Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush

cked, and no sign of life anywhere, used to express their mind in the "close," and return by the way they came, while ladies from Kildrummie, fearful lest th

inly hoped to coerce him in the stack yard without Marget's presence,

last stile, and wheep roond the fit o' the gai

gairden, lookin' doon on him as calm as ye like. 'Yir su

oot sayin' 'vote,' and Drumsheugh telt me next mar

ath the laburnum to see his face as the cart stood before the stile. It told her plain what she had feared, and Marget passed through he

e, o' the Greek mother

ve carried my shield,

As they went slowly u

uble first, mathema

de soldier, Geor

, a'm dooti

Marget, "

ve seemed to us shallow and unfeeling, besides being a "temptin' o' Providence," which might not have intended to go to extremities, but on a challenge of this kind had no alternative. Sickness was regarded as a distinction tempered with judgment, and favoured people found it difficult

n equal terms, although she was quite

e, "a've seen mair than most. It doesna become me to boast

certain cadence of the voice and arrangement of the f

hearing (for I had denied Kirsty the courtesy of an inspection). It's sax year syne noo, and he got up and wes traivellin' fell hearty like yersel. But he begood to dwam (sicken) in the en

roses were no whiter than his cheeks, Kirsty was already installed as

s nae saying but he micht hang on a whilie. Ay, ay, it's a sair blow aifter a' that wes in the papers. I wes feared when I heard o' the papers; 'Lat weel alane,' says I to the Dominie; 'ye 'ill bring a judgment on the laddie wi' yir blawing.'

eld that obtrusive prosperity was an irresistible provocation to the higher p

puir bairn wes pleased wi' it tore it oot o' his hand and flung it into the fire? Eh, woman, he wud be a meeserable cankered jealous body. Kirsty, wumman, when the Almichty sees a mither bound up in h

d, and that's hoo George has his bukes brocht oot tae the garden and studies a' the day. He wants to be ready for his kingdom, just as he trachled in the bit schule o' Drumtochty for Edinboro'. I hoped he w

faithfully with Marget for pride and presump

beside her son, her face was shi

idna

eap to hear ye speak up like yon for God, and to know yir content. Div ye m

upon me in that moment, the earnest deep-set grey eyes, the clean-cut firm jaw, and the tender mobile

lighted, and I can still see his face as in a picture, a hard-visaged man. He looked down at us laddies in the front, an

ld it in the flame, and we saw it burn and

, one finger only of your hand, and it burned like that for ever and ever, and think of your hand and your arm and your whole body all on fire, never t

y eyes off his face. He blew out the candle, and we

as harvest time, and the moon was filling the room with cold clear light. From my bed I

d I did what we all do in tr

mither, the fricht tha

hating that man, dead or alive. Geordie gripped me wi' baith his wee airm

ye telt me that God micht punish me to mak me better if I was bad, but that he wud never

I could dae naethin' but hold, ye said,

and I cuddled down into my bed, and fell

ion, and, mither dear, I hae longed a' thro' thae college stu

s roses, where nature had her way, and gracious thoughts could visit one without any jarring note. As George's voice softened to

They used to fight the College battles over again, with their favourite classics beside them, but this time none of them spoke of books. Marg

m below his pillow, and began, l

Latin 'Imitation' Dominie, and it's bonnie printin'. Ye mind hoo ye gave me yir ain Virgil, and said he was a kind o' Pagan sanct. Noo here is my sanct, and div ye ken I'

your verra age I had a cruel trial, and ma heart was turned frae faith. The classics hae been my bible, though I said naethin' to ony man against Christ. He aye seemed beyond man

sound of bees in the air, when George prayed i

e in Drumtochty. Bind up his sair heart and give him licht at eventide, and may the maister an

another man, and then he kissed George upon the fore

stering sun was shining golden, and the face