"Weel, I made ready for her wi' a glad heart—I an' auld Tibbie, who haed been her nurse, an' luved her a'maist as weel as I did. But a day or twa before she wa' expectit to come, I wa' out to buy some sma' matters, an' I chanced upon Jeannie Evans, the sister o' the lad that I wanted Allie to marry, ye mind, an' I kenned weel she haed na' for-*gi'en Allie for the slight she felt we haed put upon her brither.
"'Haith! Mistress Campbell,' she says to me, 'this is great news indeed; I hear tell,' she says, 'yer Allie is kimming hame to ye again. I did na' think,' she says, 'that he'd cast her aff sae sune; it wad hae been better by far for her to hae married to a puir but honest boy, that wad hae stood by her, an' luved an' respectit her, if he were but a hamely lad like Sandie Evans.'
"'An' what do ye mean by that?' I said; though I kenned well eneugh by the evil luke in her wicked een what she meant.
"'Oh!' says she, 'have ye na' got yer een opened yet? My faith! hoo blind people kin be whin they don't choose to see! ye dinna think it is a real marriage yet, do ye—an' he sendin' her aff like this?'
