"graceless Ned," as she called him. And then you might see Ned between
the two servants, a few paces in advance of Nancy, having very much
the appearance of a man performing a pilgrimage to the gallows, or of
a deserter guarded back to his barrack, in order to become a target for
the muskets of his comrades. Ned's compulsory return always became
a matter of some notoriety; for Nancy's excursion in quest of the
"graceless" was not made without frequent denunciations of wrath against
him, and many melancholy apologies to the neighbors for entering upon
the task of personally securing him. By this means her enterprise was
sure to get wind, and a mob of the idle young men and barefooted
urchins of the village, with Bob M'Cann, "a three-quarter clift"* of
a fellow--half knave, half fool, was to be found, a little below the
village, upon an elevation of the road, that commanded a level stretch
of half a mile or so, in anxious expectation of the procession. No
sooner had this arrived at the point of observation, than the little
squadron would fall rearward of the principal group, for the purpose of
extracting from Nancy a full and particular account of the capture.

[Illustration: PAGE 656-- Bringing home "graceless Ned,"]

* This is equal to the proverb--"he wants a square," that
is, though knavish not thoroughly rational; in other words,
a combination of knave and fool. Bob, in consequence of his
accomplishments, was always a great favorite in the village.
Upon some odd occasions he was a ready and willing drudge at
everything, and as strong as a ditch. Give him only a good
fog-meal--which was merely a trifle, just what would serve
three men or so--give him, we say, a fog-meal of this kind,
about five times a day, with a liberal promise of more, and
never was there a Scotch Brownie who could get through so