Betty darted into the nursery, only too proud of the mission, and telling nurse to “mak’ the young laird brau,” she rushed to the kitchen, and demanded of the cook a “muckle big ashat.” “What do you want with the dish?” said the English cook. “That’s my ain business,” quoth Betty, taking the enormous china platter from the cook’s hand, and running back to the nursery. “Here, Mistress Norman, here is ain big enough to hand him in, at ony rate. Pray lay his wee duds smooth, an’ I’ll tak’ him in, for I hear the bell.” “Are ye duff, lass? Wud ye put the bairn on the ashat?” “Ay, mistress tauld me to bring what she asked me for on an ashat. Sure ye wud no ha’ me disobey her?” “Na, na,” said the nurse, laughing, and suspecting some odd mistake. “Ye sal ha’ it yer ain way.” And she carefully laid the noble babe upon the dish, and went before to open the door that led to Mrs. ——’s chamber. Betty entered as briskly as her unwieldy burden would permit, and with glowing cheeks, and eyes glistening with honest delight, presented her human offering in the huge dish to the oldest female visitor in the room. With a scream of surprise, followed by a perfect hurricane of laughter, the venerable dame received the precious gift from Betty’s hand, and holding it towards the astonished mother, exclaimed, “Truly, my dear friend, this is a dish fit to set before a king. Our beloved sovereign would have no objection of seeing a dish so filled with royal fruit, placed at the head of his own table.” The laugh became general; and poor Betty comprehending the blunder she had committed, not only fled from the scene, but dreading the jokes of her fellow-servants, fled from the house. CHAPTER XXII. CLIMBING THE MOUNTAINS. The Lyndsays, to their infinite mortification and disappointment, found upon their arrival at Leith, that the _Chieftain_, in which vessel their places had been taken for Canada, had sailed only two days before. To make bad worse, Mrs. Waddel confidently affirmed, that it was the very last vessel which would sail that season. Lyndsay, who never yielded to despondency, took these contrary events very philosophically, and lost no time in making inquiries among the ship-owners, to ascertain whether Mrs. Waddel was right. After several days of anxious and almost hopeless search, he was at last informed that the _Flora_, Captain Ayre, was to leave for Canada in a fortnight. The name seemed propitious, and that very afternoon he walked down with his wife to inspect the vessel.