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 be sure; but de'il a guide ye'll need, if ye gae doun the water for twa miles or sae, as gin ye were bound for Milnwood-house, and then tak the first. broken disjasked-looking road that makes for the hills—ye'll ken't by a broken ash-tree that stands at the side o' a burn just where the roads meet, and then travel out the path—ye canna miss Widow Maclure's public, for de'il another house or hauld is on the road for ten lang Scots miles, and that's worth twenty English. I am sorry your honour would think of gaun out o' my house the night. But my wife's gude-sister is a decent woman, and it's no lost that a friend gets."

Morton accordingly paid his reckoning and departed. The sunset of the summer day placed him at the ash-tree, where the path led up toward the moors.

"Here," he said to himself," my misfortunes commenced; for just here, when Burley and I were about to separate on the first night we ever met, he was alarm-