I've twa sisters."

"And what do they do?"

"The ane's married, and, the ither bides at name like me, except when
she's awa'."

"She can't be so beautiful as you?"

"Do ye think me so extra weel-faured, sir?" she said with much
simplicity, and glancing at the morsel of looking-glass that hung by the
window. "Whether do ye like my yellow beads or my blue anes best? I put
on my blue anes the day: my sister's gudeman give me them when they were
married."

"Are you fond of beads?"

"Oh, ay--they set a body off, divn't they?"

"You set them off: everything near you looks well because it is near
you."

"Ye've a fair tongue, sir."

"I always speak the truth."

"I believe that," she said; and again her eyes looked into the doctor's
with childish simplicity.

"You can trust me?" he said.

"What about, sir?"

"About anything: if you want a friend you'll trust me?"

"Oh, ay, sir: I'll do that; but I'm no ill off for friends."

"I should think not," he said. "Where does your married sister live?"

"Oh, far away--away up on the English hand."

"What is her husband?"

"He has a bit land o' his ain, sir: she made a gude marriage, it's
thought, but I whiles jalouse he's no very gude to her."

"Surely not, surely not," said the doctor; and a vision crossed him of
this beautiful and simple girl he was speaking to marrying some coarse
working-man, and being made a hardly-used drudge of to the end of her
days; and he determined it should not be. He determined it should not
be: surely, she was born for some better fate. The very idea of it made
him feel dazed, and it was possible that even now she was pledged to
some such thing. Another man would have had no difficulty in "chaffing"
her on such a subject and finding out all he wanted to know, but this
man could not: even if chaffing had been a habit with him, he could not
have done it in this instance: his feeling was far too deep and real and
reverent to admit of it. He went back to his patient and tried to listen
to her story as usual, but in truth it was little of it that he heard.
He was in a dream.

After he went away, Bell looked across to her young attendant, who was
sweeping up about the fireside in active business-style, and said, "My
bonnie leddy, see that ye dinna wark mischief."

"I'm no settin' up a stour, am I?" the girl said.

"Weel, see that ye dinna set up a stour," Bell answered.

VI.

Early next forenoon, as Dr. Brunton was driving home