“Perhaps when you return to Australia you may make it up with one of them yet,” said Elsie, who, in spite, of her depression, felt some curiosity as to Peggy’s love passages.

“The best of them married before I left Melbourne, like a sensible man, who knew better than to wait on my convenience.  I see, Miss Elsie, you are wondering that the like of me, that never was what you would call well-favoured, should speak of offers, and sweet-hearts, and such like; but in Australia it’s the busy hand and careful eye that is the great attraction for a working man.  I never had much daffing or nonsense about me, and did not like any of it in other folk, but I had lots of sweethearts.  But I’ll tell you the whole story, as neither of you look the least sleepy, and if I am owre long about it ye may just tell me so, and I’ll finish it up the morn’s night.”

So Peggy sat down to tell her tale, while Elsie crept down on a little footstool, and laid her head in her sister’s lap, glad to receive the fondling which Jane instinctively bestowed on her dependent and affectionate sister.

Chapter VIII.

Peggy Walker’s Adventures

“You see, Miss Jean and Miss Elsie, that my sister Bessie and me were always very much taken up with one another; she was a good bit aulder than me, and as my mother died when I was six years old, she was like a mother to me.  I’ll no say that she clapped and petted me as you are doing to your sister, Miss Jean, nor that she had the gentle ways of speaking that gentlefolks have; but verily to use the words of Scripture, ‘our souls were knit together in love,’ and we thought nothing too great to do or to bear for one another.  Bessie was far bonnier than me, but scarcely so stout; and Willie Lowrie, that had been at the school with her, and a neighbour’s son, courted her, when they came to man’s and woman’s estate, for a long time.  My father was a cotter on Sandyknowe farm, a worthy, God-fearing man, but sore distressed with the rheumatics, that came upon him long before he was an old man, and often laid him off work.  His sons went about their own business; and he used to say that though they might help him in the way of money nows and thens, it was from his two lasses that he had the most comfort.  Bessie waited till I was grown up and at service in a good place, where I pleased the mistress, before she married Willie.  My father went home with her, and lived but three years afterwards, saying always that Bessie and Willie were good bairns to him, and his grey hairs went down to the grave in peace.

“But, wae-sakes! bairns came to Bessie thick and fast, and Willie took a bad cough, and fell into a decline.  He just wasted away, and died one cold winter day, leaving her with four young things, and another coming.  Bessie did not fold her hands in idle lamentation when the desire of her eyes was removed with a stroke.  No, she went to the outwork, and wrought double hard; owre hard, poor thing, for after little Willie was born she never looked up.  And then and there I vowed to God and to her that I would do a mother’s part by her orphans as long as life was vouchsafed to me.