o herself, while she thought about something else, "I wad
raither droon soomin' nor tied by the heid.--But what's the guid o'
doctrine whaur there's onything to be dune?--Ye hae whaur to put
them.--What kin' 's the fleers (floors) up the stair, sir?" she
asked abruptly, turning full on her host, with a flash in her
deep-set black eyes.

"Ow, guid dale fleers--what ither?" answered the farmer. "--It's the
wa's, wuman, no the fleers we hae to be concernt aboot i' this
wather."

"Gien the j'ists be strang, an' weel set intil the wa's, what for
sudna ye tak the horse up the stair intil yer bedrooms? It'll be a'
to the guid o' the wa's, for the weicht o' the beasts 'll be upo'
them to haud them doon, an' the haill hoose again' the watter. An'
gien I was you, I wad pit the best o' the kye an' the nowt intil the
parlour an' the kitchen here. I'm thinkin' we'll lowse them a'
else; for the byre wa's 'ill gang afore the hoose."

Mr. Duff broke into a strange laughter.

"Wad ye no tak up the carpets first, wuman?" he said.

"I wad," she answered; "that gangs ohn speirt--gien there was time;
but I tell ye there's nane; an' ye'll buy twa or three carpets for
the price o' ae horse."

"Haith! the wuman's i' the richt," he cried, suddenly waking up to
the sense of the proposal, and shot from the house.

All the women, Jean making no exception to any help now, rushed to
carry the beds and blankets to the garret.

Just as Mr. Duff entered the stable from the nearer end, the
opposite gable fell out with a great splash, letting in the wide
level vision of turbidly raging waters, fading into the obscurity of
the wind-driven rain. While he stared aghast, a great tree struck
the wall like a battering-ram, so that the stable shook. The
horses, which had been for some time moving uneasily, were now quite
scared. There was not a moment to be lost. Duff shouted for his
men; one or two came running; and in less than a minute more those
in the house heard the iron-shod feet splashing and stamping through
the water, as, one after another, the horses were brought across the
yard to the door of the house. Mr. Duff led by the halter his
favourite Snowball, who was a good deal excited, plunging and
rearing so that it was all he could do to hold him. He had ordered
the men to take the others first, thinking he would follow more
quietly. But the moment Snowball heard the first thundering of
hoofs on the stair, he went out of his