o buy all the clothes he
wants."

"What a delightful kind of servant," said Elspie, with an arch look,
which was quite thrown away on Elise, "and so disinterested to do it
without any reason."

"O! but he must have some reason, you know," rejoined Elise. "I
shouldn't wonder if it was out of gratitude to my brother who was very
kind to him--so he says--the first time they met."

"Did he say that was his reason?" asked Elspie quickly.

"No, he did not say so, but he has said more than once that he feels
very grateful to my brother, and it has just occurred to me that that
may be his reason. It would be very natural--wouldn't it?"

"Oh, very natural!--very!" returned the other. "But d'you know, Elise,
I don't like your brother's plan at all."

"No! why?"

"Because, don't you see, foolish girl, that it will take you away from
me? You will, of course, want to keep house for your brother, and I
have become so used to you, short though our intercourse has been, that
I don't see how I can get on at all without you?"

"Never mind, Elspie, dear. It will be a long while before Andre is
ready to take the farm. Besides, by that time, you know, you and Dan
will be married, so you won't miss me much--though I confess I should
like you to miss me a little."

Elspie sighed at this point. "I suspect that our marriage will not be
so soon as you think, Elise," she said. "Dan has tried to arrange it
more than once, but there seems to be a fate against it, for something
_always_ comes in the way!"

"Surely nothing will happen this time," said the sympathetic Elise.
"Everything begins to prosper now. The crops are beautiful; the weather
is splendid; the house is ready to begin to--all the logs are cut and
squared. Your father is quite willing, and Dan wishing for the day--
what more could you desire, Elspie?"

"Nothing; all seems well, but--" She finished the sentence with another
sigh.

While the two friends were thus conversing in the dairy, old McKay and
Dan Davidson were talking on the same subject in the hall of Ben Nevis.

"It iss a curious fact, Taniel," said the old man, with a pleased look,
"that it wass in this fery room in the old hoose that wass burnt, and
about the same time of the year, too, that you would be speakin' to me
about this fery thing. An' I do not think that we will be troubled this
time wi' the Nor'-Westers, whatever--though wan never knows what a tay
may bring furth."

"That is the ver