Malcolm

f the drearily tossing billows. All was gray-enduring, hopeless gray. Along the coast the waves kept roaring on the sands, persistent and

ay to Miss Horn's, for, despite her rough manners, she was held in high repute. It was only such as had reason to dread the secret communication between closet and housetop that feared her tongue; if she spoke loud, she n

and had mostly kept to the house, but all had understood that Miss Horn was greatly atta

ants were carrying the coffin down the stair. Soon the company rose to follow it, and trooping out, arranged themselves behi

ful bonnet, issued, and made her way through the mourners until she stood immediately behind the hearse, by the side of Mr Cairns, the parish minister. The next moment, Watty Witherspail, who had his station at the further side of th

nkin' o' gauin' yer

to ken," growled Miss Horn from

Watty, with the dismay of an orthodox undert

no rizzon but that I ga'e you the job, an' unnertook to pay ye for't-an' that far abune its market value,-daur ye preshume, I say, to dictate to me what to du an' what no to du

e's the minister

ye to haud things dacent, 'cep I gang mysel'. no beggin' the minister's

e minister, who being an ambitious young man of lowly origin, and

n ye dinna like my company, Mr Cairns, ye can gang hame, an' I s' gang withoot ye. Gien she sud happen to be luikin

ly eyeing the irregular ranks of two and three and four as they passed her, intending to bring up the rear alone. But already there was one in that solitary position: with bowed head, Alexander Graham walked last and sing

r the iron gates,-a deep hush, as if a wave of the eternal silence which rounds all our noises had broken across its barriers. The mad laird, who had been present all the mornin

ony of burial was fulfilled; but the two facts that no one left the churchyard, although the wind blew and the rain fell, until the mound of sheltering

his offer, instead of moving towards the gate, she kept her position in the attitude of a hostess who will follow her friends. They were the last to go from the churchyard. When they

ss Horn, as they entered the t

as she passed. A look of low, malicious, half triumphant cunning lightened across the puffy face of the howdy. She cocked one bushy eyebrow, setting one eye wide open, drew down the other eyebrow, nearly closing

ess Catanach?" cried

d mak!" she replied, again bur

lea' my milk parritc

, the stickit minister. I wad like weel to be at the bed

huckle, Mrs Catanach

tall stone, gazed cautiously around him, and then with slow steps came and stood over the new

houghts without attempt at communication.-"I dinna ken whaur I cam frae, an' I dinna ken whaur she's gane t

in number of questions of the Shorter Catechism (which term, alas! included the answers), and next to buttress them with a number of suffering caryatids, as it were-texts of Scripture, I mean, first petrified and then dragged into the service. Before Mr Graham returned, every one had done his part except Sheltie, who, excellent

m, with his elbows on the desk before him, and his head and the Shorter Catechism between them; while in the f

xious to let the boy go. "Which of the

e resurrection," answered Sheltie, with but a

from Christ at death?'" said Mr Graha

odies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection,'" replied Sheltie, now with perfe

e," he said. "Run h

the room like a sh

the front, and hold it out in mute appeal to his instructor; but before reaching him he suddenly stopped, lay down on the floor on his back, and commenced rolling from side to side, with moans and complaints. Mr Graham interpreted the action into the question-How was such a body as his to rest in its grave till the resur

tion that all his trouble