"She's no so tall as Mrs. Catherine," said Jacky. "Eh, Jacky! Miss Alice didna come up to her shouther, and she's a haill head higher than Miss Ross." Jacky did not choose to answer: though why there should seem any slight to Marjory, in an exaggeration of her stature, we cannot tell. Without doubt, Belphoebe was to the full as tall as she. "Do you ken that Merkland's been in Edinburgh?" asked Bessie. In Strathoran she had called Lewis, Mr. Ross; now she was bent on impressing Tibbie with a deep sense of her own familiarity with these great people. "Eh, Jacky, do you mind what Johnnie Halflin used to say about Merkland?" Jacky had a high sense of honor. She made an elfin face at her talkative companion, and remained prudently silent. "What did he say?" asked Tibbie. "Ou naithing. Jacky and me kens." "An he said onything ill, I redd him to keep out o' the power o' my ten talents. He's a young blackguard, like maist feck of his kind, I'll warrant--idle serving callants, wi' nought to do in this world, but claver about their betters, wi' light-headed gilpies, like yoursel. I wad just like to ken what he said!" "It was naething ill," said Jacky. "Oh, he'll be a lad to some o' ye, nae doubt--set ye up! But I can tell ye, he had better no come here to say an ill word o' young Mr. Ross." "Miss Anne's Mr. Lewis's sister," said Jacky, decisively.--"Johnnie dauredna say a word ill o' him--only that he was--" Bessie laughed--_she_ had no honorable scruples, but maliciously refrained from helping Jacky out. "Only about Miss Alice and him." "Weel ye're a queer lassie," said Mrs. Aytoun's maid. "Could ye no have tell't me that at first?" Bessie laughed again. "And, Jacky, is the wee fairy lady aye at the Mill yet?" "Wha's that?" cried the curious Tibbie. "Oh, it's a wee bairn that the fairies sent to Strathoran. She was a' dressed in green silk, and had wings like Miss Alice's white veil, and was riding on a pony as white as snaw; and the miller's wife took her in, and her wings took lowe at the fire, and she would have been a' burned, if Miss Ross hadna saved her--and Johnnie Halflin saw her wi' his ain e'en--and they say she's some kin to Jacky." Jacky repelled the insult with immense disdain. "If I had Johnnie Halflin here, I would douk him in the Oran." "Ye might douk him in the water o' Leith, Jacky," said Bessie, laughing; "but the Oran's no here, mind." Jacky was indignantly silent. "And wha is she?" inquired Tibbie. "She's a little girl," said Jacky, with some dignity, "a very bonnie wee foreign lady; and Mrs. Melder keeps her at the Mill, and she speaks in a strange tongue, and sings sangs--low, sweet, floating sangs--ye never heard the like of them, and her name is Lilie." "Lilie what?" "I dinna ken. She says her name is Lilia Santa Clara, but neabody kens whether that's her last name or no." "Losh!" exclaimed Tibbie, "will she be canny, after a'?"