The brothers exchanged a look and smile. "But suppose," resumed Ian, "the man we have found in us should one day wake up in you! Suppose he should say, 'Why did you make a beast of me?'! It will not be easy for you to answer him!" "That's all moonshine! Things are as you take them." "So said Lady Macbeth till she took to walking in her sleep, and couldn't get rid of the smell of the blood!" Sercombe said no more. He was silent with disgust at the nonsense of it all. They reached the door of the cottage. Alister invited him to walk in. He drew back, and would have excused himself. "You had better lie down a while," said Alister. "You shall come to my room," said Ian. "We shall meet nobody." Sercombe yielded, for he felt queer. He threw himself on Ian's bed, and in a few minutes was fast asleep. When he woke, he had a cup of tea, and went away little the worse. The laird could not show himself for several days. After this Annie had no further molestation. But indeed the young men's time was almost up--which was quite as well, for Annie of the shop, after turning a corner of the road, had climbed the hill-side, and seen all that passed. The young ladies, hearing contradictory statements, called upon Annie to learn the truth, and the intercourse with her that followed was not without influence on them. Through Annie they saw further into the character of the brothers, who, if they advocated things too fine for the world the girls had hitherto known, DID things also of which it would by no means have approved. They valued that world and its judgment not a straw! CHAPTER XI. A LESSON. All the gentlemen at the New House left it together, and its ladies were once more abandoned to the society of Nature, who said little to any of them. For, though she recognized her grandchildren, and did what she could for them, it was now time they should make some move towards acquaintance with her. A point comes when she must stand upon her dignity, for it is great. If you would hear her wonderful tales, or see her marvellous treasures, you must not trifle with her; you must not talk as if you could rummage her drawers and cabinets as you pleased. You must believe in her; you must reverence her; else, although she is everywhere about the house, you may not meet her from the beginning of one year to the end of another.