come near
ye. Put in a word for me, neist time, man."

Thomas made him no reply.

Down the Glamour and down the Wan-Water, for the united streams went by
the latter name, the terrible current bore them. Nowhere could Alec
find a fit place to land, till they came to a village, fortunately on
the same side as Howglen, into the street of which the water flowed. He
bent to his oars, got out of the current, and rowed up to the door of a
public-house, whose fat kind-hearted landlady had certainly expected no
guests that day. In a few minutes Annie was in a hot bath, and before
an hour had passed, was asleep, breathing tranquilly. Alec got his boat
into the coach-house, and hiring a horse from the landlord, rode home
to his mother. She had heard only a confused story, and was getting
terribly anxious about him, when he made his appearance. As soon as she
learned that he had rescued Annie, and where he had left her, she had
Dobbin put to the gig, and drove off to see after her neglected
favourite.

From the moment the bridge fell, the flood began to subside. Tibbie's
cottage did not fall, and those who entered, the next day, found her
body lying in the wet bed, its face still shining with the reflex of
the light which broke upon her spirit as the windows were opened for it
to pass.

"See sees noo," said Thomas Crann to James Johnstone, as they walked
together at her funeral. "The Lord sent that spate to wash the scales
frae her een."

Mrs Forbes brought Annie home to Howglen as soon as she was fit to be
moved.

Alec went to town again, starting a week before the commencement of the
session.

CHAPTER LXVI.

It was on a bright frosty evening in the end of October, that Alec
entered once more the streets of the great city. The stars were
brilliant over-head, the gems in Orion's baldric shining oriently, and
the Plough glittering with frost in the cold blue fields of the
northern sky. Below, the streets shone with their own dim stars; and
men and women wove the web of their life amongst them as they had done
for old centuries, forgetting those who had gone before, and careless
of those who were to come after.

The moment he had succeeded in satisfying his landlady's inquisition,
he rushed up to Mr Cupples's room. Mr Cupples was out. What was Alec to
do? He could not call on Mr Fraser that night; and all space between
him and Kate growing more immeasurable the nearer he came to her, he
could not rest for t