"At this time I must--my desire is to return to our old home, before Marion comes back to me--I forget she has been a mother long, and a grave tried woman. I only mind her as my bird Marion, my little sister; I would like to have her chamber for her, as it was before this cloud fell. You shall go with me to-morrow, and we will see what they say--the people who are in the house." "And where are they?" said Anne, "will you not tell me, Christian, where they are?" Christian's countenance changed: "They will be home in due time. Your brother Norman will reveal himself to you himself, and you will not ask me further. It is a weakness--a remembrance of my old bondage--but you will wait, Anne, my sister.--Let him carry you his own secret himself." Anne was silent. It was a singular hesitation this, but she could not press her question further. "And will you not come to Merkland--to see us--to see Lilie?" "I will come when Marion comes," said Christian. "Let me stay until then. By the time this year is ended, as I calculate, they will be home, and till that time I will rest." Anne rose, a stranger was at the gate: through the window she descried the good-humored round face of Mrs. Brock, her earliest acquaintance in Aberford. "Here is your tenant, Christian," she said: "shall I see her? it may fatigue you." "No," said Christian, "let her be brought in, Anne; it will save us our walk to-morrow." Anne went out, and met the Grieve's wife, who was greatly astonished to see her. "Eh, preserve me! is this you, Miss Ross? and ye never came back to tak a cup o' tea; and I've been looking for ye ilka fine day; and sae muckle as wee Geordie had to tell his father about the leddy yon night; and ye'll hae been biding close a' this time at Aberford?" "No," said Anne, "I have been in the North since I saw you." "And sae ye ken Miss Lillie? She'll be sair put out o' the way, it's like, about her brother. Losh! do ye ken Miss Ross, our George says there's something in the papers about it being Maister Lillie that killed the man, and no young Redheugh. Is there onythiug in't, think ye? ane couldna ask Miss Lillie." "By no means," said Anne, "she is in great grief for her brother, and you must not allude to it." "It'll be true then? Eh! to think of a delicate looking man like thon doing the like o' that." "It was an accident," said Anne, quickly; "he was a gentleman, who would not have harmed any living thing. Do you wish to see Miss Lillie?" "Ou, ay, it was just about the house, ye ken. George thought we micht maybe come to a settlement about the house. Ye see there's a new yin building at the back end o' the toun, nigher the water--a guid twa story house, and we've a big family, and George would like to be off or on at yince." Anne ushered the visitor into the study. Mrs. Brock, honest woman, expended upon Christian some piece of common-place consolation, which made the pale lip quiver. Then she entered upon her business.