"Her!" said Kit, with a scornful look over his shoulder; "I wadna care a buckie gin she was walkin' up the loan ahint us!" Yet, in spite of this gallant defiance, Vara turned round to make sure that the goodwife of Loch Spellanderie was not in the place designated. They walked a long while in silence. It was Kit who spoke first. "Vara," he said, "will ye whiles think on me?" "Of course I will that," said Vara readily; "ye hae been verra kind to me here." "I'm but a laddie, I ken," said Kit, "but ye micht no a'thegither forget me. I'll never forget you, lassie!" There fell another silence between them. "Ye'll be gaun back to be near _him_?" said Kit, a little sullenly. "Aye," replied Vara, in a voice that was almost a whisper, "maybe! Ye see, we hae kenned yin anither a' oor lives. And he kens hoo I was brocht up—and a' aboot my folk! And I ken his." "I'm jalloosin' ye'll be desperate fond o' him?" said Kit, in the same hang-dog way, as if he were taking pleasure in his own pain. "He fed the bairns wi' milk and bread," replied Vara softly; "aye, and gied us a' that he had when we were starvin'! He gied up the very roof abune his heid to shelter us when we were turned oot on the street. I canna help bein' fond o' him, Kit. 'Deed I canna." Kit Kennedy thought a long time, till indeed they had walked quite across a field. Then he spoke. "I canna feed ye, nor yet look after the bairns for ye. I hae nae hoose to put ye in, Vara. But O, I am _that_ fond of ye, it's like to break my heart." Vara stretched out her hand. "An' I'm fond o' you too, laddie!" she said. "Aye, but no the way I mean!" said Kit sadly, with a sob in his voice. "I'll be aye thinkin' on ye," said Vara. "I wish ye war awa' frae this place." "Dinna gie that a thocht!" said Kit, bravely; "I'm no mindin' a hair for my auntie—at least, I wadna if ye had only bided, so that whiles I could hae looked at ye, Vara!" They had been walking hand in hand for some time. Kit Kennedy was tingling with a great desire. His heart was beating violently, as he nerved himself for the plunge. They were at the march-dyke, just where it plunged into the wood of birches and alders. The path went down close along the lake shore from that point. The trees made a green haze of dusk there, with airs blowing cool from off the lake. "Gloriana," said Kit suddenly, "will ye gie me a bit kiss to mind ye by?" Vara looked at the lad with eyes of shy terror. This was indeed something new. Even Cleg, who would readily have died for her, or given her his coat or his house, if he had one, had never offered to kiss her. So at the sound of Kit's voice her heart also drummed in her ears emptily, as if her head were deep under water. She stood still, looking away from him, but not turning her head down. Kit bent his head and kissed her fairly.