The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

762
The Highland Monthiy.
breakfasted. In passing through the hall on my way
upstairs, I noticed the morning paper on the table. There
was something of importance going on in the political
world, in which Mr Moran was much interested, so I
carried the paper with me. I found m)' old friend sitting
up in bed, and looking as if there were little the matter.
"Well, Frank," he said, " I am glad to see you are none
the worse of the ducking." " Not a bit," I said ;
" but I
fear you have not got off so easily." " Oh," said he,
" there is not much the m.atter. I see you have the paper
there ; sit down, and let me hear what they did in the
House last night."
I seated myself by the side of his bed with my back to
the window, which I noticed was drawn down a little from
the top. Opening the paper, I proceeded to read the
Parliamentary news, and was just in the middle of a speech
when I heard a sound that made me pause
to listen, the sound of a cJiild crying bitterly somewhere
of Lord ,
outside. As I listened the sound came nearer, and at last
seemed to pause just outside the window. I cannot tell
what it was that prevented me from obeying my first
impulse to get up and look out of the window, but some
unaccountable feeling of dread, or expectancy, or I know
not what, kept me seated, motionless and listening. Then
the sound of crying and sobbing seemed to rise from the
garden below, and come right in at the open window, till I
could have sworn that a little child in grief or pain was
sobbing behind my chair. A minute more and the wailing
came round in front of me, as if the child was standing at
my knee, close to the bed, and yet I could see nothing.
After remaining about a minute by the bed-side, the
sobbing child seemed to go all round the walls of the
room, until, coming to the window again, it passed out
into the garden below, where I heard its wailing vcjice
dying away in the distance, till all was silent again.
Although this has taken some time to tell, it all passed
in such a short time that when I looked at ^Ir Aloran he
si;emed only just to have noticed that I had stopped