“Ca’ ye that haudin’ o’ ’t richt, to temp’ me to wrang ’im?” said Aggie, going steadily on at her gathering, while the grieve kept following her step by step. “Ye’re unco short wi’ a body, Aggie!” “I weel may be, whan a body wad hae me neglec’ my paid wark.” “Weel, I reckon ye’re i’ the richt o’ ’t efter a’, sae I’ll jist fa’ tu, an’ len’ ye a han’.” He had so far hindered her that Cosmo had gained a little; and now in pretending to help, he contrived to hinder her yet more. Still she kept near enough to Cosmo to prevent the grieve from saying much, and by and by he left her. When they dropped work for the night, he would have accompanied her home, but she never left Cosmo’s side, and they went away together. “Aggie,” said Cosmo, as soon as there was no one within hearing, “I dinna like that chield hingin’ aboot ye--glowerin’ at ye as gien he wad ate ye.” “He winna du that, Cosmo; he’s ceevil eneuch.” “Ye sud hae seen sae rouch as he was to Grizzie!” “Grizzie’s some rouch hersel’ whiles,” remarked Aggie quietly. “That’s ower true,” assented Cosmo; “but a man sud never behave like that til a wuman.” “Say that to the man,” rejoined Aggie. “The wuman can haud aff o’ hersel’.” “Grizzie, I grant ye, ’s mair nor a match for ony man; but ye’re no sae lang i’ the tongue, Aggie.” “Think ye a lang tongue ’s a lass’s safety, Cosmo? I wad awe nane til ’t! But what’s ta’en ye the nicht, ’at ye speyk to me sae? I ken no occasion.” “Aggie, I wadna willin’ly say a word to vex ye,” answered Cosmo; “but I hae notit an h’ard ’at the best ’o wuman whiles tak oonaccootable fancies to men no fit to haud a can’le to them.” Aggie turned her head aside. “I wad ill like you, for instance, to be drawn to yon Crawford,” he went on. “It’s eneuch to me ’at he’s been lang the factotum o’ an ill man.” A slight convulsive movement passed across Aggie’s face, leaving behind it a shadow of hurtless resentment, yielding presently to a curious smile. “I micht mak a better man o’ ’im,” she said, and again looked away. “They a’ think that, I’m thinkin’!” returned Cosmo with a sad bitterness. “An’ sae they wull, to the warl’s en’.--But, Aggie,” he added, after a pause, “ye ken ye’re no to be oonaiqually yokit.” “That’s what I hae to heed, I ken,” murmured Aggie. “But what do ye un’erstan’ by ’t, Cosmo? There’s nae worshippers o’ idols the noo, as i’ the days whan the apostle said that.” “There’s idols visible, an’ idols invisible,” answered Cosmo. “There’s heaps o’ idols amo’ them ’at ca’s themsel’s an’ ’s coontit christians. Gien a man set himsel’ to lay by siller, he’s the worshipper o’ as oogly an idol as gien he said his prayers to the fish-tailt god o’ the Philistines.” “Weel I wat that!” returned Agnes, and a silence followed. “You an’ me’s aye been true til ane anither, Aggie,” resumed Cosmo at length, “an’ I wad fain hae a promise frae ye--jist to content me.” “What aboot, Cosmo?” “Promise, an’ I’ll tell ye, as the bairnies say.”