favourite among them, for she was silent and
sour, and sometimes over-ready to take offence, and her manner was not
over-friendly at the best of times.

At the entrance of the close which led to the back door of the manse
stood the weaver's wife from next door, and with her a woman with whom
the mistress was not always on speaking terms. This was the wife of
tailor Coats, who spent, as the schoolmistress had once told her, more
time on the causey (pavement) than was good either for herself or her
bairns. She would fain have passed her now without speaking, but that
was not the intention of Mistress Coats.

"The minister's nae at hame, nor the mistress," said she, "and since ye
hae lost your journey, ye micht as weel come in and hae a crack (talk)
with Mistress Sim and me, and gie's o' your news."

"I dinna deal in news, and I hae nae time for cracks and clavers."

"Dear me! and sae few bairns as ye hae noo at the schule. Gin ye could
but learn them their samplers noo, or even just plain sewing, ye might
keep the lassies thegither for a whilie langer. But their mithers man
hae them taucht to use their needles, and it canna be wonnered at."

This was a sore subject with the mistress, who was no needle-woman, and
she turned, ready with a sharp answer. But the smile on the woman's
face, and the look of expectation on the more friendly face of Mistress
Sim, served as a warning, and calling her discretion to her help, she
turned at once into the manse.

It was peaceful enough there. No one was in the kitchen, and after a
moment's hesitation she crossed the little passage and knocked at the
parlour-door. No response being given, she pushed it gently open and
looked into the room. The two youngest boys were amusing themselves
with their playthings in a corner, and Marjorie lay on her couch with
her doll and her doll's wardrobe, and a book or two within reach of her
hand. The tiny little face brightened at the sight of the mistress.

"Come away in, Mistress Jamieson. I am very glad to see you," said she,
with a tone and manner so exactly like what her mother's might have
been, that the mistress could not but smile a little with amusement as
well as with pleasure. "My father and mother are both away from home
to-day; but they will soon be back now, and you'll just bide till they
come, will you not?"

Mistress Jamieson acknowledged herself to be in no special haste, and
sitting down, she made advances toward an