d to the market, up to
the gallery of it, and on to the farther end, greeting one and
another of the keepers of the little shops, until he reached that of
Mistress Croale. She was overjoyed at sight of him, and proud the
neighbours saw the terms they were on. She understood his signs and
finger-speech tolerably, and held her part of the conversation in
audible utterance. She told him that for the week past Donal had
occupied her garret--she did not know why, she said, and hoped
nothing had gone wrong between them. Gibbie signed that he could
not tell her about it there, but would go and take tea with her in
the evening.

"I'm sorry I canna be hame sae ear'," she replied. "I promised to
tak my dish o' tay wi' auld Mistress Green--the kail-wife, ye ken,
Sir Gibbie."--Gibbie nodded and she resumed:--"But gien ye wad tak a
lug o' a Fin'on haddie wi' me at nine o'clock, I wad be prood."

Gibbie nodded again, and left her.

All this time he had not happened to discover that the lady who
stood at the next counter, not more than a couple of yards from him,
was Miss Kimble--which was the less surprising in that the lady took
some trouble to hide the fact. She extended her purchasing when she
saw who was shaking hands with the next stall-keeper, but kept her
face turned from him, heard all Mrs. Croale said to him, and went
away asking herself what possible relations except objectionable
ones could exist between such a pair. She knew little or nothing of
Gibbie's early history, for she had not been a dweller in the city
when Gibbie was known as well as the town-cross to almost every man,
woman, and child in it, else perhaps she might, but I doubt it, have
modified her conclusion. Her instinct was in the right, she said,
with self-gratulation; he was a lad of low character and tastes,
just what she had taken him for the first moment she saw him: his
friends could not know what he was; she was bound to acquaint them
with his conduct; and first of all, in duty to her old pupil, she
must let Mr. Galbraith know what sort of friendships this Sir
Gilbert, his nephew, cultivated. She went therefore straight to the
cottage.

Fergus was there when she rang the bell. Mr. Galbraith looked out,
and seeing who it was, retreated--the more hurriedly that he owed
her money, and imagined she had come to dun him. But when she found
to her disappointment that she could not see him, Miss Kimble did
not therefore attempt to restrain a