We war
sittin', auntie Jean an' mysel', i' the mids o' the room, no wi'
oor backs til the bed, nor yet wi' oor faces, for we daurna turn
aither o' them til't. I' the ae case, wha cud tell what we micht
see, an' i' the ither, wha cud tell what micht be luikin' at hiz!
We war sittin', I say, wi' oor faces to the door o' the room, an'
auntie was noddin' a wee, for she was turnin' gey an' auld, but _I_
was as wide waukin' an ony baudrins by a moose-hole, whan suddent
there came a kin' o' a dirlin' at the sneck,'at sent the verra sowl
o' me up intil the garret o' my heid; an' afore I had time to ken
hoo sair frichtit I was, the door begud to open; an', glower as I
wad, no believin' my ain e'en, open that door did, langsome,
langsome, quaiet, quaiet, jist as my auld Grannie used to tell o'
the deid man comin' doon the lum, bit an' bit, an' jinin' thegither
upo' the flure. I was turnt to stane, like,'at I didna believe I
cud hae fa'en frae the cheir gien I had swarfed clean awa'. An' eh
but it tuik a time to open that door! But at last, as sure as ye
sit there, you twa, an' no anither,--"--At the word, Cosmo's heart
came swelling up into his throat, but he dared not look round to
assure himself that they were indeed two sitting there and not
another--"in cam the auld captain, ae fit efter anither! Speir
gien I was sure o' 'im! Didna I ken him as weel as my ain
father--as weel's my ain minister--as weel as my ain man? He cam
in, I say, the auld captain himsel'--an' eh, sic an evil luik!--the
verra luik deith--frozen upo' the face o' the corp! The live bluid
turned to dubs i' my inside.
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