Ashton is weel-favoured—troth, and sae should she, to set up for our young lord, with a face, and a hand, and a seat on his horse, that might become a king's son—d'ye ken that he aye glowers up at my window, Mr Balderstone, when he chaunces to ride thro' the town, sae I hae a right to ken what like he is, as weel as ony body."
"I ken that brawly," said Caleb, "for I have heard his lordship say the cooper's wife had the blackest e'e in the barony; and I said, Weel may that be, my lord, for it was her mither's afore her, as I ken to my cost—Eh, Marion? Ha, ha, ha!—Ah! these were merry days!"
"Hout awa, auld carle," said the old dame, "to speak sic daffing to young folk.—But, Jean—fie, woman, dinna ye hear the bairn greet? I'se warrant it's that dreary weid has come ower't again."
Up got mother and grandmother, and scoured away, jostling each other as they ran, into some remote corner of the tenement, where the young hero of the even-
