cheek, that had momently grown pale as the driven sna’, “ay, and be glad to get ye.—Oh, Jeanie,” he said, rising hurridly frae his seat, and pacing aboot the floor in a distracit-like way, “think on the state we are in; look at me,—look at your puir mither,—we are beggared out o’ house and ha’,—and, in a few days, may not have a ⟨mouthfu’⟩ to eat, or a roof to cover us.”
“Jeanie, my bairn,” said her mother, leaning her hand on her shouther, hear what your faither says, it is God’s truth. Ye’v ay done your duty: come what will, I’ll ay say that o’ ye. But what signifies a’, what matters by ganes, if when a word o’ your mouth could lift us out o’ this mire of meesery and wretchedness, ye keep your teeth, close, and determine to act the part of an undutiful dochter?”
Jeanie’s heart swelled to her mouth: and while she sat wi’ her hands claspit before her, and the tears running like beds of boiling water down her cheeks, her voice died within her, and she couldua utter ae word. Her mind seemed to have fairly gien way; and when, in a while her recollection began to come back, she started, as out of a fearfu’ sleep, and in a broken, half-screaming way, cried out, “It would ruin me here and hereafter—no—no—no—I daur not, cannot do it.—Oh, I wish—I wish—I wish I was dead and buried!!!” With this she drappit from her chair on the floor, and gaed away in a dwam, second only in soundnes to the awfu sleep of death.
Next morning, however, she was up betimes, and gaun aboot the wee affairs of the house (indeed there was now little or naething for her to look after); but her pale cheek and sunken ee, told what she had suffered, and was suffering. She seemed to shudder within herself at the bare idea of the struggle which she kent must again be renewed, as the ⟨bleating⟩ ⟨goa’⟩ is said to shudder when driven into
