they had just left, they trotted
away towards the dusty high-road, while Grace stood watching them till
they were out of sight.

CHAPTER IV.

ELSIE GRAY

"I'll tell you what it is, Grace; that scholar of yours is far too fine
a fellow to be left to tie companionship of old Gowrie's cattle any
longer."

The speaker was a bright, breezy-looking lad in midshipman's dress, who
was sauntering up and down the old terrace at Kirklands, in company with
our friend Grace. She is a year older than when we saw her last at the
garden-gate, parting with her two scholars after their first Sunday
together. They have had a great many afternoons in company since then.
Grace had remained in her summer home all through the long Scotch
winter, and now autumn had come, bringing with it her brother Walter on
a delightful holiday of six weeks, after an absence of years.

Miss Hume had got so frail the previous year, that she was unfit for the
return journey to her house in Edinburgh, and the following months had
only brought an increase of weakness. She now lay in her darkened room,
with, her flickering lamp of life burning slowly to its socket, while
some young lives beside her were being kindled by glowing fires which
would cause their hearts to burn long after the "glow of early thought
declines in feeling's dull decay."

The little company in the still-room had somewhat increased, four others
haying been added to the two first scholars. One of them was Elsie Gray,
the forester's daughter, a pretty little girl with a sweet voice, and
able to sing a great many hymns, so that Grace had no longer to perform
solos to the still-room audience, but was accompanied by more than one
voice timidly following Elsie's example, and joining in the singing.
There were three other scholars from the borders of the next parish, and
a very happy party they all made together. But it must be confessed that
the warmest place in Grace's heart was reserved for the first scholar
whom she had found that chilly spring day among the pasture lands which
sloped down to the little stream. Judged by an educational standard,
Geordie was certainly, with the exception of the little Jean, the most
deficient of the company, in spite of his having manfully conquered the
last pages of the "Third Primer," and got at last "intil the Bible."
The other boys and girls still attended the parish school on week days,
and seemed more or less very fairly in possession of t