m to be close behind.
But in this manner, by his own absent-mindedness, Sir Patrick was
preserved, and so got safely first to London and afterwards to Holland.

Thence Sir Patrick sent home for his wife and family. They came to him
in a ship, and on the way had an adventure. The captain was a sordid and
brutal man, and agreed with them and with several other people to give
them a bed on the passage. So when there arose a dispute who would have
the bed, the Lady Polwarth said nothing. But a gentleman coming to her
said, 'Let them be doing. You will see how it will end.' So two of the
other gentlewomen lay on the bed, the Lady Polwarth with Grisell and a
little sister lying on the floor, with a cloak-bag of books she was
taking to Sir Patrick for their only pillow.

Then in came the captain, and first ate up all their provisions with a
gluttony incredible. Then he said to the women in the bed, 'Turn out,
turn out!' and laid himself down in place of them. But Providence was
upsides with him, for a terrible storm came on, and he had to get up
immediately and go out to try to save the ship. And so he got no more
sleep that night, which pleased the gentlewomen greatly in spite of all
their own fears and pains. They never saw more of him till they landed
at the Brill. From that they set out on foot for Rotterdam with one of
the gentlemen that had been kind to them on the crossing to Holland.

It was a cold, wet, dirty night. Grisell's little sister, a girl not
well able to walk, soon lost her shoes in the dirt. Whereupon the Lady
Polwarth took her upon her back, the gentlemen carrying all their
baggage, and Grisell going through the mire at her mother's side.

At Rotterdam they found their eldest brother and Sir Patrick himself
waiting to conduct them to Utrecht, where their house was. No sooner
were they met again than they forgot everything, and felt nothing but
happiness and contentment.

And even after their happy and prosperous return to Scotland they looked
back on these years in Holland, when they were so poor, and often knew
not whence was to come the day's dinner, as the happiest and most
delightful of their lives. Yet the years of Grisell Baillie's after-life
were neither few nor evil.

_THE CONQUEST OF PERU_

THE YOUTH OF PIZARRO

AT the time when the news of the conquest of Mexico by Cortes, and the
report of its marvellous stores of treasure, were inflaming the minds of
the men of Spain with an ar