r? and so on
in a spate of questions, till I called her the Longer Catechism."

"And only morbid curiosity prompted her?"

"Nothing else," said the confident doctor; "if there had been anything
else I should have found it out, you may be sure. However, unhealthily
minded though she be, the women who took their turn at Ballingall's
bedside were glad of her help."

"The more shame to them," McLean remarked warmly; but the doctor would
let no one, save himself, miscall the women of Thrums.

"Ca' canny," he retorted. "The women of this place are as overdriven as
the men, from the day they have the strength to turn a pirn-wheel to the
day they crawl over their bed-board for the last time, but never yet
have I said, 'I need one of you to sit up all night wi' an unweel body,'
but what there were half a dozen willing to do it. They are a grand
race, sir, and will remain so till they find it out themselves."

"But of what use could a girl of twelve or fourteen be to them?"

"Use!" McQueen cried. "Man, she has been simply a treasure, and but for
one thing I would believe it was less a morbid mind than a sort of
divine instinct for nursing that took her to Ballingall's bedside. The
women do their best in a rough and ready way; but, sir, it cowed to see
that lassie easying a pillow for Ballingall's head, or changing a sheet
without letting in the air, or getting a poultice on his back without
disturbing the one on his chest. I had just to let her see how to do
these things once, and after that Ballingall complained if any other
soul touched him."

"Ah," said McLean, "then perhaps I was uncharitable, and the nurse's
instinct is the true explanation."

"No, you're wrong again, though I might have been taken in as well as
you but for the one thing I spoke of. Three days ago Ballingall had a
ghost of a chance of pulling through, I thought, and I told the lassie
that if he did, the credit would be mainly hers. You'll scarcely believe
it, but, upon my word, she looked disappointed rather than pleased, and
she said to me, quite reproachfully, 'You told me he was sure to die!'
What do you make of that?"

"It sounds unnatural."

"It does, and so does what followed. Do you know what straiking is?"

"Arraying the corpse for the coffin, laying it out, in short, is it
not?"

"Ay, ay. Well, it appears that Grizel had prigged with the women to let
her be present at Ballingall's straiking, and they had refused."

"I should think so