It was now the turn of both the younger folk to blush. Winsome
reddened with vexation at the thought that he should think that
she had seen him run and gone about telling of it. Ralph grew
redder and redder, and remained speechless. He did not think of
anything at all.

"I am fond of exercise," he said falteringly.

The gay old lady rippled into a delicious silver stream of
laughter, a little thin, but charmingly provocative. Winsome did
not join, but she looked up imploringly at her grandmother,
leaning her head back till her tresses swept the ground.

When Mistress Skirving recovered herself,

"Exerceese, quo' he, heard ye ever the like o' that? In their
young days lads o' speerit took their exerceese in comin' to see a
bonny lass--juist as I was sayin' to Winifred yestreen nae faurer
gane. Hoot awa', twa young folk! The simmer days are no lang. Waes
me, but I had my share o' them! Tak' them while they shine,
bankside an' burnside an' the bonny heather. Aince they bloomed
for Ailie Gordon. Once she gaed hand in hand alang the braes,
where noo she'll gang nae mair. Awa' wi' ye, ye're young an'
honest. Twa auld cankered carles are no fit company for twa young
folks like you. Awa' wi' ye; dinna be strange wi' his mither's
bairn, say I--an' the guid man hae's spoken for the daddy o' him."

Thus was Ralph Peden made free of the Big Hoose of Craig Ronald.