It is the commonest prayer in all languages, but down on her knees
slipped Elspeth again, and Tommy, who felt that it had done him good,
said indignantly: "Surely that is religion. What?"

He lay on his face until he was frightened by a noise louder than
thunder in the daytime--the scraping of his eyelashes on the pillow.
Then he sat up in the wardrobe and fired his three last shots.

"Elspeth Sandys, I'm done with yer forever, I am. I'll take care on yer,
but I'll never kiss yer no more.

"When yer boasts as I'm your brother I'll say you ain't. I'll tell my
mother about Reddy the morn, and syne she'll put you to the door smart.

"When you are a grown woman I'll buy a house to yer, but you'll have
jest to bide in it by your lonely self, and I'll come once a year to
speir how you are, but I won't come in, I won't--I'll jest cry up the
stair."

The effect of this was even greater than he had expected, for now two
were in tears instead of one, and Tommy's grief was the more
heartrending, he was so much better at everything than Elspeth. He
jumped out of the wardrobe and ran to her, calling her name, and he put
his arms round her cold body, and the dear mite, forgetting how cruelly
he had used her, cried, "Oh, tighter, Tommy, tighter; you didn't not
mean it, did yer? Oh, you is terrible fond on me, ain't yer? And you
won't not tell my mother 'bout Reddy, will yer, and you is no done wi'
me forever, is yer? and you won't not put me in a house by myself, will
yer? Oh, Tommy, is that the tightest you can do?"