Annan Water; A Romance (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ' Look, Solomon ! Is she not bonnie V Solomon gave a grnut of doubtful approval. ' Good-night, Solomon,' continued the minister. A word of protest was on the sexton's tongue, but he checked it in time, then with one last stare of amazement, perplexity, and surprise, he left the room. ' The warl's comin' to an en',' he muttered, as he ascended the stairs to his room. ' A woman-bairn in our hoose !?a lassie in the minister's ain bed ! Weel, weel, weel!' Meantime Mr. Lorraine sat by the bedside, looking at the child, who had almost immediately fallen asleep. Presently he reached out his arm and took one of her little hands into his own, and his eyes were dim and his soul was travelling back to the past. Hours passed thus, and he still sat in a dream. ' Marjorie, my bonnie doo !' he murmured aloud again. ' Is this indeed a gift from God?and you f CHAPTER HL THE DEAD WOMAN. At five o'clock the next morning, when Solomon Mueklebacldt, candle in hand, descended the stairs, he found the minister sitting by the bedside fast asleep, with his grey head resting on the side of the pillow, and his right arm outstretched over the counterpane above the still slumbering child. At the sound of Solomon's entrance, however, Mr. Lorraine awoke at once, rubbed his eyes, and looked in a dazed way around him; thcu his eyes fell upon the infant, and his face grew bright as sun- ahine. ' Bless me, meenister ! Hae ye been watching here a' nicht ?' ' I fell to sleep,' was the reply, ' and I was dreaming, Solomon, such bonnie dreams ! I thought that I was up yonder among the angels, and that one of them came to me with a face I wellremember?all, so bright!?and put a little bairn?this bairn? into my arms; and then, as I held the pretty one, a thousand voices sang an old S...