“ What laird ?” inquired I, smiling at the metaphorical language of my new acquaintance. “ Eredine himsel”, lady; his grandfather and my great-grandmother were sister and brother childer;" meaning, as I afterwards found, that these ancestors were cousins.

"And will the laird do nothing for his relation?" said I.

"That's what he would, Madam, and that indeed would he," returned Cecil, laying an odd emphasis upon the pronoun, and gesticulating with great solemnity. "He's no' the man to take the child out of the cradle and put out the smoke."

Why do you not apply to him then ?” "Indeed lady I'm no' going to trouble the laird. Ye see he might think that I judged he was like bound to uphold me and mine, because Jemmy was away wi' Mr Kenneth, ye see.”

"What then will you do? Will you allow yourself to be stripped of all?”

"If I could make my way home, lady," returned the Highlander," I should do well enough, we must not expect to be

always full-handed.

What I think the

most upon is, that they should sell the bit cloth that mysel' span to row us in."

"To roll you in!" repeated I, utterly unable to guess what constituted the peculiar value of this bit of cloth.

Aye," returned Cecil," to wind Jemmy and me in, with your leave, when we are at our rest; and a bonnier bit linen ye could na' see. The like of yoursel' might have lain in it, lady, or Miss Graham hersel'."

I could scarcely help smiling at the tears which poor Cecil was now shedding over the loss of this strange luxury; and looked up to find some trace of folly in the countenance of one who, robbed of all her worldly possessions, bestowed her largest regrets upon a fine winding-sheet. But no trace of folly was there. The cool sagacity, indicated by the clear broad forehead and the distinct low-set eyebrow, was enlivened by the sparkle of a quick black eye; and her firm sharply chiseled face, though disfigured by its national latitude of cheek, presented a strong contrast to the dull vul

vinci surrounded her.

Wer ny examination was closed, I inoured how far distant was the home of WIL SIE IMĖ SPOKER.

* Did you ever hear of a place they call Guan Ereñime ?" said Cecil, answering my Cuestion by another. It is like a hundred mes and a ic, west and north from this."

← And how do you propose to travel so fær at surt a season ?”

- If be the w of the Best, I must just ask a morsel, with your leave, upon the way. I not have much to carryonly the infant on my breast, and a pickle stuff I have gathered for my mother. This one is a stout lad-bairn-God save him; he'll walk on's feet a bit now and then.”

Though my English feelings revolted from the ease with which my Highlander condescended to begging, I could not help admiring the fortitude with which this young creature, for she did not seem above two and twenty, looked forward to a journey over frozen mountains, and lonely wilds, which she must traverse on foot, encumbered by two infants, and exposed to

the rigour of a stormy season. I stood pondering the means of preventing these evils, and at last asked her "whether the parish would not bestow somewhat towards procuring her a conveyance ?"

"What's your will?" said Cecil, as if she did not quite comprehend me, though at the same time I saw her redden deeply. Thinking she had misunderstood me, I varied the terms of my question. Cecil's eyes flashed fire. "The poor's box!" said she, breathing short from the effort to suppress her indignation, "Good troth there's nobody needs even me to the like. The parish indeed! No, no, we have come to much, but we have no come to that yet" She paused, and tears rose to her eyes. 66 My dear dog,"* said she, caressing her little boy, "ye shall want both house and hauld before your mother cast shame upon ye, and your father so far away."

Confounded at the emotion which I had unwittingly occasioned, I apologized as well as I was able, assuring her that I had not

* Mo cuilean ghaolach.-Gaelic.

fe as a country, persons of the mis estemte

Wie zomer i Dr ászzát TK

cape of parish ad Atlas I pari succested in pairing my Harmander To be wre," wid she, every are mist have is om fato, and i mat come easy enough to the like of them; but its no' to be thought that people that's come of respected gentles will go to damaun themselves and all that belongs them.

66

“I was ackowledging my mistake, and endeavouring to excuse it upon the plea of a stranger's ignorance, when one of the crowd advanced to inform Cecil that her treasured web was then offering for sale; and, so far as I could understand the barbarous jargon of the speaker, seemed to urge the rightful owner to buy it back. Cecil's answer was rather more intelligible. "Well, well," said she, " if it be ordained, mysel' shall lie in the bare boards, for that pound shall never be broken by me." "What pound?" inquired I.

"A note that Jemmy willed to his mo

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