"Pass on your way," reiterated the object of their curiosity,
"the breath of your human bodies poisons the air around me--the

sound of pour human voices goes through my ears like sharp
bodkins"

"Lord safe us!" whispered Hobbie, "that the dead should bear sie
fearfu' ill-will to the living!--his saul maun be in a puir way,

I'm jealous."
"Come, my friend," said Earnscliff, "you seem to suffer under

some strong affliction; common humanity will not allow us to
leave you here."

"Common humanity!" exclaimed the being, with a scornful laugh
that sounded like a shriek, "where got ye that catch-word--that

noose for woodcocks--that common disguise for man-traps--that
bait which the wretched idiot who swallows, will soon find covers

a hook with barbs ten times sharper than those you lay for the
animals which you murder for your luxury!"

"I tell you, my friend," again replied Earnscliff, "you are
incapable of judging of your own situation--you will perish in

this wilderness, and we must, in compassion, force you along with
us."

"I'll hae neither hand nor foot in't," said Hobbie; "let the
ghaist take his ain way, for God's sake!"

"My blood be on my own head, if I perish here," said the figure;
and, observing Earnscliff meditating to lay hold on him, he

added, "And your blood be upon yours, if you touch but the skirt
of my garments, to infect me with the taint of mortality!"

The moon shone more brightly as he spoke thus, and Earnscliff
observed that he held out his right hand armed with some weapon

of offence, which glittered in the cold ray like the blade of a
long knife, or the barrel of a pistol. It would have been

madness to persevere in his attempt upon a being thus armed, and
holding such desperate language, especially as it was plain he

would have little aid from his companion, who had fairly left him
to settle matters with the apparition as he could, and had

proceeded a few paces on his way homeward. Earnscliff, however,
turned and followed Hobbie, after looking back towards the

supposed maniac, who, as if raised to frenzy by the interview,
roamed wildly around the great stone, exhausting his voice in

shrieks and imprecations, that thrilled wildly along the waste
heath.

The two sportsmen moved on some time in silence, until they were
out of hearing of these uncouth sounds, which was not ere they

had gained a considerable distance from the pillar that gave name
to the moor. Each made his private comments on the scene they

had witnessed, until Hobbie Elliot suddenly exclaimed, "Weel,
I'll uphaud that yon ghaist, if it be a ghaist, has baith done

and suffered muckle evil in the flesh, that gars him rampauge in
that way after he is dead and gane."

"It seems to me the very madness of misanthropy," said
Earnscliff; following his own current of thought.

"And ye didna think it was a spiritual creature, then?" asked
Hobbie at his companion.

"Who, I?--No, surely."
"Weel, I am partly of the mind mysell that it may be a live

thing--and yet I dinna ken, I wadna wish to see ony thing look
liker a bogle."

"At any rate," said Earnscliff, "I will ride over to-morrow and
see what has become of the unhappy being."

"In fair daylight?" queried the yeoman; "then, grace o' God,
I'se be wi' ye. But here we are nearer to Heugh-foot than to

your house by twa mile,--hadna ye better e'en gae hame wi' me,
and we'll send the callant on the powny to tell them that you are

wi' us, though I believe there's naebody at hame to wait for you
but the servants and the cat."

"Have with you then, friend Hobbie," said the young hunter; "and
as I would not willingly" target="_blank" title="ad.情愿地，乐意地">willingly have either the servants be anxious, or

puss forfeit her supper, in my absence, I'll be obliged to you to
send the boy as you propose."

"Aweel, that IS kind, I must say. And ye'll gae hame to Heugh-
foot? They'll be right blithe to see you, that will they."

This affair settled, they walked briskly on a little farther,
when, coming to the ridge of a pretty steep hill, Hobbie Elliot

exclaimed, "Now, Earnscliff, I am aye glad when I come to this
very bit--Ye see the light below, that's in the ha' window, where

grannie, the gash auld carline, is sitting birling at her wheel
--and ye see yon other light that's gaun whiddin' back and forrit

through amang the windows? that's my cousin, Grace Armstrong,
--she's twice as clever about the house as my sisters, and sae

they say themsells, for they're good-natured lasses as ever trode
on heather; but they confess themsells, and sae does grannie,

that she has far maist action, and is the best goer about the
toun, now that grannie is off the foot hersell.--My brothers, ane

o' them's away to wait upon the chamberlain, and ane's at Moss-
phadraig, that's our led farm--he can see after the stock just as

weel as I can do."
"You are lucky, my good friend, in having so many valuable

relations."
"Troth am I--Grace make me thankful, I'se never deny it.--But

will ye tell me now, Earnscliff, you that have been at college,
and the high-school of Edinburgh, and got a' sort o' lair where

it was to be best gotten--will ye tell me--no that it's ony
concern of mine in particular,--but I heard the priest of St.

John's, and our minister, bargaining about it at the Winter fair,
and troth they baith spak very weel--Now, the priest says it's

unlawful to marry ane's cousin; but I cannot say I thought he
brought out the Gospel authorities half sae weel as our minister-

-our minister is thought the best divine and the best preacher
atween this and Edinburgh--Dinna ye think he was likely to be

right?"
"Certainly marriage, by all protestant Christians, is held to be

as free as God made it by the Levitical law; so, Hobbie, there
can be no bar, legal or religious, betwixt you and Miss

Armstrong."
"Hout awa' wi' your joking, Earnscliff," replied his companion,

--" ye are angry aneugh yoursell if ane touches you a bit, man,
on the sooth side of the jest--No that I was asking the question

about Grace, for ye maun ken she's no my cousin-germain out and
out, but the daughter of my uncle;s wife by her first marriage,

so she's nae kith nor kin to me--only a connexion like. But now
we're at the Sheeling-hill--I'll fire off my gun, to let them ken

I'm coming, that's aye my way; and if I hae a deer I gie them twa
shots, ane for the deer and ane for mysell."

He fired off his piece accordingly, and the number of lights were
seen to traverse the house, and even to gleam before it. Hobbie

Elliot pointed out one of these to Earnscliff, which seemed to
glide from the house towards some of the outhouses-"That's Grace

hersell," said Hobbie. "She'll no meet me at the door, I'se
warrant her--but she'll be awa', for a' that, to see if my

hounds' supper be ready, poor beasts."
"Love me, love my dog," answered Earnscliff. "Ah, Hobbie, you

are a lucky young fellow!"
This observation was uttered with something like a sigh, which

apparently did not escape the ear of his companion.
"Hout, other folk may be as lucky as I am--O how I have seen Miss

Isabel Vere's head turn after somebody when they passed ane
another at the Carlisle races! Wha kens but things may come

round in this world?"
Earnscliff muttered something like an answer; but whether in