He cam on an' on, but no straucht for
whaur we sat, or I dinna think the sma' rizzon I had left wad hae
bidden wi' me, but as gien he war haudin' for 's bed. To tell God's
trowth, for I daurna lee, for fear o' haein' to luik upo' 's like
again, my auld auntie declaret efterhin 'at she saw naething. She
bude til hae been asleep, an' a mercifu' thing it was for her, puir
body! but she didna live lang efter. He made straucht for the bed,
as I thoucht.' The Lord preserve's!' thoucht I,' is he gaein to lie
doon wi' 's ain corp?' but he turnt awa', an' roon' the fit o' the
bed to the ither side o' 't, an' I saw nae mair; an' for a while,
auntie Jean sat her lane wi' the deid, for I lay upo' the flure,
an' naither h'ard nor saw. But whan I came to mysel', wasna I
thankfu' 'at I wasna deid, for he micht hae gotten me than, an'
there was nae sayin' what he micht hae dune til me! But, think ye,
wad auntie Jean believe 'at I had seen him, or that it was onything
but a dream 'at had come ower me, atween waukin' an' sleepin'! Na,
no she! for she had sleepit throu' 't hersel'!"
For some time silence reigned, as befitted the close of such a
story. Nothing but the solemn tick of the tall clock was to be
heard. On and on it went, as steady as before. Ghosts were nothing
special to the clock: it had to measure out the time both for
ghosts and unghosts.
"But what cud the ghaist hae been wantin'? No the corp, for he
turnt awa', ye tell me, frae hit," Cosmo ventured at length to
remark.
Pages:
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135