The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

Scenes of Lon^ ^go. 481
What was then considered a handsome wage was offered,
and Bessie, after taking counsel, accepted the terms, and
looked forward with pleasure to returning home with this
in addition to her earnings at the harvesting. She knew
that the contents of her little purse would keep her parents
in comfort all winter. So she sent a message to them by
her companions, explaining her intentions, and promising
to be home in eight short weeks. She had scarcely entered
upon her service, however, when she felt inclined to rue her
engagement. No one resided constantly in the lonely
changehouse of Logroy except her master and mistress, and
herself; but she found that it was frequented by the lowest
class of travellers and drivers. The trade was not in a
thriving condition. Her master had been unable to pay
the rent, and he had been warned to leave at Martinmas.
She soon discovered that he and his wife were held in ill
repute on the road, being considered capable of committing
acts of petty larceny upon travellers, when opportunity
offered. Nay, there was one shepherd's wife who informed
Bessie that three women returning from the harvest with
considerable sums of money a few years before, had been
last seen in the neighbourhood of this house, and were
never seen or heard of again. Bessie, however, was aware
that gruesome stories of this kind were widely in circula-
tion, which could have no real foundation, and although she
disliked both the house and the occupiers of Logroy, she
had no cause of complaint, for she was treated with
consideration, and her work was light, consisting, for the
most part, in attending to the cattle. She had been a
month in this situation, when she observed two drovcis
approach the house from the south, and ask quarters for the
night. They were received as acquaintances by her master
and mistress, and the four sat around the kitchen fire umil
midnight. Bessie, as she lay in her little room, was kept
awake by their conversation. To her surprise, she soon
heard Duncairn and Glenbeltane mentioned, and she
gradually realised that Gillies and Farquhar Macilvaii e
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