talked no Scotch.

''Deed, sir, ye'll do naething o' the kin'. Here ye s' bide, tho' I suld
lock the door.'

'Come, come, Ericson, none o' your nonsense!' said one of his fellows.
'Ye ken yer feet are sae blistered ye can hardly put ane by the
ither.--It was a' we cud du, mem, to get him alang the last mile.'

'That s' be my business, than,' concluded Miss Letty.

She left the room, and returning in a few minutes, said, as a matter of
course, but with authority,

'Mr. Ericson, ye maun come wi' me.'

Then she hesitated a little. Was it maidenliness in the waning woman of
five-and-forty? It was, I believe; for how can a woman always remember
how old she is? If ever there was a young soul in God's world, it was
Letty Napier. And the young man was tall and stately as a Scandinavian
chief, with a look of command, tempered with patient endurance, in his
eagle face, for he was more like an eagle than any other creature,
and in his countenance signs of suffering. Miss Letty seeing this,
was moved, and her heart swelled, and she grew conscious and shy, and
turning to Robert, said,

'Come up the stair wi' 's, Robert; I may want ye.'

Robert jumped to his feet. His heart too had been yearning towards the
stranger.

As if yielding to the inevitable, Ericson rose and followed Miss Letty.
But when they had reached the room, and the door was shut behind them,
and Miss Letty pointed to a chair beside which stood a little wooden
tub full of hot water, saying, 'Sit ye doon there, Mr. Ericson,' he drew
himself up, all but his graciously-bowed head, and said,

'Ma'am, I must tell you that I followed the rest in here from the very
stupidity of weariness. I have not a shilling in my pocket.'

'God bless me!' said Miss Letty--and God did bless her, I am sure--'we
maun see to the feet first. What wad ye du wi' a shillin' gin ye had it?
Wad ye clap ane upo' ilka blister?'

Ericson burst out laughing, and sat down. But still he hesitated.

'Aff wi' yer shune, sir. Duv ye think I can wash yer feet throu ben'
leather?' said Miss Letty, not disdaining to advance her fingers to a
shoe-tie.

'But I'm ashamed. My stockings are all in holes.'

'Weel, ye s' get a clean pair to put on the morn, an' I'll darn them 'at
ye hae on, gin they be worth darnin', afore ye gang--an' what are ye sae
camstairie (unmanageable) for? A body wad think ye had a clo'en fit in
ilk ane o' thae bits o' shune o' yours. I winna promise to please yer
mither w