nco
bogilly bit--Where hae ye been sporting?"

"Up the Carla Cleugh, Hobbie," answered Earnscliff, returning his
greeting. "But will our dogs keep the peace, think you?"

"Deil a fear o' mine," said Hobbie, "they hae scarce a leg to stand
on.--Odd! the deer's fled the country, I think! I have been as far
as Inger-fell-foot, and deil a horn has Hobbie seen, excepting three
red-wud raes, that never let me within shot of them, though I gaed
a mile round to get up the wind to them, an' a'. Deil o' me wad care
muckle, only I wanted some venison to our auld gude-dame. The carline,
she sits in the neuk yonder, upbye, and cracks about the grand shooters
and hunters lang syne--Odd, I think they hae killed a' the deer in the
country, for my part."

"Well, Hobbie, I have shot a fat buck, and sent him to Earnscliff this
morning--you shall have half of him for your grandmother."

"Mony thanks to ye, Mr. Patrick, ye're kend to a' the country for a kind
heart. It will do the auld wife's heart gude--mair by token, when she
kens it comes frae you--and maist of a' gin ye'll come up and take your
share, for I reckon ye are lonesome now in the auld tower, and a' your
folk at that weary Edinburgh. I wonder what they can find to do amang
a wheen ranks o' stane-houses wi' slate on the tap o' them, that might
live on their ain bonny green hills."

"My education and my sisters' has kept my mother much in Edinburgh for
several years," said Earnscliff; "but I promise you I propose to make up
for lost time."

"And ye'll rig out the auld tower a bit," said Hobbie, "and live
hearty and neighbour-like wi' the auld family friends, as the Laird o'
Earnscliff should? I can tell ye, my mother--my grandmother I mean--but,
since we lost our ain mother, we ca' her sometimes the tane, and
sometimes the tother--but, ony gate, she conceits hersell no that
distant connected wi' you."

"Very true, Hobbie, and I will come to the Heugh-foot to dinner
to-morrow with all my heart."

"Weel, that's kindly said! We are auld neighbours, an we were nae
kin--and my gude-dame's fain to see you--she clavers about your father
that was killed lang syne."

"Hush, hush, Hobbie--not a word about that--it's a story better
forgotten."

"I dinna ken--if it had chanced amang our folk, we wad hae keepit it in
mind mony a day till we got some mends for't--but ye ken your ain ways
best, you lairds--I have heard say that Ellieslaw's friend stickit your
sire after the laird