degree affecting. His sisters threw themselves upon him, and

almost stifled him with their caresses, as if to prevent his
looking round to distinguish the absence of one yet more beloved.

"God help thee, my son! He can help when worldly trust is a
broken reed."--Such was the welcome of the matron to her

unfortunate grandson. He looked eagerly round, holding two of
his sisters by the hand, while the third hung about his neck--"I

see you--I count you--my grandmother, Lilias, Jean, and Annot;
but where is--" (he hesitated, and then continued, as if with an

effort), "Where is Grace? Surely this is not a time to hide
hersell frae me--there's nae time for daffing now."

"O, brother!" and "Our poor Grace!" was the only answer his
questions could procure, till his grandmother rose up, and gently

disengaged him from the weeping girls, led him to a seat, and
with the affecting serenity which sincere piety, like oil

sprinkled on the waves, can throw over the most acute feelings,
she said, "My bairn, when thy grandfather was killed in the wars,

and left me with six orphans around me, with scarce bread to eat,
or a roof to cover us, I had strength,--not of mine own--but I

had strength given me to say, The Lord's will be done!--My son,
our peaceful house was last night broken into by moss-troopers,

armed and masked; they have taken and destroyed all, and carried
off our dear Grace. Pray for strength to say, His will be done!"

"Mother! mother! urge me not--I cannot--not now I am a sinful
man, and of a hardened race. Masked armed--Grace carried off!

Gie me my sword, and my father's knapsack--I will have vengeance,
if I should go to the pit of darkness to seek it!"

"O my bairn, my bairn! be patient under the rod. Who knows when
He may lift His hand off from us? Young Earnscliff, Heaven bless

him, has taen the chase, with Davie of Stenhouse, and the first
comers. I cried to let house and plenishing burn, and follow the

reivers to recover Grace, and Earnscliff and his men were ower
the Fell within three hours after the deed. God bless him! he's

a real Earnscliff; he's his father's true son--a leal friend."
"A true friend indeed; God bless him!" exclaimed Hobbie; "let's

on and away, and take the chase after him."
"O, my child, before you run on danger, let me hear you but say,

HIS will be done!"
"Urge me not, mother--not now." He was rushing out, when,

looking back, he observed his grandmother make a mute attitude of
affliction. He returned hastily, threw himself into her arms,

and said, "Yes, mother, I CAN say, HIS will be done, since it
will comfort you."

"May He go forth--may He go forth with you, my dear bairn; and O,
may He give you cause to say on your return, HIS name be

praised!"
"Farewell, mother!--farewell, my dear sisters!" exclaimed

Elliot, and rushed out of the house.
CHAPTER VIII.

Now horse and hattock, cried the Laird,--
Now horse and hattock, speedilie;

They that winna ride for Telfer's kye,
Let them never look in the face o' me. Border Ballad.

"Horse! horse! and spear!" exclaimed Hobbie to his kinsmen.
Many a ready foot was in the stirrup; and, while Elliot hastily

collected arms and accoutrements, no easy matter in such a
confusion, the glen resounded with the approbation of his younger

friends.
"Ay, ay!" exclaimed Simon of Hackburn, "that's the gate to take

it, Hobbie. Let women sit and greet at hame, men must do as they
have been done by; it's the Scripture says't."

"Haud your tongue, sir," said one of the seniors, sternly; "dinna
abuse the Word that gate, ye dinna ken what ye speak about."

"Hae ye ony tidings?--Hae ye ony speerings, Hobbie?--O, callants,
dinna be ower hasty," said old Dick of the Dingle.

"What signifies preaching to us, e'enow?" said Simon; "if ye
canna make help yoursell, dinna keep back them that can."

"Whisht, sir; wad ye take vengeance or ye ken wha has wrang'd
ye?"

"D'ye think we dinna ken the road to England as weel as our
fathers before us?--All evil comes out o' thereaway--it's an auld

saying and a true; and we'll e'en away there, as if the devil was
blawing us south."

"We'll follow the track o' Earnscliff's horses ower the waste,"
cried one Elliot.

"I'll prick them out through the blindest moor in the Border, an
there had been a fair held there the day before," said Hugh, the

blacksmith of Ringleburn, "for I aye shoe his horse wi' my ain
hand."

"Lay on the deer-hounds," cried another "where are they?"
"Hout, man, the sun's been lang up, and the dew is aff the grund

--the scent will never lie."
Hobbie instantly whistled on his hounds, which were roving about

the ruins of their old habitation, and filling the air with their
doleful howls.

"Now, Killbuck," said Hobbie, "try thy skill this day" and then,
as if a light had suddenly broke on him,--"that ill-faur'd goblin

spak something o' this! He may ken mair o't, either by villains
on earth, or devils below--I'll hae it frae him, if I should cut

it out o' his mis-shapen bouk wi' my whinger." He then hastily
gave directions to his comrades: "Four o' ye, wi' Simon, haud

right forward to Graeme's-gap. If they're English, they'll be
for being back that way. The rest disperse by twasome and

threesome through the waste, and meet me at the Trysting-pool.
Tell my brothers, when they come up, to follow and meet us there.

Poor lads, they will hae hearts weelnigh as sair as mine; little
think they what a sorrowful house they are bringing their venison

to! I'll ride ower Mucklestane-Moor mysell."
"And if I were you," said Dick of the Dingle, "I would speak to

Canny Elshie. He can tell you whatever betides in this land, if
he's sae minded."

"He SHALL tell me," said Hobbie, who was busy putting his arms in
order, "what he kens o' this night's job, or I shall right weel

ken wherefore he does not."
"Ay, but speak him fair, my bonny man--speak him fair Hobbie; the

like o' him will no bear thrawing. They converse sae muckle wi'
thae fractious ghaists and evil spirits, that it clean spoils

their temper."
"Let me alane to guide him," answered Hobbie; "there's that in my

breast this day, that would ower-maister a' the warlocks on
earth, and a' the devils in hell."

And being now fully equipped, he threw himself on his horse, and
spurred him at a rapid pace against the steep ascent.

Elliot speedily surmounted the hill, rode down the other side at
the same rate, crossed a wood, and traversed a long glen, ere he

at length regained Mucklestane-Moor. As he was obliged, in the
course of his journey, to relax his speed in consideration of the

labour which his horse might still have to undergo, he had time
to consider maturely in what manner he should address the Dwarf,

in order to extract from him the knowledge which he supposed him
to be in possession of concerning the authors of his misfortunes.

Hobbie, though blunt, plain of speech, and hot of disposition,
like most of his countrymen, was by no means deficient in the

shrewdness which is also their characteristic. He reflected,
that from what he had observed on the memorable night when the