ough the forests
of Cheshire; how Tom would not let go his grip when he had him down
("whilk was a foul villany"); and how he had to roll into a running
water before he could get loose ("whilk showed the savage natur of
thae menseless barbarians"). In vain he told me that pleasant jest,
how my grandfather "ance wiled the six excisemen into a lone house,
and then gaed in himsell and pyed them through the windows, whilk
cleared the country-side o' that vermin as lang as auld Redrigs was to
the fore." In vain he told me how his old dog Stretcher hunted the
black hare from Dunmoss to Skyboe. I left him in the subtlest of the
doubles, and in another minute was in the penthouse of clay, the river
boiling at my feet, and the rain rushing round my head; but before me
were the rich delighted eyes and quickening features of my unknown
beauty. Again I bore her through the flood; again I bent over her, and
pressed her to my breast, and once more in fancy I had felt the thrill
of her returned embrace; once more I had kissed her lips, and once
more we had vowed to live or die together, when I was startled from my
reverie by a question which the unsuspecting old man was now repeating
for the third time. I stammered an excuse, and roused myself to the
hearing of another excellent jest; but what it might have been I know
not, for the entrance of a young labourer, an old acquaintance of my
own, with whom he had business, cut it short. "Aleck," he said, "get
ready to set out for the fair upon the morn's e'en; and, Aleck, my
man, keep yoursell out o' drink and fechtin'--and, my bonny man, I'm
saying, the neist time ye gang a-courtin' to the Grange (I pricked up
my ears all at once), see that ye're no ta'en for ane o' thae rebel
chiels, wha, they say, are burrowin' e'en noo about the auld wa's as
thick as mice in a meal-ark."--"But Aleck," crooned old Mause from the
corner, "whilk ane o' the lasses are you for?" This was enough. I
watched my opportunity, slipped out to the stable, found Aleck, who
had retreated thither in his confusion, and point-blank proposed that
he should take me with him that very night, and introduce me to one of
the girls at Moyabel, as I longed to have an hour's courting after the
old fashion before I left the country. I concluded by offering him a
handsome consideration, which, however, he refused; but, sitting
down in the manger, began to consider my proposal, with such
head-scratching and nail-biting, as confirmed