Mrs. Yammer crossed her hands languidly upon her lap and sighed. Sarah returned, bearing a capacious work-basket, from which Miss Crankie took a white cotton stocking, in which were various promising holes. "If ye want onything of this kind done, I'll be very glad, Miss Ross--I'm a special guid hand." Anne thanked her. "But your'e wearying for the end of my story, I see," said Miss Crankie, "just let me get my needle threaded." The needle was threaded--the stocking was drawn upon Miss Crankie's arm--the black turban nodded in good-humored indication of having settled itself comfortably--and the story was resumed. "About that time, when young Redheugh was at his very chiefest with the Lillies, and folk said he was going to be married upon Marion, a gentleman came to stay here awhile for the benefit of the sea-side. His wife was a bit delicate young thing--they said he wasna ower guid to her. They lived on the other side of the town, and their name was Aytoun. Mr. Rutherford and him had gotten acquaint in Edinburgh, and for awhile they were great cronies. Patrick Lillie could not bide this stranger gentleman--what for I dinna ken--but folk said Redheugh and him had some bit tifft of an outcast about him; onyway it made no difference in their friendship. "But one July morning, Miss Ross, we were a' startled maist out of our senses: there was an awfu' story got up of a dead man being found by the waterside, just on the skirts of yon muckle wood that runs down close by the sea, and who should this be but the stranger gentleman, Mr. Aytoun. Somebody had shot him like a coward frae behind, and when they looked among the bushes, lo! there was a gun lying, and whose name do you think was on't? just Mr. Rutherford's, of Redheugh. "The haill country was in a fever--the like of that ye ken was a disgrace to us a'--and it was in everybody's mouth. The first body I thought of was Marion Lillie; the day before she had gone into Edinburgh--folk said it was to get her wedding dress. Eh, puir lassie! was that no a awfu' story for a bride to hear? "They gaed to apprehend Mr. Rutherford the same night, but he had fled, and was away before they got to Redheugh, no man kent whither. I met Christian that day; though I ca' her Kirstin speaking to you, I say aye Miss Lillie to herself. In the one day that the murder was done she had gotten yon look. It feared me when I saw it. Her e'en were travelling far away, as if she could see to ony distance, but had nae vision for things at hand. 'Eh, Miss Lillie!' I said to her, 'isna this an awfu' thing; wha could have thought it of young Redheugh!' "'I will never believe it!' she said, in a wild away: 'he is not guilty. I will never believe it!' "'And Miss Marion,' said I, 'bless me, it will break the puir lassie's heart.' "'I will not let her come home,' said Kirstin, 'I will send her to the west country to my father's friends. She must not come home.'