"No; only what they ca' betrothed-me and my wife were witnesses-it's no mony months bypast-it was a lang courtship-few folk kend the reason by Jenny and mysell. But will ye no light down? I downa bide to see ye sitting up there, and the clouds are casting up thick in the west ower Glasgow-ward, and maist skeily folk think that bodes rain.” In fact, a deep black cloud had already surmounted the etting sun; a few large drops of rain fell, and the mur.nurs of distant thunder were heard. "The deil's in this man," said Cuddie to himself; "I wish he wad either light aff or ride on, that he may quarter himsellin Hamilton or the shower begin." But the rider sat motionless on his horse for two or three moments after his last question, like one exhausted by some uncommon effort. At length, recovering himself,as if with a sudden and painful effort, he asked Cuddie, "if Lady Margaret Bellenden still lived." "She does," replied Cuddie, "but in a very sma' way. They hae been a sad changed family since thae rough times began; they hae suffered eneugh first and last-and to lose the auld Tower, and a' the bonny barony and the holms that I hae pleughed sae often, and the Mains and my kale-yard that I suld hae gotten back again and a' for naething, as a body may say, but just the want o' some bits of sheep-skin that were lost in the confusion of the taking of Tillietudlem.” "I have heard something of this," said the stranger, deepening his voice and averting his head. "I have some interest in the family, and would willingly help them if I could. Can you give me a bed in your house tonight, my friend?" "It's but a corner of a place, sir," said Cuddie, "but we'se try, rather than ye suld ride on in the rain and thunner; for, to be free wi' ye, sir, I think ye seem nc that ower weel." "I am liable to a dizziness," said the stranger, "but it will soon wear off." "I ken we can gie ye a decent supper, sir," said Cuddie; and we'll see about a bed as weel as we can. We wad be laith a stranger suld lack what we have, though we are jimply provided for in beds rather; for Jenny has sae mony bairns, (God bless them and her,) that troth I maun speak to Lord Evandale to gie us a bit eik, or outshot o' some sort, to the onstead." "I shall be easily accommodated," said the stranger, as he entered the house. "And ye may rely on your naig being weel sorted," said Cuddie; "I ken weel what belangs to suppering a horse, and this is a very gude ane." Cuddie took the horse to the little cow-house, and called to his wife to attend in the mean while to the stranger's accommodation. The officer entered, and threw himself on a settle at some distance from the fire, and carefully turning his back to the little lattice window. Jenny, or Mrs. Headrigg, if the reader pleases, requested him to lay aside the cloak, belt, and flapped hat, which he wore upon his journey, but he excused himself under pretence of feeling cold; and, to divert the time till Cuddie's return, he entered into some chat with the children, carefully avoiding, during the interval, the inquisitive glances of his landlady. CHAPTER XXV. What tragic tears bedim the eye! Logan. CUDDIE soon returned, assuring the stranger, with a cheerful voice," that the horse was properly suppered up, and that the gude-wife should make a bed up for him at the house, mair purpose-like and comfortable than the like o' them could gie him." "Are the family at the house ?" said the stranger, with an interrupted and broken voice. "No, stir; they're awa wi' a' the servants-they keep only twa now-a-days, and my gude-wife there, has the keys and the charge, though she's no a fee'd servant. She has been born and bred in the family, and has a' trust and management. If they were there, we behovedna to take sic freedom without their order; but when they are awa, they will be weel pleased we serve a stranger gentleman. Miss Bellenden wad help a' the haill warld, an her power was as gude as her will; and her grandmother, Leddy Margaret, has an unco respect for the gentry, and she's no ill to the poor bodies neither -And now, wife, what for are ye no getting forrit wi' the sowens ?" "Never mind, lad," rejoined Jenny, "ye sall hae them in gude time; I ken weel that ye like your brose het." Čuddie fidgeted, and laughed with a peculiar expression of intelligence at this repartee, which was followed by a dialogue of little consequence betwixt his wife and him, in which the strauger took no share. At length he suddenly interrupted them by the question-"Can you tell me when Lord Evandale's marriage takes place?" "Very soon, we expect," answered Jenny, before it was possible for her husband to reply; "it wad hae been ower afore now, but for the death o' auld Major Bellenden." "The excellent old man!" said the stranger; "I heard at Edinburgh he was no more-Was he long ill ?" "He couldna be said to haud up his head after his brother's wife and his niece were turned out o' their ain house; and he had himsell sair borrowing siller to stand the law-but it was in the latter end o' King James's days and Basil Olifant, who claimed the estate, turned a papist to please the managers, and then, naething was to be refused him; sae the law gaed again the leddies at last, after they had fought a weary sort o' years about it; and, as I said before, the Major ne'er held up his head again. And then cam the pitting awa o' the Stuart line; and, though he had but little reason to like them, he couldna brook that, and it clean broke the heart o' him, and creditors cam to Charnwood and cleaned out a' that was there he was never rich, the gude auld man, for he dow'd na see ony body want." 66 "He was, indeed," said the stranger, with a faltering voice, an admirable man—that is, I have heard that he was so. So the ladies were left without fortune as well as without a protector ?" "They will neither want the tane nor the tother while Lord Evandale lives," said Jenny; "he has been a true friend in their griefs-E'en to the house they live in is his lordship's; and never man, as my auld gudemither used to say, since the days of the patriarch Jacob, served sae lang and sae sair for a wife as gude Lord Evandale has dune." "And why," said the stranger, with a voice that quivered with emotion, "why was he not sooner rewarded by the object of his attachment ?" "There was the law-suit to be ended," said Jenny readily, "forbye many other family arrangements." "Na, but," said Cuddie, "there was another reason forbye; for the young leddy". "Whisht, haud your tongue, and sup your sowens,' said his wife; "I see the gentleman's far frae weel, and downa eat our coarse supper-I wad kill him a chicken in an instant." "There is no occasion," said the stranger; "I shall want only a glass of water, and to be left alone." "You'll gie yoursell the trouble then to follow me,” said Jenny, lighting a small lantern," and I'll show you the way." Cuddie also proffered his assistance; but his wife reminded him, "That the bairns would be left to fight thegither, and coup ane anither into the fire," so that he remained to take charge of the menage. His wife led the way up a little winding path, which, after threading some thickets of sweetbriar and honeysuckle, conducted to the back-door of a small garden. Jenny undid the latch, and they passed through an oldfashioned flower-garden, with its clipped yew hedges and formal parterres, to a glass-sashed door, which she opened with a master-key, and lighting a candle, which she placed upon a small work-table, asked pardon for leaving him there for a few minutes, until she prepared his apartment. She did not exceed five minutes in these preparations; but, when she returned, was startled to find that the stranger had sunk forward with his head upon the table, in what she at first apprehended to be a swoon. As she advanced to him, however, she could discover by his short-drawn sobs that it was a paroxysm of mental agony. She prudently drew back until he raised his head, and then showing herself, without seeming to have observed his agitation, informed him, that his bed was prepared. The stranger gazed at her a moment, as if to collect the sense of her words. She repeated them, and only bending his head, as an indication that he understood her, he entered the apartment, the door of which she pointed out to him. It was a small bed-chamber, used, as she informed him, by Lord Evandale when a guest at Fairy-knowe, connecting, on one side, with a little china-cabinet which opened to the garden, and on the other, with a saloon, from which it was only separated by a thin wainscot partition. Having wished the stranger better health and good rest, Jenny descended as speedily as she could to her own mansion. "O, Cuddie!" she exclaimed to her helpmate as she entered, "I doubt we're ruined folk!" "How can that be? What's the matter wi' ye ?” returned the imperturbed Cuddie, who was one of those persons who do not easily take alarm at anything. "Wha d'ye think yon gentleman is ?-O, that ever ye suld hae asked him to light here!" exclaimed Jenny. 66 Why, wha the muckle deil d'ye say he is? There's nae law against harbouring and intercommunicating now," |