school with her, and a neighbour's son, courted her, when
they came to man's and woman's estate, for a long time. My father was a
cotter on Sandyknowe farm, a worthy, God-fearing man, but sore
distressed with the rheumatics, that came upon him long before he was
an old man, and often laid him off work. His sons went about their own
business; and he used to say that though they might help him in the way
of money nows and thens, it was from his two lasses that he had the
most comfort. Bessie waited till I was grown up and at service in a
good place, where I pleased the mistress, before she married Willie. My
father went home with her, and lived but three years afterwards, saying
always that Bessie and Willie were good bairns to him, and his grey
hairs went down to the grave in peace.

"But, wae-sakes! bairns came to Bessie thick and fast, and Willie took
a bad cough, and fell into a decline. He just wasted away, and died one
cold winter day, leaving her with four young things, and another
coming. Bessie did not fold her hands in idle lamentation when the
desire of her eyes was removed with a stroke. No, she went to the
outwork, and wrought double hard; owre hard, poor thing, for after
little Willie was born she never looked up. And then and there I vowed
to God and to her that I would do a mother's part by her orphans as
long as life was vouchsafed to me.

"Willie's father and mother had left Sandyknowe, and gone to a place
about forty miles off. They were living poorly enough, but they came to
me in my desolation, and offered to take the bairns if we--that is, my
brothers and me--would help whiles with money to get them through. But,
you see, James and Sandy were married men, with families of their own,
and Robert and Daniel were like to be married soon, and it was borne on
my mind that I was to be the chief person to be depended on.

"I went home to my place at Greenwells. It was a big farmhouse, and I
was kitchenmaid, and had the milking of the kye, and the making of the
butter and cheese to do, and such like, and Mrs. Henderson said that I
was a faithful industrious lass. But, dear me! what was seven pounds by
the year to maintain the bairns? I thought over it and over it on the
Sabbath night after I came home. I tried to read--the 14th of John's
Gospel--but my heart would be troubled and afraid in spite of those
bonnie consoling words. I knew the old people, the Lowries, were not
the best hands for bringing up the