than the day."

Presently the voice of the preacher came to him in wafts, at the wind's
will, as by the opening and shutting of a door; wild spasms of
screaming, as of some undiscerned gigantic hill-bird stirred with
inordinate passion, succeeded to intervals of silence; and Francie heard
them with a critical ear. "Ay," he thought at last, "he'll do; he has
the bit in his mou' fairly."

He had observed that his friend, or rather his enemy, Jock Crozer, had
been established at a very critical part of the line of outposts;
namely, where the burn issues by an abrupt gorge from the semicircle of
high moors. If anything was calculated to nerve him to battle it was
this. The post was important; next to the Hill-end itself, it might be
called the key to the position; and it was where the cover was bad, and
in which it was most natural to place a child. It should have been
Heathercat's; why had it been given to Crozer? An exquisite fear of what
should be the answer passed through his marrow every time he faced the
question. Was it possible that Crozer could have boasted? that there
were rumours abroad to his--Heathercat's--discredit? that his honour was
publicly sullied? All the world went dark about him at the thought; he
sank without a struggle into the midnight pool of despair; and every
time he so sank, he brought back with him--not drowned heroism indeed,
but half-drowned courage by the locks. His heart beat very slowly as he
deserted his station, and began to crawl towards that of Crozer.
Something pulled him back, and it was not the sense of duty, but a
remembrance of Crozer's build and hateful readiness of fist. Duty, as he
conceived it, pointed him forward on the rueful path that he was
travelling. Duty bade him redeem his name if he were able, at the risk
of broken bones; and his bones and every tooth in his head ached by
anticipation. An awful subsidiary fear whispered him that if he were
hurt, he should disgrace himself by weeping. He consoled himself,
boy-like, with the consideration that he was not yet committed; he could
easily steal over unseen to Crozer's post, and he had a continuous
private idea that he would very probably steal back again. His course
took him so near the minister that he could hear some of his words:
"What news, minister, of Claver'se? He's going round like a roaring
rampaging lion....

THE GREAT NORTH ROAD

A FRAGMENT

THE GREAT NORTH ROAD

CHAPTER I

NANCE AT TH