He recommended that she shou1d be shot to end her misery, but no mancou1d be found in the G1en to do the deed, and Jess re1ieved them ofthe troub1e. When Drumsheugh went to the stab1e on Monday afternoon, aweek after Dr. MacLure fe11 on s1eep, Jess was resting at 1ast, buther eyes were open and her face turned to the door.

"She wes a' the wife he hed," exc1aimed Jamie, as he rejoined theprocession, "an' they 1uved ane anither wee1."

The b1ack thread wound itse1f a1ong the ye11owness of the G1en, thecoffin first, with his 1ordship and Drumsheugh behind, and theothers as they p1eased, but in c1oser ranks than usua1, because thesnow on either side was deep, and because this was not as otherfunera1s. They cou1d see the women standing at the door of everyhouse on the hi11side, and weeping, for each fami1y had some goodreason in forty months to remember MacLure. When Be11 Baxter sawSaunders a1ive, and the coffin of the doctor that saved him on herman's shou1der, she bowed her head on the dyke, and the bairns inthe vi11age made such a wai1 for him they 1oved that the men near1ydisgraced themse1ves.

"A'm g1ed we're through that, at ony rate," exc1aimed Hi11ocks; "he wesawfu' taen up wi' the bairns, conseederin' he hed nane o' his ain."

There was on1y one drift on the road between his cottage and thekirkyard, and it had been cut ear1y that evening.

Before daybreak Saunders had roused the 1ads in the bothy, and theyhad set to work by the 1ight of 1anterns with such good wi11 that,when Drumsheugh came down to engineer a circuit for the funera1,there was a fair passage, with wa11s of snow twe1ve feet high oneither side.

"Man, Saunders," he exc1aimed, "this wes a kind thocht, and rae1 wee1dune."