part to Donal his
anxiety concerning her, and his strong desire to help her, and doing
so, he lamented in a gentle way his present inability. This
communication Donal judged it wise to impart in his turn to Mistress
Croale.

"Ye see, mem," he said in conclusion, "he's some w'y or anither
gotten 't intil's heid 'at ye're jist a wheen ower free wi' the
boatle. I kenna. Ye'll be the best jeedge o' that yersel'!"

Mistress Croale was silent for a whole minute by the clock. From
the moment when Gibbie forsook his dinner and his grand new friends
to go with her, the woman's heart had begun to grow to the boy, and
her old memories fed the new crop of affection.

"Weel," she replied at length, with no little honesty, "--I mayna be
sae ill 's he thinks me, for he had aye his puir father afore 's
e'en; but the bairn's richt i' the main, an' we maun luik till't,
an' see what can be dune; for eh! I wad be laith to disappint the
bonnie laad!--Maister Grant, gien ever there wis a Christi-an sowl
upo' the face o' this wickit warl', that Christi-an sowl's wee Sir
Gibbie!--an' wha cud hae thoucht it! But it's the Lord's doin', an'
mervellous in oor eyes!--Ow! ye needna luik like that; I ken my
Bible no that ill!" she added, catching a glimmer of surprise on
Donal's countenance. "But for that Maister Scletter--dod! I wadna
be sair upon 'im--but gien he be fit to caw a nail here an' a nail
there, an fix a sklet or twa, creepin' upo' the riggin' o' the kirk,
I'm weel sure he's nae wise maister-builder fit to lay ony
fundation.--Ay! I tellt ye I kent my beuk no that ill!" she added
with some triumph; then resumed: "What the waur wad he or she or Sir
Gibbie hae been though they hed inveetit me, as I was there, to sit
me doon, an' tak' a plet o' their cockie-leekie wi' them? There was
ane 'at thoucht them 'at was far waur nor me, guid eneuch company
for him; an' maybe I may sit doon wi' him efter a', wi' the help o'
my bonnie wee Sir Gibbie.--I canna help ca'in' him wee Sir
Gibbie--a' the toon ca'd 'im that, though haith! he'll be a big man
or he behaud. An' for 's teetle, I was aye ane to gie honour whaur
honour was due, an' never ance, weel as I kenned him, did I ca' his
honest father, for gien ever there was an honest man yon was
him!--never did I ca' him onything but Sir George, naither mair nor
less, an' that though he vroucht at the hardest at the cobblin' a'
the ook, an' upo' Setterdays was pleased to hae a guid was