The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

A Strange Revenge, 453
manner the severe glance of his eye and the lowering
brow betrayed.
"She said something about ' speerin' folk gethcrin'
lees ;' then she came forward, and, taking my hand, pulled
me to the light of the window. ' Yer a bonnie bairn,
she said
—
' Bonnie bairn
Sad faerin.'
Her manner was so strange, that I drew my hand away,
and again asked if she had seen you in the wood. 'Just
like yer kind," was the curious answer, ' ye seek the sorrow
that's huntin' ye.' ' I want none of your riddles, Elspeth,' I
said a little tartly, for I was afraid she was reading my
fortune, and she never has a nice one for anybody. ' I ven-
tured in to ask whether you had seen the Professor ?' I said
again, and then she hobbled away to the peat fire, and
blowing it into a flame, cried out that it was blue, though I
could only see a red flame, Dad ! What a weird creature ;
' she quite terrified me. Why wait ye there,' she suddenly
asked, glaring awfully at me, ' ye should aye be at hame
when the deil's cookin'."
"Julia," said the Professor, abruptly dismissing the
remainder of the narrative, "you must never again venture
even into the vicinity of this wicked old woman's abode.
Should you see her about you must avoid her as you would
an evil thing. She may do you harm. That's your father's
command, and you have always been a good daughter
hitherto."
again."
" Oh, I shall never want to meet the horrible creature
" Why go to the witch and ask for me ?" asked the Pro-
fessor indifferently, but with a keen side glance at his
daughter, " did you ever see me with her ?"
" Oh, no. Dad ; but she wanders about so much, I
thought she might have seen you."
" Ah," he ejaculated, much relieved, " and that is all you
wished so urgently to tell me, is it ?"