of his step. Dinmont internally paid the same compliment to Brown, whose athletic form he now perused somewhat more at leisure than he had done formerly. After the usual greetings of the morning, the guest enquired whether his host found any inconvenient consequences from the last night's affray.
"I had almuost forgot it," said the hardy Borderer, "but I think this morning, now that I am fresh and sober, if you and I were at the Withershins' Latch, wi' ilka ane a gude oak souple in his hand, we wald not turn back, no for half a dozen o' yon scaff-raff."
"But are you prudent, my good sir, not to take an hour or two's repose after receiving such severe contusions?"
"Confusions! lord, Captain, naething confuses my head—I ance jumped up and laid the dogs on the fox after I had tumbled from the tap o' Christenbury Craig, and that might have confused me to pur-
