“They say that whan a wuman’s late o’ fa’in’ in love--_ye’ll_ ken my lord--_I_ ken naething aboot it--it’s the mair likly to be an oonrizzonin’ an’ ooncontrollable fancy; in sic maitters it seems wisdom comesna wi’ gray hairs: within ae hoor the leddy was enamoured o’ the stranger in a fearfu’ w’y. She poored oot his wine till him wi’ her ane han’; an’ the moment he put the glaiss till ’s lips, the win’ fell an’ the lichtnin’ devallt (_ceased_). She set hersel’ to put questons till him, sic as she thoucht he wad like to answer--a’ aboot himsel’ an’ what he had come throu’; an’ sic stories as he tellt! She atten’t till him as she had never dune to guest afore, an’ her father saw ’at she was sair taen wi’ the man. But he wasna a’thegither sae weel pleased, for there was somethin’ aboot him--he cudna say what--’at garred him grue (_shudder_). He wasna a man to hae fancies, or stan’ upo’ freits, but he cudna help the creep that gaed doon his backbane ilka time his ee encoontert that o’ the prence--it was aye sic a strange luik the prence cuist upon him--a luik as gien him an’ the yerl had been a’ready ower weel acquant, though the yerl cudna min’ ’at ever he had set ee upo’ him. A’ the time, hooever, he had a kin’ o’ suspicion ’at they bude to be auld acquantances, an’ sair he soucht to mak him oot, but the prence wad never lat a body get a glimp o’ his een ’cep’ the body he was speykin’ till--that is gien he cud help it, for the yerl did get twa or three glimps o’ them as he spak till ’s dauchter; an’ he declaret efterhin to the king’s commissioner, that a pale blue kin’ o’ a licht cam frae them, the whilk the body he was conversin’ wi’, an’ luikin’ straucht at, never saw. “Weel, the short and the lang o’ ’t that nicht was, that they gaed a’ to their beds. “I’ the mornin’, whan the markis--the yerl, I sud say--an’ his dochter cam doon the stair, the haill menyie (_company_) was awa. Never a horse was i’ the stable, but the yerl’s ain beasts --no ae hair left ahin’ to shaw that they had been there! an’ i’ the chaumers allotted to their riders, never a pair o’ sheets had been sleepit in. “The yerl an my leddy sat doon to brak their fast--no freely i’ the same humour, the twa o’ them, as ye may weel believe. Whan they war aboot half throu’, wha sud come stridin’ in, some dour an’ ill-pleased like, but the prence himsel’! Baith yerl an’ leddy startit up: ’at _they_ sud hae sitten doon till a meal ohn even adverteest their veesitor that sic was their purpose! They made muckle adu wi’ apologies an’ explanations, but the prence aye booed an’ booed, an’ said sae little, that they thocht him mortal angert, the whilk was a great vex to my leddy, ye may be sure. He had a withert-like luik, an’ the verra diamonds in ’s claes war douf like. A’thegither he had a brunt-oot kin’ o’ aissy (_ashy_) leuk.