ter a'--sae may ye, if ye would only tak
heart again."

"O Nelly, Nelly," said Jock, "I micht maybe tak heart, if ye would
only promise faithfully, afore witnesses, to let yoursel be married
next week."

"What need I promise," rejoined Nelly, "when, for onything I ken, ye
may be gaun to see Lizzie Gimmerton _the morn's nicht_?"

"Oh dear! oh dear!" ejaculated Jock. Again the terrible denunciation
of the ghost rang in his ears, and again he groaned in an agony of
despair. But here the master and mistress interposed in his behalf,
and, by their mediation, Nelly was at last brought to consent to that
important change in her condition which alone would save him from
perdition. She still insisted, however, on making conditions; and
these were, _first_, that he should not go to a market except when he
had some business to transact; _second_, that, upon these occasions,
he should always take her along with him, if she was willing to go;
_third_, that he should never enter upon any important concern without
first apprising her of it; and, _fourth_, that he should always come
home to his own fireside when his day's work was done.

These conditions were readily subscribed by Jock, or, which is the
same thing, they were agreed to before witnesses, after which Nelly
frankly consented to be his wife. When this had been settled, she
would have made out another set of conditions, specifying what her own
conduct was to be, and what he might expect of her in certain
situations; but Jock had determined on making an unconditional
surrender of himself and his effects into her hands; and all she was
permitted to say was, that "she would do her best to mak a guid wife
to him."

Matters were thus far satisfactorily adjusted; but still Jock could
not rest till his promised bride was _contracket_, as he phrased it;
and, to free his mind from those remains of terror under which he
still laboured, the master of the house went in quest of the dominie
as soon as daylight began to appear. Dominies are seldom slow in these
matters; a contract of marriage was forthwith drawn up in the usual
form; due proclamation of their intentions was made in the church next
Sabbath; and, as the case was an urgent one, they were cried out in
the same day. On Monday the marriage was solemnised in a becoming
manner; and, when the parties were put to bed, Jock, who had up to
that moment been rather feverish on the subject of the ghost, declared
that "he wasna fe