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Then he stared at his mistress. Then he read it again. At length, with a bewildered look, he said, "Gin ye awe the siller, ye maun pay't, mem." "But I can't." "The Lord preserve's! What's to be dune? That wadna gang far." "No, no, James," returned his mistress. "I am not going to take your money to pay Mr Bruce." "He's an awfu' cratur that, mem. He wad tak the win'in' sheet aff o' the deid."
Efter the rummelin' haltit, I fand aboot wi' my fit for Sandy; but he wasna there. "Preserve's a'," says I, heich oot, "whaur are ye, Sandy? Are ye there? What's come ower ye? Are ye deid?" "I'm here, Bawbie," says a shiverin' voice in aneth the bed. "I'm here, Bawbie. Ye'll hear Gabriel's tuter juist i' the noo. O, Bawbie, I've been a nesty footer o' a man, an' ill-gettit scoot a' my days.
"Guid preserve's, Hawkie! are ye come to this?" cried Lucky Lapp, as she limped, still and ever lame with rheumatism, towards the third member of the procession.
What's happent till him? Is he droont, or killt? The Lord preserve's! She'll dee o' 't." "Na, lass. It's a hantle waur nor a' that." In no other way than as torture could she conceive of worse than being killed. "Ye gar me grue," said Mrs Constable, with a shudder.
The ten minutes had barely passed when Sam'l was back in the farm kitchen. He was too flurried to knock this time, and, indeed, Lisbeth did not expect it of him. "Bell, hae!" he cried, handing his sweetheart a tinsel bag twice the size of Sanders's gift. "Losh preserve's!" exclaimed Lisbeth; "I'se warrant there's a shillin's worth." "There's a' that, Lisbeth an' mair," said Sam'l, firmly.
But whether his thoughts were of T'nowhead's Bell, whom he had lost forever, or of the food the farmer fed his pig on, is not known. "Lord preserve's! Are ye no at the kirk?" cried Bell, nearly dropping the baby as Sam'l broke into the room, "Bell!" cried Sam'l. Then T'nowhead's Bell knew that her hour had come. "Sam'l," she faltered.
"Guid preserve's!" said Scrumpie to his next neighbour. "Sic a hidin' as we s' a' get! Here's Rob Bruce! Wha's gane and tell't him?" But some of the gang of conspirators, standing in a class near the door, stared in horror. Amongst them was Curly. His companions declared afterwards that had it not been for the strength of the curl, his hair would have stood upright.
"Weel, there's ae thing clear: ye'll never ken what to do sae lang's ye hing on aboot a stable, fu' o' fower fittet animals wantin' sense an' some twa fittet 'at has less." "I doobt ye're richt there, mem; and gien I cud but tak puir Kelpie awa' wi' me " "Hoots! I'm affrontit wi ye. Kelpie quo he! Preserve's a'! The laad 'ill lat his ain sister gang, an' bide at hame wi' a mere!"
He made straucht for the bed, as I thoucht. The Lord preserve's! thoucht I, is he gaein to lie doon wi' 's ain corp? but he turnt awa', an' roon' the fit o' the bed to the ither side o' 't, an' I saw nae mair; an' for a while, auntie Jean sat her lane wi' the deid, for I lay upo' the flure, an' naither h'ard nor saw.
But when she saw who it was, her countenance and manner changed utterly. "Preserve's a'! Ye're a sicht for sair e'en, Maister MacPhail!" she cried, holding out her hand, which the blind man took as if he saw as well as she. "Come awa' but the hoose. Wow! but ye're walcome."
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