face as though every word they said
was to be treasured up and remembered for ever. And yet, even while he
humbled himself to a woman, there was always a proud sort of look at the
back of his eye as if he meant to say that it was only to them that he
was so meek, and that he could be stiff enough upon occasion. As to my
mother, it was wonderful the way she softened to him, and in
half-an-hour she had told him all about her uncle, who was a surgeon in
Carlisle, and the highest of any upon her side of the house. She spoke
to him about my brother Rob's death, which I had never heard her mention
to a soul before, and he looked as if the tears were in his eyes over
it--he, who had just told us how he had seen three thousand men starved
to death! As to Edie, she did not say much, but she kept shooting
little glances at our visitor, and once or twice he looked very hard at
her.

When he had gone to his room after breakfast, my father pulled out
eight golden pounds and laid them on the table. "What think ye of
that, Martha?" said he.

"You've sold the twa black tups after all."

"No, but it's a month's pay for board and lodging from Jock's friend,
and as much to come every four weeks."

But my mother shook her head when she heard it.

"Two pounds a week is over much," said she; "and it is not when the
poor gentleman is in distress that we should put such a price on his bit
food."

"Tut!" cried my father, "he can very well afford it, and he with a bag
full of gold. Besides, it's his own proposing."

"No blessing will come from that money," said she.

"Why, woman, he's turned your head wi' his foreign ways of speech!"
cried my father.

"Aye, and it would be a good thing if Scottish men had a little more of
that kindly way," she said, and that was the first time in all my life
that I had heard her answer him back.

He came down soon and asked me whether I would come out with him.
When we were in the sunshine he held out a little cross made of red
stones, one of the bonniest things that ever I had set eyes upon.

"These are rubies," said he, "and I got it at Tudela, in Spain.
There were two of them, but I gave the other to a Lithuanian girl.
I pray that you will take this as a memory of your exceedingly kindness
to me yesterday. It will fashion into a pin for your cravat."

I could but thank him for the present, which was of more value than
anything I had ever owned in my life.

"I am off to the upper m