tly as if he had just come out of the
cattle-yard, and then Gibbie led him in triumph up the stair to the
drawing-room. Donal entered in that loose-jointed way which comes
of the brains being as yet all in the head, and stood, resisting
Gibbie's pull on his arm, his keen hazel eyes looking gently round
upon the company, until he caught sight of the face he sought, when,
with the stride of a sower of corn, he walked across the room to
Ginevra. Mrs. Sclater rose; Mr. Sclater threw himself back and
stared; the latter astounded at the presumption of the youths, the
former uneasy at the possible results of their ignorance. To the
astonishment of the company, Ginevra rose, respect and modesty in
every feature, as the youth, clownish rather than awkward,
approached her, and almost timidly held out her hand to him. He
took it in his horny palm, shook it hither and thither sideways,
like a leaf in a doubtful air, then held it like a precious thing he
was at once afraid of crushing by too tight a grasp, and of dropping
from too loose a hold, until Ginevra took charge of it herself
again. Gibbie danced about behind him, all but standing on one leg,
but, for Mrs. Sclater's sake, restraining himself. Ginevra sat
down, and Donal, feeling very large and clumsy, and wanting to "be
naught a while," looked about him for a chair, and then first
espying Mrs. Sclater, went up to her with the same rolling, clamping
stride, but without embarrassment, and said, holding out his hand,

"Hoo are ye the nicht, mem? I sawna yer bonnie face whan I cam in.
A gran' hoose, like this o' yours--an' I'm sure, mem, it cudna be
ower gran' to fit yersel', but it's jist some perplexin' to plain
fowk like me, 'at's been used to mair room, an' less intill't."

Donal was thinking of the meadow on the Lorrie bank.

"I was sure of it!" remarked Mrs. Sclater to herself. "One of
nature's gentlemen! He would soon be taught."

She was right; but he was more than a gentleman, and could have
taught her what she could have taught nobody in turn.

"You will soon get accustomed to our town ways, Mr. Grant. But many
of the things we gather about us are far more trouble than use," she
replied, in her sweetest tones, and with a gentle pressure of the
hand, which went a long way to set him at his ease. "I am glad to
see you have friends here," she added.

"Only ane, mem. Gibbie an' me--"

"Excuse me, Mr. Grant, but would you oblige me--of course with me it