door and admitted him; and, when he had entered, she
continued, "O Andrew! what, in the name o' wonder, is the meaning o' the
king's being in a passion at ye? What did ye say or do to him?--or what
can be the meaning o't?"

"It is really very singular, Andrew," interrupted the old woman; "what
_hae_ ye done?--what _is really the meaning o't_?"

"Meaning!" said Andrew, "ye may weel ask that! I maun get awa' into
England this very night, or my life's no worth a straw; and it's ten
chances to ane that it may be safe there. Wha is the king, think
ye?--now, just think wha?"

"Wha _is_ the king!" said Nancy, with a look, and in a tone of
astonishment--"I dinna comprehend ye, Andrew--what do ye mean? Wha can
the king be, but just the king."

"Oh!" said Andrew, "ye mind the chield that cam here wi' me the other
night, that left the gowd noble for the three haddies that him and I had
atween us, and that I gied a clout in the haffets to, and brought the
blood ower his lips, for his behaviour to Jenny!--_yon was the king!_"

"Yon the king!" cried Janet.

"Yon the king?" exclaimed her mother; "and hae I really had the king o'
Scotland in my house, sitting at my fireside, and cooked a supper for
him! Weel, I think, yon the king! Aha! he's a bonny man!"

"O mother!" exclaimed Janet; "bonny here, bonny there, dinna talk
sae--he is threatening the life o' poor Andrew, who has got into trouble
and sorrow on my account. Oh, dear me! what shall I do,
Andrew!--Andrew!" she continued, and wrung her hands.

"There's just ae thing, hinny," said he; "I must endeavour to get to the
other side o' the Tweed, before folk are astir in the morning; so I maun
leave ye directly, but I just ventured to come and bid ye fareweel. And
there's just ae thing that I hae to say and to request, and that is,
that, if I darena come back to Scotland to marry ye, that ye will come
owre to England to me, as soon as I can get into some way o' providing
for ye. Will ye promise, Jenny?"

"Oh yes! yes, Andrew!" she cried, "I'll come to ye--for it is entirely
on my account that ye've to flee. But I'll do mair than that; for this
very week I will go to Edinburgh, and I will watch in the way o' the
king and the queen, and on my knees I'll implore him to pardon ye; and
if he refuses, I ken what I ken."

"Na, na, Jenny dear," said he, "dinna think o' that--I wad rather suffer
banishment, and live in jeopardy for ever, than that ye should place
yoursel in his po