Blissful visions floated around the pillows of the happy spinsters the night preceding the christening, which were duly detailed at the breakfast-table the following morning.

“I declare I don’t know what to think of my dream,” began Miss Grizzy.  “I dreamt that Lady Maclaughlan was upon her knees to you, brother, to get you to take an emetic; and just as she had mixed it up so nicely in some of our black-currant jelly, little Norman snatched it out of your hand and ran away with it.”

“You’re eneugh to turn onybody’s stamick wi’your nonsense,” returned the Laird gruffly.

“And I,” said Miss Jacky, “thought I saw you standing in your shirt, brother, as straight as a rash, and good Lady Girnachgowl buckling her collar upon you with her own hands.”

“I wish ye wadna deive me wi’ your havels!” still more indignantly, and turning his shoulder to the fair dreamer, as he continued to con over the newspaper.

“And I,” cried Miss Nicky, eager to get her mystic tale disclosed, “I thought, brother, I saw you take and throw all the good dreaming-bread into the ash-hole.”

“By my troth, an’ ye deserve to be thrown after’t!” exclaimed the exasperated Laird, as he quitted the room in high wrath, muttering to himself, “Hard case—­canna get peace—­eat my vittals—­fules—­ tawpiesclavers!” etc. etc.

“I declare I can’t conceive why Glenfern should be so ill pleased at our dreams,” said Miss Grizzy.  “Everybody knows dreams are always contrary; and even were it otherwise, I’m sure I should think no shame to take an emetic, especially when Lady Maclaughlan was at the trouble of mixing it up so nicely.”

“And we have all worn good Lady Girnachgowl’s collar before now,” said Miss Jacky.

“I think I had the worst of it, that had all my good dreaming-bread destroyed,” added Mis Nicky.

“Nothing could be more natural than you dreams,” said Mrs. Douglas, “considering how all these subjects have engrossed you for some time past.  You, Aunt Grizzy, may remember how desirous you were of administering one of Lady Maclaughlan’s powders to my little boy yesterday; and you, Aunt Jacky, made a point of trying Lady Girnachgowl’s collar upon Mary, to convince her how pleasant it was; while you, Aunt Nicky, had experienced a great alarm in supposing your cake had been burned in the oven.  And these being the most vivid impression you had received during the day, it was perfectly natural that they should have retained their influence during a portion of the night.”

The interpretations were received with high disdain.  One and all declared they never dreamed of anything that had occurred; and therefore the visions of the night portended some extraordinary good fortune to the family in general, and to little Norman in particular.

“The best fortune I can wish for him, and all of us, for this day is, that he should remain quiet during the ceremony,” said his mother, who was not so elated as Lady Macbeth at the predictions of the sisters.