of the child-time, and germinating hopes of future happiness up to the period when he would hang over her departing spirit.  Much of all that had gone, and been replaced by dark forebodings of the future; and now there was before her the vision of an ignominious death as the termination of all these holy inspirations.  But her faithful saying was always, “Wait, hope, and persevere;” and the saying was muttered a hundred times as she trudged weariedly, oh! how weariedly, for one who had scarcely tasted food for that day, and who had left untouched the gift brought by her loving daughter that night—­for which, plain as it was, her heart yearned even amidst its grief, yea, though grief is said, untruly no doubt, to have no appetite.  Perhaps not to those who are well fed; but nature is stronger than even grief, and she now felt the consequence of her disobedience to her behests in her shaking limbs and fainting heart.  Yet she trudged and trudged on, shutting her mouth against her empty stomach to keep out the cold north wind.  She is at the foot of Inverleith Row, and her face is to the west; she will now escape the desultory blasts by keeping close by the long running dyke.  She passes the scene of the robbery without knowing it; else, doubtless, she would have stood and examined it by those instincts that force the spirit to such modes of satisfaction, as if the inanimate thing could calm the spiritual.  She was now drawing to Davidson’s Mains:  a little longer, and much past midnight, she was rapping, still in her quiet way, at the door of her brother.

The family had had something else to do than to sleep.  There were the sounds of tongues and high words.  Mrs. S——­th was surprised, as well she might; for though sometimes Mr. Henderson partook freely of the bottle when he met old friends in town, he and the whole household were peaceable, orderly, and early goers to bed.  The door was opened almost upon the instant; and Mrs. S——­th was presently before Mr. Henderson and two others, one of whom held in his hand a whip.

“What has brought you here, Margaret, at this hour?”

“I want to speak privately to you.”

“Just here; out with it,” said he.  “These are my friends; and if it is more money you want, you have come at an unlucky time, for I have been robbed by a villain of five pounds, which I could ill spare.”

Mrs. S——­th’s heart died away within her.  She clenched her hands to keep her from shaking; for she recollected the old story about his own son—­a story which had got him the character of being harsh and unnatural.  She could not mention her errand, which was nothing else than to induce her brother to use his influence in some way to get Charles out of the hands of the law.  She could not utter even the word Charles, and all she could say was—­

“Robbed!”

“Ay, robbed by a villain, whom I shall hang three cubits higher than Haman.”

And the stern man even laughed at the thought of retribution.  Yet, withal, no man could deny his generosity and general kindliness, if, even immediately after, he did not show it by slipping a pound into the hands of his needy sister.