Had he thought that Grizel’s discovery was making her unhappy he would have melted at once, but never did she look so proud as when she scornfully passed him by, and he wagged his head complacently over her coming chagrin when she heard that he had carried the highest bursary.  Then she would know what she had flung away.  This should have helped him to another struggle with his lexicon, but it only provided a breeze for the kite, which flew so strong that he had to let go the string.

Aaron and the Dominie met one day in the square, and to Aaron’s surprise Mr. Cathro’s despondency about Tommy was more pronounced than before.  “I wonder at that,” the warper said, “for I assure you he has been harder ’at it than ever thae last nights.  What’s more, he used to look doleful as he sat at his table, but I notice now that he’s as sweer to leave off as he’s keen to begin, and the face of him is a’ eagerness too, and he reads ower to himself what he has wrote and wags his head at it as if he thought it grand.”

“Say you so?” asked Cathro, suspiciously; “does he leave what he writes lying about, Aaron?”

“No, but he takes it to you, does he no’?”

“Not him,” said the Dominie, emphatically.  “I may be mistaken, Aaron, but I’m doubting the young whelp is at his tricks again.”

The Dominie was right, and before many days passed he discovered what was Tommy’s new and delicious occupation.

For years Mr. Cathro had been in the habit of writing letters for such of the populace as could not guide a pen, and though he often told them not to come deaving him he liked the job, unexpected presents of a hen or a ham occasionally arriving as his reward, while the personal matters thus confided to him, as if he were a safe for the banking of private histories, gave him and his wife gossip for winter nights.  Of late the number of his clients had decreased without his noticing it, so confident was he that they could not get on without him, but he received a shock at last from Andrew Dickie, who came one Saturday night with paper, envelope, a Queen’s head, and a request for a letter for Bell Birse, now of Tilliedrum.

“You want me to speir in your name whether she’ll have you, do you?” asked Cathro, with a flourish of his pen.

“It’s no just so simple as that,” said Andrew, and then he seemed to be rather at a loss to say what it was.  “I dinna ken,” he continued presently with a grave face, “whether you’ve noticed that I’m a gey queer deevil?  Losh, I think I’m the queerest deevil I ken.”

“We are all that,” the Dominie assured him.  “But what do you want me to write?”

“Well, it’s like this,” said Andrew, “I’m willing to marry her if she’s agreeable, but I want to make sure that she’ll take me afore I speir her.  I’m a proud man, Dominie.”

“You’re a sly one!”

“Am I no!” said Andrew, well pleased.  “Well, could you put the letter in that wy?”