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.

578 WAVERILEY NOVELS.
free to change her mind like other folk? —Ye ken, Jenny, Halliday aye
threeps he had a promise frae yoursell."
"l alliday's a liar, and ye're naething but a gomeril to hearken till him,
Cuddie. And then for this leddy's choice,-lack-a-day! ye may be sure a'
the gowd Mr. Morton has is on the outside o' his coat, and how can he keep
Leddy Margaret and the young leddy?"
" Isna there Milnwood?" said Cuddie.'" Nae doub't, the auld laird left
his housekeeper the life-rent, as he heard nought o' his nephew; but it's
but speaking the auld wife fair, and they may a' live brawly thegither,
Leddy Margaret and a'."
" eout tout, lad," replied Jenny, "ye ken them little to think leddies o'
their rank wad set up house wi' auld Alie Wilson, when they're maist ower
proud to take favours frae Lord Evandale himsell. Na, na, they maun follow the camp, if she tak Morton."
" That wad sort ill wi' the auld leddy, to be sure," said Cuddie; "she
wad hardly win ower a long day in the baggage-wain."
"Then sic a flyting as there wad be between them, a' about whig and'
tory," continued Jenny.
" To be sure," said Cudldie, "the auld leddy's unco kittle in thae points."
"And then, Cuddie," continued his helpmate, who had reserved her
strongest argument till the last, "if this marriage wi' Lord Evandale is
broken off, what comes o' our ain bit free house, and the kale-yard, and the
cow's grass? I trow that baith us and thae bonny bairns will be turned on
the wide warld!"
Here Jenny began to whimper- Cuddie writhed himself this way and
that way, the very picture of indecision. At length he broke out,, "Weel,
woman, canna ye tell us what we suld do, without a' this din about it?"
"Just do naething at a'," said Jenny. "Never seem to ken onything
about this gentleman, and for your life say a word that he suld hae been
here, or up at the house — An I had ken'd, I wad hae given him my aiD
bed, and sleepit in the byre, or he had gane up by: but it canna be helpit
now. The neist thing's to get him cannily awa the morn, and I judge he'll
be in nae hurry to come back again."
"My puir meaister!" said Cuddie; "and maun I no speak to him,
then?"
"For your life, no," said Jenny; "ye're no obliged to ken him; and I
wadna hae tauld ye, only I feared ye wad ken him in the morning."
"Aweel," said Cuddie, sighing heavily. "I'se awa to pleugh the outfield then; for, if I am no to speak to him, I wad rather be out o' the
gate."
" Very right, my dear hinny," replied Jenny; " naebody has better sense
than you when ye crack a bit wi' me ower your affairs, but ye suld ne'er do
onything aff hand out o' your ain head."
" Ane wad think it's true," quoth Cuddie; "for I hae aye had some carline or quean or another, to gar me gang their gate instead o' my ain.
There was first my mither," he continued, as he undressed and tumbled
himself into bed — "then there was Leddy Margaret didna let me ca' my
soul my ain -then my mither and her quarrelled, and pu'ed me twa ways
at anes, as if ilk ane had an end o' me, like Punch and the Deevil rugging
about the Baker at the fair - and now I hae gotten a wife," he murmured
in continuation, as he stowed the blankets around his person, "and she's
like to tak the guiding o' me a'thegither."
" And amna I the best guide ye ever had in a' your life?" said Jenny,
as she closed the conversation by assuming her place beside her husband,
and extinguishing the candle.
Leaving this couple to their repose, we have next to inform the reader,
that, early on the next morning, two ladies on horseback, attended by their
servants, arrived at the house of Fairy-Knowe, whom, to Jenny's utter con