oo. Whatever has happened to them?"

James Ruleson and the lad at his side came into the cottage the next
moment. The light of the laugh was yet on their faces, and oh, what a
happy stir their advent made in the cozy, firelit room! Margot forgot
she had been crying and complaining, she was helping her man take off
his heavy coat, and Christine was helping the child, who was in a
state of great excitement:

"I hae been to the circus!" he cried. "Christine! Gran'mither! I hae
been to the circus! It was wonderful! I did not want to leave it. I
wanted to stay always there. I want to go tomorrow. Gran'feyther! Will
you take me tomorrow? Say yes! Do say yes!"

"Why, James!" cried Margot, "I never heard tell o' the like! Hae ye
lost your senses, gudeman?"

"No, I think I hae just found them. I am sair-hearted, because I didna
send all the lads there. Let us hae a cup o' tea, and we will tell you
how we spent the day."

Then there was a ten minutes hurry, and at the end a well spread
table, and four happy faces round it; and as Margot handed Ruleson his
big tea cup, she said, "Now, James Ruleson, tell us what you and the
lad hae been after today, that took you into such a sinfu' place as a
circus. You'll hae to face the Domine on the matter. You, a ruling
elder, in a circus! I'm mair than astonished! I'm fairly shocked at
ye! And I'm feared it was a premeditated sin. And ye ken what the
Domine thinks o' premeditated sins."

"It was far from a sin o' any kind, gudewife. Jamie and I were on our
way to the boat, for a few hours' fishing, when we met a lad wi' a
note from Finlay, saying he wanted a few words o' advice from me, and
I took a sudden thought o' a day's rest, and a bit o' pleasure wi'
little Jamie. Sae, to the town we went, and first o' all to Finlay's,
and I had a long talk wi' him, about some railway shares he owns, on
my advice; and they hae turned out sae weel, he wanted me to tak' part
o' the profit. I wouldna do that, but I let him gie twenty pounds
towards the school fund."

"You might hae put that twenty in your ain pouch, gudeman, and nae
fault in the same. You are too liberal anent the school. Our ain lads
get naething from it."

"Jamie will hae the gude o' it, and lots o' Culraine lads and lasses
until they get a better one. Weel, so be it! After Finlay and I had
finished our crack, I took Jamie to Molly Stark's, and we had a
holiday dinner."

"Chicken pie! Custard pudding! Strawberry tarts! Nuts