The Black Dwarf

mountain, thy pl

.

dwelling; all

of ashes shall m

r scream o’er he

pbe

she-goats came to meet him, and licked his hands in gratitude for the vegetables with which he supplied them from his garden. “You, at least,” he said —“you, at least, see no differences in form which can alter your feelings to a benefactor — to you, the finest shape that ever statuary moulded would be an object of indifference or of alarm, should it present itself instead of the mis-shapen trunk to whose services you are accustomed. While I was in the world, did I ever meet with such a return of gratitude? No; the domestic whom I had bred from infancy made mouths at me as he stood behind my chair;

of a horse on the other side of his enclosure, and a strong clea

Elliot, can

liot, I’se gang

s she-goats, while Hobbie Elliot, who came up, and jumped from his horse for the purpose, was unable to extricate the harmless animal from the fangs of his attendant until it was expiring. The Dwarf eyed, for a few moments, the convulsive starts of his dying favourite, until the poor goat stretched out her limbs with the twitches and shivering fit of the l

from his grasp, and offered the dagger at his heart. All this was done in the twinkling of an eye, and the incensed Recluse might have completed

ly deprived himself of the means of grat

iscomposure, and disdain, at having been placed in

re it is as vexing to me as to you, Elshie, that the mischance should hae happened; but I’ll send you twa goats and twa fat gimmers, man, to make a’ straight again. A wise man like you shouldna bear malice against a poor dumb thing; ye see that a goat

s destroyed one of the only creatures in ex

n my faulds.— Come, man, forget and forgie. I’m e’en as vexed as ye can be — But I am a bridegroom, ye see, and that puts a’ things out o’ my head, I think. There’s the marriage-dinner, or gude part o’t, that my twa brithers are bringing on

ure?— yes! it is indeed in the usual beaten path of Nature. The strong gripe and throttle the weak; the rich depress and despoil the needy; the happy (those who are idiots enough to think themselves happy) insult the misery and diminish the consolation o

the bridal on Monday. There will be a hundred strapping Elliots to ride the brouze — the like’s no been

in the society of the common herd?” said

iccan commons neither; the Elliots

hou hast left behind with me! If I go not with you myself, see if you can escape

ae word for a’— ye hae spoken as muckle as wussing ill to me and mine; now, if ony mischance happen to Grace, which God forbid, or to

! home to your dwelling, and think on m

ey are aye cankered; but I’ll just tell ye ae thing, neighbour, that if things be otherwise than

a scornful and indignant laugh, took spade and mattock, and

He looked up, and the Red Reiver of Westburnflat was before him. Like Banquo’s murderer, there wa

demanded the Dwarf,

es may moan. They have had mair light than comfort at the Heugh-foot this morn

bri

saw me, and kend me in the splore, for the mask fell frae my face for a blink. I am thinking it wad concern my safety if she were to come back here, f

hou murder

ny wench. They’re wanted beyond seas thae female cattle, and they’re no that scarce here. But I think o’ doing better for this lassie. There’s a leddy, that, unless she be a’ the better bairn, is to be

not pity him?” s

bit lassie; but he’ll get anither, and little skaith dune — ane is as gude as anither. And now

ent burgh, where many of Westburnflat’s

are all mild and moderate, compared to the wrath of man. And what is this fellow, but one more skilled

he St

d. But, hear me, let the maiden be discharged free and uninjured; retu

ken that.— And uninjured — wha kens what may happen were she to be left lang at Tinning-Beck? Charlie Cheat-the-Woodie is a rough cust

,” he said, giving the robber the leaf —“But, mark me; thou knowest I am not to be fooled by thy

n do what nae other man can do, baith by physic and foresight; and the gold is shelled down when ye co

relieve me of thy

to his horse, and r

red a tie far too dearly intimate to be broken; and it usually happened, in the course of years, that the nurse became a resident in the family of her foster-son, assisting in the domestic duties, and receiving all marks of attention and regard from the heads of the family. So soon as Hobbie recognised the figure of Annaple, in her red cloak and black hood, he could not help exclaiming to himself, “What ill luck can hae brought the auld nurse sae far frae hame, her that ne

e bridle. The despair in her look was so evident as to deprive even him of the power of asking the cause. “

, endeavouring to extricate his bridle from the grasp of the old

nny stack-yard lying in the red ashes, and the gear a’ driven away. But gang na forward

here is my grandmother — my sisters?— Where is Grace Armstro

in. From amongst the shattered and sable walls the smoke continued to rise. The turf-stack, the barn-yard, the offices stocked with cattle, all the wealth of an upland cultivator of the period, of which poor Elliot possessed no common share, had been laid waste or carried off in a single night. He stood a moment motionless, and then exclaimed, “I am ruined — ruined to the gro

he younger part were in arms and clamorous for revenge, although they knew not upon whom; the elder were taking measures for the relief of the distressed family. Annaple’s cottage, which was situated down the brook, at some dist

he burnt wa’s of our kinsman’s house? Every wreath of the reek is a blast of sham

; “and he’s been on and away wi’ six hors

elp as we ride, and then have at the Cumberland reivers! Take,

old man, “ye dinna ken what ye speak about. What!

ung; man, “if we’re to sit and see our friends’ houses burnt ower their head

wrang, puir chield; but we maun take the law wi’ us

living that kens the lawful mode of following a fray across the Bord

ring, when they chased as far as Thirlwall; it

orn, and cry the gathering-word, and then it’s lawful to follow gear into England, and recover it by the strong hand, or to take gear frae some other Englishman, providing ye

e value o’ the stock and plenishing that’s been lost. Hobbie’s stalls and stakes shall be fou again or night; and if we cann

younger part of the assemblage, when a whisper ran among them,

pathy in his misfortune. While he pressed Simon of Hackburn’s hand, his anxiety at length found words. “Thank ye, Simon — thank ye, neighbours — I ken what ye wad a’ say. But where are they?— Where are —” He stopped, as if afraid even to name the objects of his enquiry; and wi

rn the war

f will get some speeri

dged leader to direct their motions, passively awaited the retur

sisters threw themselves upon him, and almost stifled him with their caresses, as

, holding two of his sisters by the hand, while the third hung about his neck —“I see you — I count you — my grandmother, Lilias, Jean, and Annot; but where is —”

d on the waves, can throw over the most acute feelings, she said, “My bairn, when thy grandfather was killed in the wars, and left me with six orphans around me, with scarce bread to eat, or a roof to cover us, I had strength,— not of mine own — but I ha

dened race. Masked armed — Grace carried off! Gie me my sword, and my father’s kn

ase, with Davie of Stenhouse, and the first comers. I cried to let house and plenishing burn, and follow the reivers to recover Grace, and Earnscliff

m!” exclaimed Hobbie; “let’s on and

n on danger, let me hear yo

grandmother make a mute attitude of affliction. He returned hastily, threw himself into h

my dear bairn; and O, may He give you cause

y dear sisters!” exclaimed Elli