"Troth am I--Grace make me thankful, I'se never deny it.--But will
ye tell me now, Earnscliff, you that have been at college, and the
high-school of Edinburgh, and got a' sort o' lair where it was to
be best gotten--will ye tell me--no that it's ony concern of mine in
particular,--but I heard the priest of St. John's, and our minister,
bargaining about it at the Winter fair, and troth they baith spak very
weel--Now, the priest says it's unlawful to marry ane's cousin; but I
cannot say I thought he brought out the Gospel authorities half sae weel
as our minister--our minister is thought the best divine and the best
preacher atween this and Edinburgh--Dinna ye think he was likely to be
right?"

"Certainly marriage, by all protestant Christians, is held to be as free
as God made it by the Levitical law; so, Hobbie, there can be no bar,
legal or religious, betwixt you and Miss Armstrong."

"Hout awa' wi' your joking, Earnscliff," replied his companion,--"ye
are angry aneugh yoursell if ane touches you a bit, man, on the sooth
side of the jest--No that I was asking the question about Grace, for ye
maun ken she's no my cousin-germain out and out, but the daughter of
my uncle's wife by her first marriage, so she's nae kith nor kin to
me--only a connexion like. But now we're at the Sheeling-hill--I'll fire
off my gun, to let them ken I'm coming, that's aye my way; and if I hae
a deer I gie them twa shots, ane for the deer and ane for mysell."

He fired off his piece accordingly, and the number of lights were
seen to traverse the house, and even to gleam before it. Hobbie Elliot
pointed out one of these to Earnscliff, which seemed to glide from the
house towards some of the outhouses-"That's Grace hersell," said Hobbie.