“‘Whan the coo loups ower the mune,
The reid gowd rains intil men’s shune’?
I believe Grizzie took the queer sicht for a guid omen. It’s unco strange hoo fowk’ll mix up God an’ chance, seein’ there could hardly be twa mair contradictory ideas! I min’ ance hearin’ a man say, ‘It’s almost a providence!’”
“I doobt wi’ maist fowk,” said Aggie, “it’s only ‘There’s almost a God.’ For my pairt I see nae room atween no believin’ in him at a’, an’ believin’ in him a’ thegither an’ lattin him du what he likes wi’ ’s.”
“I’m o’ your min’ there, Aggie, oot an’ oot,” responded Cosmo.
As he spoke the moon came peering up, and, turning to Agnes to share the sight with her, he saw the yellow light reflected from tears. “Aggie! Aggie!” he said, in much concern, “what are ye greitin’ for?”
She made no answer, but wiped away her tears, and tried to smile. After a little pause,
“Ony body wad think, Cosmo,” she said, “’at gien I believed in a God, he maun be a sma’ ane! What for sud onybody greit ’at has but a far awa’ notion o’ sic a God as you an’ the laird an’ Maister Simon believes in!”
“Ye may weel say that, Aggie!” rejoined Cosmo—yet sighed as he said it, for he thought of Lady Joan. A long pause followed, and then he spoke again.
“Aggie,” he said, “there canna weel be twa i’ this warl’ ’at ken ane anither better nor you an’ me. We hae been bairns thegither; we hae been to the schuil thegither; we hae had the same maister; we hae come throu’ dour times thegither—I doobt we hae been hungry thegither, though ye saidna a word; we hae warstlet wi’ poverty, an’ maybe wi’ unbelief; we loe the same fowk best; an’ abune a’ we set the wull o’ God. It wad be sair upo’ baith o’ ’s to pairt—an’ to me a vex forby ’at the first thing w’alth did for me sud be to tak you awa’. It wad ’maist brak my hert to think ’at her ’at cam throu’ the lan’ o’ drowth wi’ me—ay, tuik me throu’ ’t, for, wantin’ her, I wad hae fa’en to rise nae mair, sud gang on climmin’ the dry hill-ro’d, an’ me lyin’ i’ the bonny meadow-gerse at the fut o’ ’t. It canna be rizzon, Aggie! What for sud ye gang? Merry me, Aggie, an’ bide—bide an’ ca’ the castel yer ain.”