er Willie's
Brae or through Conscowthart Moss; tell her ony ane ye like, but be sure
(speaking low and emphatically) to tak the ane ye dinna tell her.' The
farmer laughed and promised, and the gipsy retreated.

'Will you take her advice?' said Brown, who had been an attentive
listener to this conversation.

'That will I no, the randy quean! Na, I had far rather Tib Mumps kenn'd
which way I was gaun than her, though Tib's no muckle to lippen to
neither, and I would advise ye on no account to stay in the house a'
night.'

In a moment after Tib, the landlady, appeared with her stirrup-cup, which
was taken off. She then, as Meg had predicted, inquired whether he went
the hill or the moss road. He answered, the latter; and, having bid Brown
good-bye, and again told him, 'he depended on seeing him at Charlie's
Hope, the morn at latest,' he rode off at a round pace.

CHAPTER XXIII
Gallows and knock are too powerful on the highway

--Winter's Tale.

The hint of the hospitable farmer was not lost on Brown. But while he
paid his reckoning he could not avoid repeatedly fixing his eyes on Meg
Merrilies. She was in all respects the same witch-like figure as when we
first introduced her at Ellangowan Place. Time had grizzled her raven
locks and added wrinkles to her wild features, but her height remained
erect, and her activity was unimpaired. It was remarked of this woman, as
of others of the same description, that a life of action, though not of
labour, gave her the perfect command of her limbs and figure, so that the
attitudes into which she most naturally threw herself were free,
unconstrained, and picturesque. At present she stood by the window of the
cottage, her person drawn up so as to show to full advantage her
masculine stature, and her head somewhat thrown back, that the large
bonnet with which her face was shrouded might not interrupt her steady
gaze at Brown. At every gesture he made and every tone he uttered she
seemed to give an almost imperceptible start. On his part, he was
surprised to find that he could not look upon this singular figure
without some emotion. 'Have I dreamed of such a figure?' he said to
himself, 'or does this wild and singular-looking woman recall to my
recollection some of the strange figures I have seen in our Indian
pagodas?'

While he embarrassed himself with these discussions, and the hostess was
engaged in rummaging out silver in change of half-