with the
priesthood in particular. So when Elspeth addressed Meg with reference
to the sermon in a manner which showed her determination to acknowledge
no failure, Meg took her cue directly.

"Eh! woman; it's a sair ootluik for puir fowk like us, gin things be
gaein that ga