word, asootr, which, the Sir running
about in her head, quite defeated Janet. Perceiving his failure, he
jumped upon a chair, and reaching after one of Robert's Sunday shoes
on the crap o' the wa', the natural shelf running all round the
cottage, formed by the top of the wall where the rafters rested,
caught hold of it, tumbled with it upon his creepie, took it between
his knees, and began a pantomime of the making or mending of the
same with such verisimilitude of imitation, that it was clear to
Janet he must have been familiar with the processes collectively
called shoemaking; and therewith she recognized the word on the
slate--a sutor. She smiled to herself at the association of name
and trade, and concluded that the Sir at least was a nickname. And
yet--and yet--whether from the presence of some rudiment of an old
memory, or from something about the boy that belonged to a higher
style than his present showing, her mind kept swaying in an
uncertainty whose very object eluded her.

"What is 't yer wull 'at we ca' ye, than, cratur?" she asked,
anxious to meet the child's own idea of himself.

He pointed to the giby.

"Weel, Gibbie," responded Janet,--and at the word, now for the first
time addressed by her to himself, he began dancing more wildly than
ever, and ended with standing motionless on one leg: now first and
at last he was fully recognized for what he was!--"Weel, Gibbie, I
s' ca' ye what ye think fit," said Janet. "An' noo gang yer wa's,
Gibbie, an' see 'at Crummie's no ower far oot o' sicht."

From that hour Gibbie had his name from the whole family--his
Christian name only, however, Robert and Janet having agreed it
would be wise to avoid whatever might possibly bring the boy again
under the notice of the laird. The latter half of his name they
laid aside for him, as parents do a dangerous or over-valuable gift
to a child.

CHAPTER XXV.

RUMOURS.

Almost from the first moment of his being domiciled on Glashgar,
what with the good food, the fine exercise, the exquisite air, and
his great happiness, Gibbie began to grow; and he took to growing so
fast that his legs soon shot far out of his winsey garment. But, of
all places, that was a small matter in Gormgarnet, where the kilt
was as common as trowsers. His wiry limbs grew larger without
losing their firmness or elasticity; his chest, the effort in
running up hill constantly alternated with the relief of running,
down, rapidly expa