ane there, where we have not
lingered. Outside of these, I bade her confine herself entirely to our
lodgings; this in the fear of her encountering any acquaintance, which
would have rendered our position very difficult. From the same
apprehension I would never suffer her to attend church, nor even go
myself; but made some kind of shift to hold worship privately in our own
chamber--I hope with an honest, but I am quite sure with a very much
divided mind. Indeed, there was scarce anything that more affected me
than thus to kneel down alone with her before God like man and wife.

One day it was snowing downright hard. I had thought it not possible
that we should venture forth, and was surprised to find her waiting for
me ready dressed.

"I will not be doing without my walk," she cried. "You are never a good
boy, Davie, in the house; I will never be caring for you only in the
open air. I think we two will better turn Egyptian and dwell by the
roadside."

That was the best walk yet of all of them; she clung near to me in the
falling snow; it beat about and melted on us, and the drops stood upon
her bright cheeks like tears and ran into her smiling mouth. Strength
seemed to come upon me with the sight like a giant's; I thought I could
have caught her up and run with her into the uttermost places in the
earth; and we spoke together all that time beyond belief for freedom and
sweetness.

It was the dark night when we came to the house-door. She pressed my arm
upon her bosom. "Thank you kindly for these same good hours," said she,
on a deep note of her voice.

The concern in which I fell instantly on this address put me with the
same swiftness on my guard; and we were no sooner in the chamber, and
the light made, than she beheld the old, dour, stubborn countenance of
the student of Heineccius. Doubtless she was more than usually hurt; and
I know for myself I found it more than usually difficult to maintain my
strangeness. Even at the meal I durst scarce unbuckle and scarce lift my
eyes to her; and it was no sooner over than I fell again to my civilian,
with more seeming abstraction and less understanding than before.
Methought, as I read, I could hear my heart strike like an eight-day
clock. Hard as I feigned to study, there was still some of my eyesight
that spilled beyond the book upon Catriona. She sat on the floor by the
side of my great mail, and the chimney lighted her up, and shone and
blinked upon her, and made her