CHAP, x.] A WIDOW'S STORY. 465 



for North Berwick or Dunbar when he saw the wather airtin' 

 for coorse. 1 wasna frightened, yet I couldna sleep for the 

 roarin' o' the wind. Mornin' cam'. I gaed doon till the shore, 

 and a' the wives and sweethearts o' the Pans gaed wi' me. 

 There was a heavy fog on the sea, sae thick that neither 

 Inchkeith nor the Law were to be seen. Naething was there 

 but the sea and the muckle waves lowpin' up and dashin' 

 themselves tae death on the rocks and the sands. Eastwards 

 and westwards we lookit, an' better lookit, but naething was 

 till be seen but the fog and the angry roaring sea no a boat, 

 no a sail was visible on a' the wild waters. Weel, we had a 

 lang confab on the shore as tae what our guidmen and our 

 sweethearts micht aiblins hae dune. It was settled amang us 

 without a doot that they had gane intill North Berwick or 

 Dunbar, and sae we expeckit that in the afternoon they would 

 maybe tak' the road and come hame till comfort us. After 

 denner we that is, the wives and sweethearts took the gait 

 and went as far as Gosfort Sands till meet our guidmen and 

 the lads. The rain was pourin' doon like mad ; but what was 

 that till us ? we were lookin' for what was a' the world till our 

 bosoms, and through wind and weet we went tae find it, and 

 we nayther felt the cauld blast nor the showers. Cauldly and 

 greyly the short day fell upon the Berwick Law. Darker and 

 darker grew the gloamin', but nae word o' them we loo'd afore 

 a' the world. The nicht closed in at lang and last, and no a 

 soond o' the welcome voices. Eh, sir, aften and aften hae I 

 said, and sang ower till mysel', the bonny words o' poetry that 

 says 



* His very foot has music in't, 

 As lie comes up the stair.' 



But Archibald's feet were never mair till come pap, pappin, 

 in at the door. Twa sorrowfu' and lang lang days passed awa', 

 and the big waves, as if mockin' our sorrow, flang the spars o' 

 the boats up amang the rocks, and there was weepin' and 



2 H 



