very forenoon, and
whose acquaintance she had very speedily made; she gave each of her
crossing-sweepers threepence instead of twopence in passing.
The servants had never seen her in such good spirits; she was
exceptionally generous in presenting them with articles of attire;
they might have had half the week in holidays if Mr. Lavender had not
to be attended to. A small gentleman of three years of age lived next
door, and his acquaintance also she had made by means of his nurse. At
this time his stock of toys, which Sheila had kept carefully renewed,
became so big that he might, with proper management, have set up a
stall in the Lowther Arcade. Just before she left Lewis her father had
called her to him, and said, "Sheila, I wass wanting to tell you about
something. It is not every one that will care to hef his money given
away to poor folk, and it wass many a time I said to myself that when
you were married maybe your husband would think you were giving too
much money to the poor folk, as you wass doing in Borva. And it iss
this fifty pounds I hef got for you, Sheila, in ten banknotes, and you
will take them with you for your own money, that you will not hef any
trouble about giving things to people. And when the fifty pounds
will be done, I will send you another fifty pounds; and it will be no
difference to me whatever. And if there is any one in Borva you would
be for sending money to, there is your own money; for there is many a
one would take the money from Sheila Mackenzie that would not be for
taking it from an English stranger in London. And when you will send
it to them, you will send it to me; and I will tek it to them, and
will tell them that this money is from my Sheila, and from no one else
whatever."

This was all the dowry that Sheila carried with her to the South.
Mackenzie would willingly have given her half his money, if she would
have taken it or if her husband had desired it; but the old King of
Borva had profound and far-reaching schemes in his head about the
small fortune he might otherwise have accorded to his daughter. This
wealth, such as it was, was to be a magnet to draw this young English
gentleman back to the Hebrides. It was all very well for Mr. Lavender
to have plenty of money at present: he might not always have it. Then
the time would come for Mackenzie to say, "Look here, young man: I can
support myself easily and comfortably by my farming and fishing.
The money I have saved is at yo