re was not a sign of stooping or weariness.

"Though Davie says she carried Maysie every step of the way," said
Robert to his friend. "Man! John! It might be Diana herself!"

But John said nothing, and Robin had no time for more, for the bairns
had descried him and his bag, and were down on him, as he said, like a
pack of hungry wolves.

So John shook hands with the mistress, "in a dazed-like way," she said
afterward, and at the first moment had scarce a word for Marjorie, who
greeted him with delight.

"John, this is my Allie," said she, laying her hand on her friend's
glowing cheek, "and, Allie, this is Mrs Beaton's John, ye ken."

Allie glanced round at the new-comer, but she was too busy gathering
back the wisp of hair that the wind was blowing about her face to see
the hand which he held out to her, and the smile had gone quite out of
her eyes when she raised them to his face.

"They minded me o' Crummie's een," John told his mother long afterward.

The schoolmistress sat down upon a stone, thankful that her labours were
over, and that the guiding home of the bairns had fallen into stronger
hands than hers. And as she watched the struggle for the booty which
came tumbling out of the bag, she was saying to herself:

"I hae heard it said o' John Beaton that he never, a' his days, looket
twice in the face o' a bonny lass as gin there were onything to be seen
in it mair than ordinar. But I doot, after this day, _that_ can never
be said o' him again. His time is come or I'm mista'en," added she with
grim satisfaction. "Noo we'll see what's in him."

"And now, Maysie," said Robin, coming back when the "battle of the baps"
was over, "I'm to have the charge o' you all the way home, my mother
said. Allie has had enough o' ye by this time. And we have Peter
Gilchrist's cart, full o' clean straw, where ye can sit like a wee queen
among her courtiers. So come awa', my bonny May."

But Allison had something to say to that proposal.

"No, no! I'll not lippen her to you and your cairt; your mother could
never expect such a thing o' me," said she, clasping the child.

"Well, all I can say is, these were my orders, and ye maun take the
responsibility of disobedience. What say ye, Maysie?"

"Oh! Allie, it would be fine to go with the ither bairns in the cairt."

"But, my dearie, your mother never could have meant anything like that.
It would never, never do. Tired! No, I'm no' tired yet. And if I were