a Highland jauntiness which comes stealing
over me when sobriety would set me better. Let the situation be a
different one, uncertain of solution, with heads tipping in the balance,
and an absurd spirit of recklessness straightway possesses me. But now,
with this dear child on my hands, carelessness and I were far apart as the
poles. Anxiety gripped me, and I sweated blood. Yet I must play the
careless traveller, be full of good stories, unperturbed on the surface
and apparently far from alarm. I began to overdo the part, recognized the
fact, and grew savage at myself. Trying to conciliate him, I was free with
the ale, and again overdid it.

He drank my ale and listened to my stories, but he sat cocking on his seat
like an imp of mischief. I rattled on, insouciant and careless to all
appearances, but in reality my heart like lead. Behind my smiling lips I
cursed him up hill and down dale. Lard, his malicious grin was a thing to
rile the gods! More than once I wake up in the night from dreaming that
his scrawny hand was clapping the darbies on my wrists.

When we were ready to start next morning the post boy let me know that one
of the horses had gone lame. Here was a pretty pickle. I pished and
pshawed, but in the end had to scour the town to find another in its
place. 'Twas well on toward noon when the boy and I returned to the
ordinary with a nag that would serve.

Of other lovers I have scant knowledge, but the one I know was wont to
cherish the memory of things his love had said and how she had said them;
with what a pretty tilt to her chin, with what a daring shyness of the
eyes, with what a fine colour and impetuous audacity she had done this or
looked that. He was wont in advance to plan out conversations, to decide
that he would tell her some odd brain fancy and watch her while he told
it. Many an hour he spent in the fairy land of imagination; many a one he
dreamed away in love castles built of fancied rambles in enchanted woods,
of sweet talks in which he always said and did the right thing; destined
alas! never to pass from mind to speech, for if ever tongue essayed the
telling it faltered some fatuous abortion as little like love's dream as
Caliban resembled Ariel. Fresh from the brave world of day-dreams, still
smiling happily from some whimsical conceit as well as with anticipation
of Aileen's gladness at sight of me, I passed through the courtyard and
into the ordinary.

A hubbub at the foot of the sta