"tit for tat."

I told him I was ready to prove my gratitude in any reasonable degree,
and then waited, looking for some monstrous demand. And yet, when at
last he plucked up courage to speak, it was only to tell me (very
properly, as I thought) that he was growing old and a little broken, and
that he would expect me to help him with the house and the bit garden.

I answered, and expressed my readiness to serve.

"Well," he said, "let's begin." He pulled out of his pocket a rusty key.
"There," says he, "there's the key of the stair-tower at the far end of
the house. Ye can only win into it from the outside, for that part of
the house is no' finished. Gang ye in there, and up the stairs, and
bring me down the chest that's at the top. There's papers in't," he
added.

"Can I have a light, sir?" said I.

"Na," said he, very cunningly. "Nae lights in my house."

"Very well, sir," said I. "Are the stairs good?"

"They're grand," said he; and then as I was going, "Keep to the wall,"
he added; "there's nae banisters. But the stairs are grand under foot."

Out I went into the night. The wind was still moaning in the distance,
though never a breath of it came near the house of Shaws. It had fallen
blacker than ever; and I was glad to feel along the wall, till I came
the length of the stair-tower door at the far end of the unfinished
wing. I had got the key into the keyhole and had just turned it, when
all upon a sudden, without sound of wind or thunder, the whole sky
lighted up with wild-fire and went black again. I had to put my hand
over my eyes to get back to the colour of the darkness; and indeed I was
already half blinded when I stepped into the tower.

It was so dark inside, it seemed a body could scarce breathe; but I
pushed out with foot and hand, and presently struck the wall with the
one, and the lowermost round of the stair with the other. The wall, by
the touch, was of fine hewn stone; the steps too, though somewhat steep
and narrow, were of polished mason-work, and regular and solid under
foot. Minding my uncle's word about the banisters, I kept close to the
tower side, and felt my way in the pitch darkness with a beating heart.

The house of Shaws stood some five full stories high, not counting
lofts. Well, as I advanced, it seemed to me the stair grew airier and a
thought more lightsome; and I was wondering what might be the cause of
this change, when a second blink of the summer lightning came and went.