Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush

e feet eleven, and the beadle, who was three inches taller, assembled for the procession, with the precentor, a man of fair proportions, there was no waste ground in that room, and any messenger from

get by the door. It's a bonnie bit room, but thre

n Fund by modest, heroic sacrifices of hard-working people, and to keep the slates on the church roof in winter. When they had nothing else to do, they talked about the stove which "came out in '43," and, when it was in good humour, would raise the temperature in winter one degree above freezing. Seating the court was a work of art, and could only be achieved by the repression of the smaller men, who looked out from the loopholes of retreat, the projection of bigger men on to their neighbours' knees, and the absolute elimination of Archie Moncur, whose voice made motions on temperance from the lowe

o, Moderator, and ye can begin

d the piety of the district, and were supposed to be "far ben" in the Divine fellowship, and on the other some young girl in her loneliness, who wrung her handkerchief in terror of this dreaded spiritual court, and hoped within her heart that no elder would ask her "effectual calling" from the Shorter Catechism; while the little lamp, hanging from the ceiling, and swinging gently in the wind

rae; and the school of Shammai, whose rule was inflexible justice, and its Rabbi was Lachlan Campbell. Burn

, and the Dominie wes tellin' me juist last week that ye did

sk) the like o' you questions

all alert, although s

e name o' hi

their son

and what aboo

acob and Esau," and the girl takes a shy glance

the names o' Jacob's sons; it's maybe no fair tae ask sic a teuch q

enjamin, Burnbrae cou

ee what she can dae wi' the Carritches (Catechism). Yir no the lassie

ome on, for Jessie has forgotten

e tae hear 'What is

ie, ma woman, gie's t

er triumph, and is no

assie, and ye maun keep it in yir life, and

as kind as if she had been "his ain bairn," and that she "was

brae ended, and very soo

d will

n next M

ou be coming to

ith a threatening of tears as she

what hass been your 'lawwork' an

askin'. I was never o

eaks down

a mind them in the Gospels. There's ae commandment Jessie keeps weel, as a' can testeefy, and that's the fifth, for there's no a better doc

explained Lachlan after Jessie had gone away comforte

" and Lachlan regarded the minister with auster

eing all douce Scotchmen, except Donald M

e hours upon it at Auchindarroch Fast, and there w

eeper," continued Lachlan, warming to his subject, "oh yes, far deeper, and I heard of it w

r marks. But it wass not for me to hef been searching h

ilence wrapt

id, 'hef ye ha

you asked? I hef had desertions

ond me, for I dare not be

unced the benediction, and no one ha

one evening that his justice had at least no partiality. Burnbrae said afterwards that Lachlan "looked like a ghais

been a member of this church hass left her home and gone into the far country. There will be no use in summoning her to appear before the Session, for she will never be seen ag

to me that he was s

ce held him with a

d showed that night the fine delicacy of hea

a word o' this wull cross oor lips. Her faither's dune mair than cud be expeckit o' mortal man, and noo we have oor duty. It's no the way o' this Session tae cut aff ony member o' the flock at a stroke, and we 'ill no begin with Flora Campbell

-men do not weep in Drumtochty-"With the Lord ther

him in the big chair by the study fire. "Thank God, Lachlan, we are fr

cket with a trembling hand, and this is wha

is not easy for a man to understand a girl. Oh, if I had had my mother, then she would have understood me, and I would not have crossed you. Forget poor Flora's foolishness, but you will not forget her, and maybe you will still pray for me. Take care of the geraniums for my sake, and give milk to the lamb that you called after me. I will never

CAMP

not despair, for that is not the letter of a bad girl. Perhaps she was impatient, and ha

moan he had made, and the

be thankful you all, but you do not understand. Oh no, you do not underst

book. But I hef blotted out her name from my Bible, where her mother's name iss written and mine. She has wrought confusion in Israel and in an

n hands in silence, he watched the old man's figure in the cold moonlight till he disappeared into the forsak

was our newspaper, and understood her duty, refused to pry into this secret. The pity of the glen went out to Lachlan, but no one even looked a question as he sat alone in his pew or came down on a Saturday afternoon to the village shop for his week's provisions. London friends thought me foolish

awa' tae naething in his claithes. But least said is sunest mended. It's no richt tae interfere wi' another's sorrow, an' it wad be an awfu' sin tae misca' a young lassie. We maun j

in the shop and read his sorrow at a glance. S

ngs wi' a shakin' hand, and speakin' tae me aboot the weat

nk the young hiz

unna speak that way, for whatever's come o

thinking oor Father didna comfort us withoo

's plants laid out in the sun, and her father watering them on his knee

n a minute he was leading Ma

stress Howe, and it iss a fery warm day. You will not

other women, and

baith been afflickit. I had ae son, and he is gone; ye had a dochter, and she is gone. A

speak of her. She iss not anything to me this day. See, I will sho

me scored with wavering strokes, but the ink

ight, and perhaps she could hardly make a

an to watch over her, and she wandered frae the fold, and a' ye can dae is to tak her oot o' yir Bible. Waes me if oor Father had blotted out oor names frae the Book o' Life when we left His hoose. But He sent His ain So

Pharisee?" cried Lachlan, quivering i

he thocht o' the misguided lassie carrie

nk into a chair an

s none like me. The Lord has laid my name in the dust, and I will be angry with her. But she iss the scapegoat for my sins, and hass gone into the desert. God be merci

e well with Lachlan yet,

d bonny noo, for the purple heather is on the hills, and doon below the gowden corn, wi' bluebell and poppy flowers between. Naebody 'ill ask ye where ye've been, or onything else; there's no a bairn in the place that's no wearying tae see ye; and

ET H

chlan read the letter, and when he gave it b

arget, and watched her on the way to the post

dows were beginning to fall, and he

l be coming, and she must know tha

d," and "Coles on the Divine Sovereignty," and on them he laid the large family Bible out of which Flora's name had been blotted. This was the stand on which he set the lamp