The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

THE ANTIQUARY. 161
"Na, grannie — Steenie's awa out wi' auld Edie Ochiltree, the gaberlunzie; maybe they'll be gaun to see the burial."
"That canna be," said the mother of the family; "we kent naething o't
till Jock Rand cam in, and tauld us the Aikwoods had warning to attendthey keep thae things unco private-and they were to bring the corpse a'
the way frae the Castle, ten miles off, under cloud o' night. She has lain
in state this ten days at'Glenallan-HIouse, in a grand chamber, a' hung wi'
black, and lighted wi' wax cannle."
"God assoilzie her!" ejaculated old Elspeth, her head apparently still
occupied by the event of the Countess's death; " she was a hard-hearted
woman, but she's gaen to account for it a', and His mercy is infinite-God
grant she may find it sae!" And she relapsed into silence, which she did
not break again during the rest of the evening.
"I wonder what that auld daft beggar carle and our son Steenie An be
doing out in sic a night as this," said Maggie Mucklebackit; and her expression of surprise was echoed by her visitor. "Gang awa, ane o' ye,
hinnies, up to the heugh head, and gie them a cry in case they're within
hearing; the car-cakes will be' burnt to a cinder."
The little emissary departed, but in a few minutes came running back
with the loud exclamation, "Eh, minnie! eh, grannie! there's a white bogle
chasing twa black anes down the heugh."
A noise of footsteps followed this singular annunciation, and young
Steenie Mucklebackit, closely followed by Edie Ochiltree, bounced into the
hut. They were panting and out of breath. The first thing Steenie did
was to look for the bar of the door, which his mother reminded him had
been broken up for fire-wood in the hard winter three years ago; "for what
use," she said, "had the like o' them for bars?"
" There's naebody chasing us," said the beggar, after he had taken his
breath: "we're e'en like the wicked, that flee when no one pursueth."
" Troth, but we were chased," said Steenie, " by a spirit, or something
little better."
" It was a man in white on horseback," said Edie, "for the saft grund
that wadna bear the beast, flung him about, I wot that weel; but I didna
think my auld legs could have brought me aff as fast; I ran amaist as fast
as if I had been at Prestonpans."
" lout, ye daft gowks 1" said Luckie Mucklebackit, "it will hae been
some o' the riders at the Countess's burial."
"'What!" said Edie, "is the auld Countess buried the night at St. Ruth's?
Ou, that wad be the lights and the noise that scarr'd us awa; I wish I had
ken'd-I wad hae stude them, and no left the man yonder-but they'll take
care o' him. Ye strike ower hard, Steenie -I doubt ye foundered the
chield."
"Ne'er a bit," said Steenie, laughing; "he has braw broad shouthers,
and I just took measure o' them wi' the stang. Od, if I hadna been something short wi' him, he wad hae knockit your auld harns out, lad."
"Weel, an I win clear o' this scrape," said Edie, "I'se tempt Providence
nae mair. But I canna think it an unlawfu' thing to pit a bit trick on sic
a land-louping scoundrel, that just lives by tricking honester folk."
"But what are we to do with this?" said Steenie, producing a pocketbook.
"Od guide us, man," said Edie, in great alarm, "' what gar'd ye touch
the gear? a very leaf o' that pocket-book wad be eneugh to hang us
baith."
"I dinna ken," said Steenie; "the book had fa'en out o' his pocket, I
fancy, for I fand it amang my feet when I was graping about to set him on
his legs again, and I just pat it in my pouch to keep it safe; and then came
the tramp of horse, and you cried' Rin, rin,' and I had nae mair thought
o' the book."
VOL. IIL-11 o2