ll soon enough seek me in my
path."

Nevertheless, she said unto him, "Come," and bade him be of good heart;
and he rose and accompanied her. But she conducted him to the deep
ravine, where the waters seem to sleep and no sunbeam ever falls; and,
as she removed the earth and the stones, with which she had blocked up
the mouth of the cavity in the rock, he stood wondering. She entered the
aperture, and rolled forth the firm mass of snow, which was yet too
large to be lifted by hands. When Thomas saw this, he smiled and wept
at the same instant, and he pressed his wife's cheek to his bosom, and
said--

"Great has been the care o' my poor Margaret; but it is o' no avail;
for, though ye hae proved mair than a match for the seasons, the
proposal was but a jest o' Lauderdale."

"What is a man but his word?" replied Margaret; "and him a nobleman
too."

"Nobility are but men," answered Thomas, "and seldom better men than
ither folk. Believe me, if we were to gang afore him wi' a snawba' in
oor hands, we should only get lauched at for our pains."

"It was his ain agreement," added she; "and, at ony rate, we can be
naething the waur for seeing if he will abide by it."

Breaking the snowy mass, she rolled up a portion of it in a napkin, and
they went towards Thirlestane together; though often did Thomas stop by
the way and say--

"Margaret, dear, I'm perfectly ashamed to gang upon this business; as
sure as I am standing here, as I have tauld ye, we will only get
oorselves lauched at."

"I would rather be lauched at," added she, "than despised for breaking
my word; and, if oor laird break his noo, wha wadna despise him?"

Harmonious as their wedded life had hitherto been, there was what might
well nigh be called bickerings between them on the road; for Thomas felt
or believed that she was leading him on a fool's errand. But they
arrived at the castle of Thirlestane, and were ushered into the mansion
of its proud lord.

"Ha!" said the earl, as they entered, "bonny Midside Maggy and her auld
guidman! Well, what bring ye?--the rents o' Tollishill, or their
equivalent?" Thomas looked at his young wife, for he saw nothing to give
him hope on the countenance of Lauderdale, and he thought that he
pronounced the word "_equivalent_" with a sneer.

"I bring ye snaw in June, my lord," replied Margaret, "agreeably to the
terms o' yer bargain; and I'm sorry, for your sake and oors, that it
hasna yet been in oor power to bring gow