useful. When you have become expert at it, you may always keep yourself
neat and tidy about the legs, on Sundays and handsel Mondays. Besides, you
will dance the better, when a wedding comes round; and I should be
ashamed, at my wedding, which will perhaps be sooner than some folks know
of," added he, laughing, "if my herd were to dance in any thing but hose
of his own working."

Thus encouraged, John persevered; and, by dinner-time, he had learned the
stitch perfectly. Meanwhile, the sheep had wandered farther up the hill,
and Will thought it proper to follow them; so, sometimes whistling,
sometimes singing, he beguiled the time, till they reached the very top of
the highest hill. When John had got thus far, he was surprised, on looking
down, to see that he was almost directly opposite to Mr. Scott's, at
Craigie Hall. "Oh dear," said he, "what would I give to know how poor
Marion is." "What is that you are saying, boy?" said Will, "Do you know
any thing of Mr. Scott's family?" "That I do," said John; and immediately
related all that had passed the day he had been there with Mr. Martin. He
hesitated a good deal when he got to that part of the story about the
spurs; but Will, who saw there was some sort of secret in the way, soon
contrived to get it out of him, and laughed so loud and so long at poor
John's mishap, that the latter was vexed at having said any thing about
it. But when Will had his laugh out, he said, "Well, John, since you are
anxious to hear of Marion, I will wait for you here; and you can easily
run down the hill. You will find stepping stones across the river, almost
exactly opposite the house, so that you may go and be back to me in half
an hour. Off with you, my boy, and let me see if you can be trusted." John
lost no time in reaching Mr. Scott's, where he learnt, to his great
consolation, that Marion was now doing well, and that Mr. Armstrong
considered her out of danger.