In going up and down the stairs,--it being a common entry, ye observe--me may be going down with my every day hat on to my dinner, and she coming up, carrying a stoup of water, or half a-pound of pouthered butter on a plate, with a piece of paper thrown over it,--we frequently met half-way, and had to stand still to let one another pass. Nothing came of these forgetherings, howsomever, for a month or two, she being as shy and modest as she was bonny, with her clean demity short gown, and snow-white morning mutch, to say nothing of her cherry mou, and me unco douffie in making up to strangers. We could not help, nevertheless, to take aye a stoun look of each other in passing; and I was a gone man, bewitched out of my seven senses, falling from my claes, losing my stomach, and over the lugs in love, three weeks and some odd days before ever a single syllable passed between us. If ever a man loved and loved like mad, it was me, Mansie Wauch,--and I take no shame in the confession; but, kenning it all in the course of nature, declared it openly and courageously in the face of the wide world. Let them laugh who like; honest folk, I pity them;--such know not the pleasures of virtuous affection. It is not in corrupted sinful hearts that the fire of true love can ever burn clear. Alas, and ohon orie! they lose the sweetest, completest, dearest, truest pleasure that this world has in store for its children. They know not the bliss to meet, that makes the embrace of separation bitter. They never dreamed the dreams that make awakening to the morning light unpleasant. They never felt the raptures that can dirl like darts through a man’s soul from a woman’s ee. They never tasted the honey that dwells on a woman’s lip, sweeter than yellow marygolds to the bee; or fretted under the fever of bliss that glows through the frame on pressing the hand of a suddenly met, and fluttering sweetheart. But tuts-tuts--hech-how! my day has long since past; and this is stuff to drop from the lips of an auld fool. Nevertheless, forgive me, friends: I cannot help all-powerful nature. Nanse’s taste being like my own, we amused one another in abusing great cities: and it is curious how soon I learned to be up to trap--I mean in an honest way; for, when she said she was wearying the very heart out of her to be home again to Lauder, which, she said, was her native and the true land of Goshen, I spoke back to her by way of answer--“Nancy my dear,” says I, “believe me that the real land of Goshen is out at Dalkeith; and if ye’ll take up house wi’ me, and enter into a way of doing, I daursay in a while ye’ll come to think so too.”