were not much bigger boys than himself, Jamie got them
against the dyke and hit them hard until they publicly owned to knowing
that she was his sister, and that he was not fond of her.

"It distressed him mair than ye could believe, though," Jess has told
me; "an' when he came hame he would greet an' say 'at Leeby disgraced
him."

Leeby, of course, suffered for her too obvious affection.

"I wonder 'at ye dinna try to control yersel," Jamie would say to her,
as he grew bigger.

"Am sure," said Leeby, "I never gie ye a look if there's onybody there."

"A look! You're ay lookin' at me sae fond-like 'at I dinna ken what wy
to turn."

"Weel, I canna help it," said Leeby, probably beginning to whimper.

If Jamie was in a very bad temper he left her, after this, to her own
reflections; but he was naturally soft-hearted.

"Am no tellin' ye no to care for me," he told her, "but juist to keep
it mair to yersel. Naebody would ken frae me 'at am fond o' ye."

"Mebbe yer no?" said Leeby.

"Ay, am I, but I can keep it secret. When we're in the hoose am juist
richt fond o' ye."

"Do ye love me, Jamie?"

Jamie waggled his head in irritation.

"Love," he said, "is an awful like word to use when fowk's weel. Ye
shouldna speir sic annoyin' queistions."

"But if ye juist say ye love me I'll never let on again afore fowk 'at
yer onything to me ava."

"Ay, ye often say that."

"Do ye no believe my word?"

"I believe fine ye mean what ye say, but ye forget yersel when the time
comes."

"Juist try me this time."

"Weel, then, I do."

"Do what?" asked the greedy Leeby.

"What ye said."

"I said love."

"Well," said Jamie, "I do't."

"What do ye do? Say the word."

"Na," said Jamie, "I winna say the word. It's no a word to say, but I
do't."

That was all she could get out of him, unless he was stricken with
remorse, when he even went the length of saying the word.

"Leeby kent perfectly weel," Jess has said, "'at it was a trial to
Jamie to tak her ony gait, an' I often used to say to her 'at I
wondered at her want o' pride in priggin' wi' him. Ay, but if she
could juist get a promise wrung oot o' him, she didna care hoo muckle
she had to prig. Syne they quarrelled, an' ane or baith o' them grat
(cried) afore they made it up. I mind when Jamie went to the fishin'
Leeby was aye terrible keen to get wi' him, but ye see he wouldna be
seen gaen through the toon wi' her. 'If ye let me gang,' she said to