stime o' 't, the alison (awl) i' my han' ready to put in the
neist steek the moment the licht fell upo' the spot whaur it was to
gang. That's hoo I wud lie whan I'm deein', jist waitin' for the licht,
no for the dark, an' makin' an incense-offerin' o' my patience whan I
hae naething ither to offer, naither thoucht nor glaidness nor sorrow,
naething but patience burnin' in pain. He'll accep' that; for, my son,
the maister's jist as easy to please as he's ill to saitisfee. Ye hae
seen a mither ower her wee lassie's sampler? She'll praise an' praise
't, an' be richt pleast wi' 't; but wow gien she was to be content wi'
the thing in her han'! the lassie's man, whan she cam to hae ane, wud
hae an ill time o' 't wi' his hose an' his sarks! But noo I hae a
fauvour to beg o' ye--no for my sake but for hers: gien ye hae the
warnin', ye'll be wi' me whan I gang? It may be a comfort to mysel'--I
dinna ken--nane can tell 'at hasna dee'd afore--nor even than, for
deiths are sae different!--doobtless Lazarus's twa deiths war far frae
alike!--but it'll be a great comfort to Doory--I'm clear upo' that. She
winna fin' hersel' sae lanesome like, losin' sicht o' her auld man,
gien the freen' o' his hert be aside her whan he gangs."

"Please God, I'll be at yer comman'," said Donal.

"Noo cry upo' Doory, for I wudna see less o' her nor I may. It may be
years 'afore I get a sicht o' her lo'in' face again! But the same Lord
's in her an' i' me, an' we canna far be sun'ert, hooever lang the time
'afore we meet again."

Donal called Doory, and took his leave.

CHAPTER XLVII.

MORVEN HOUSE

Opposite Morven House was a building which had at one time been the
stables to it, but was now part of a brewery; a high wall shut it off
from the street; it was dinner-time with the humbler people of the
town, and there was not a soul visible, when Donal put the key in the
lock of the front door, opened it, and went in: he had timed his
entrance so, desiring to avoid idle curiosity, and bring no gathering
feet about the house. Almost on tiptoe he entered the lofty hall, high
above the first story. The dust lay thick on a large marble table--but
what was that?--a streak across it, brushed sharply through the middle
of the dust! It was strange! But he would not wait to speculate on the
agent! The room to which the earl had directed him was on the first
floor, and he ascended to it at once--by the great oak staircase which
went up the sides of th