Galloway, were bearing their own proper fruit. The three
maids sat together, and Wat Gordon and I sat down near them--I as close
to Maisie Lennox as I dared, because, for old acquaintance' sake, my
liking was chiefly towards her. Also, I perceived that Kate McGhie was
more interested to talk to me of my cousin than to hear concerning
myself, a thing I never could abide in talking to a woman.

But Maisie kept her head bent, and her face hidden by the fold of her
shawl. For she had, even at that time, what I so sadly lacked, a living
interest in religion.

From where I sat I could see the watchers on the craigs above the Hollan
Isle, and those also over on the hill by the Folds. So many were they,
that I felt that not a muir-fowl would cry, nor a crow carry a stick to
its nest, without a true man taking note of it. I heard afterwards, that
over by the Fords of Crae they had come on a certain informer lying
couched in the heather to watch what should happen. Him they chased for
three miles over the heather by Slogarie, clodding him with divots of
peat and sod, yet not so as to do the ill-set rascal overmuch harm. But
a sound clouring does such-like good.

Then there arose the pleasant sound of singing. For Mr. Cameron had gone
up into the preaching-tent and given out the psalm. We all stood up to
sing, and as I noted my cousin standing apart, looking uncertainly
about, I went over to him and brought him to my side, where one gave us
a book to look upon together. As they sang, I watched to see the
sentinel on the craigs turn him about to listen to us, and noted the
light glance on his sword, and on the barrel of the musket on which he
leaned. For these little tricks of observation were ever much to me,
though the true Whig folk minded them not a hair, but stuck to their
singing, as indeed it was their duty to do.

But even to me, the sound of the psalm was unspeakably solemn and
touching out there in the open fields. It seemed, as we sang of the God
who was our refuge and our strength, that as we looked on Grenoch, we
were indeed in a defenced city, in a prophesied place of broad rivers
and streams, wherein should go no galley with oars, neither should
gallant ship pass thereby.

I had never before felt so near God, nor had so sweet an income of
gladness upon my spirit; though I had often wondered what it all meant
when I heard my father and mother speak together. There seemed, indeed,
a gale of the Spirit upon the me