Sandy Glass acted as valet to the honest fellow Macbean, first bringing him a large pail-full of water for his feet, then running to the minister:
"Ho! sir, I winna ye gi' Maister Macbean a pair of stockings, and your auld breeks , an' the waistcoat ye had on when he skelpit down on his bair knees for a blessing, when the braw lads a' gaed away, an' an auld coat. I ken ye've ane ; Mr. Macbean dis na hae a red coat now; na , na , he's nae the sider roi ; an he'll, nae doubt, be glad to put on a coat o' the holy claith ."
"Yes, yes, Sandy; take my excuse to the sergeant for not welcoming him, and go an take them to him."
"Here, Mr. Macbean, here's clais for ye ; a pair o' gude stockings specket a' owr like a paitrycke 's egg; an' a breeks , the vera ains the minister had on when ye gat his blessing; aye! and here's a waistcoat, and here's a coat; an' ye can say, ye were ainse drest in holy clais ."

"Aye, hantle o' fatigue," cried Macbean, "to be walking, and fochting , and crossing the seas, and drouket through an' through wi' rain, an' blinded wi' levin , an' maist deaf wi' thunder; but what's a' that to this news? The auld laird dead, and his gude wife, and the Lady Norah dead-- Ohon! this is the warst morning o' a' poor Macbean's days.--O my captain! my peur captain! gang , gang , let us be gaen to the manse; the guid man gae me his benison; and the Lady Ellen's there; dinna stop here; come, let us be gaen ."

"Ohon! I'm a peur man; this is ware then the worst battle we e'er fought; dinna , dinna , dinna baith make yoursells like weans ; ye're baith begruttin eneugh already," said the sergeant.
"And Norah's dead! and she died of grief! O, cruel fates! O God! why am I alive till this hour!" uttered Colin in the most bitter anguish.
"Aha! Sauney, my man," said Macbean, "an' it's you, an' ye're aye living, an' up with lavrock ; ye've risen this morning to put your foot on the worm."
"The laird! the laird!" cried Glass, as he advanced bowing, "the young laird living and greeting! What ails ye , Colin dear? Jesu drive his grief awa ; he's dead, an' she's dead, an' Norah's dead; an' we thought ye ware first dead; they a' teld me ye were hagget in collops by naked savages; an' Jesu! Jesu! Jesu! be thanket ye're here now--

"Oh, madam! what, you have not heard then that these two dear babies have lost both father and mother since yesternoon ; poor babies, worse luck for 'em!"
Mrs. Elwyn's eyes filled with tears-- "Poor infants!" cried she, as she hung over them.
"Aye, poor things," returned the old woman; "I little thought when Kitty Ellis sent for me yesterday, to take care of 'em, that I should never she more; and here I tossed up a bit of supper for James and she , and I put it all in order, and I waited, and waited, and between every clap of thunder I listened for James's whistle, for he was a main man for singing and whistling on shore; but law bless us all , I could hear nothing for the roaring of the waves. 'Twas past twelve o'clock before I lighted the candle; I saw a winding-sheet in it within two minutes, and that I know'd to be a baddish sort of a sign; I could have lain a good wager that I should never see 'em more, after my eyes lighted on that ugly sight-- oh, 'twas a sure token!"
"Are you a relation of these poor babes?" asked Mrs. Elwyn, still looking with compassion into the cradle.
"Oh dear , no, madam," said the old woman, "in all the varsal world, these babies have now no kin or kindred but God. The parish must see to 'em now, and I be only waiting for one of the overseers to come along, to know what 'tis best to do; for 'tisn't to be supposed, or expected, as I can leave my own business to attend to they for nothing, you know, madam, though I love 'em ever so."
"Was the poor fisherman born in this place?"
"Law, to be sure, madam, he was, in this very house too, for aught I know to the contrary; his father followed the same calling as this James; he came from Worthing, I have heard tell, and so he married, and got this boy; and when father and mother died, why James he must be marrying too belike , and so he took up with Kitty; Kitty was a love-child, as was laid at somebody's door here in Brighton. Folks did say that the saddle was put on the right horse's back; howsomdever this child was sent to the parish--the great lord or squire, or what he was, set off; and Kitty was a decent sort of girl enough , considering her breeding up , with nobody to care for her, or after her, as it were; and so the long and the short of the matter was, that she was glad enough to marry with James Ellis. Poor girl, she had not been put to bed of these two babies more than six weeks, and such a young thing 'twas , and looking so delicate, for she was but about of seventeen years old ; and I said to her yesterday--'Kitty,' says I, ' 'tis early times, child, for you to venture into the water and the wet.' 'Molly,' says she, 'James has been all alone with nobody but his own self a longful time, and I am very hearty now,' says she; 'you mind the dear babies, and I'll take care of myself;' and then; she suckled 'em, she did, and she kissed 'em both three times--yes, I have minded since as 'twas three times; and she flinged a net over her shoulder, and a basket upon her arm, and away she went."

"Oh, 'tis you , is it, Miss? how do you do? I hope I sees you well?"
"Pretty well, I thank you," said she; "how is Mrs. Piff?"
"Oh, Miss, she is mighty well and bonny; I thought as how you must have met her in the hall, for she's but just gone out of the room. I'll ring the bell," pulling it; "though, now I think on't , I may as well give her a call myself," and he went out of the room, calling all the way "my dear, my missess , my Mrs. Piff, here's somebody come."

'Yes, yes, I remembers it well,' said he; 'twas the year as I was overseer, sir; very true; oh yes, yes. I remembers all about it; two cursed fools of women were taken with the romantics , you see ( plague take, this cursed gout, it is tearing me to pieces), and so our parish got rid of two squalling brats that would have been chargeable, you see; well, well, 'tis a bad wind that blows nobody good, as the old saying has it; I remembers it as though 'twere but yesterday; yes, yes , we got clear of 'em both, as I was saying afore ; one of the fine ladies played me a rum trick , and was off, you see , with her booty before one could say Jack Robinson; however, nothing was ever heard of she nor the child to trouble the parish arter , you see; I take it as how she went by an alias , and didn't very well know which name to give in; howsomdever, alls well that ends well, as the saying is--they wern't chargeable to the parish; but the other lady was quite genteel behaved, and very ready to tell where she lived, and all about it; I see'd her times after and before too; she was one madam Elwyn, out of Gloucestershire; but the other madam never came here no more , as ever I heard of.' -- 'What kind of a lady was she?' asked I, my curiosity excited.-- 'Lord, sir, I'll tell you where you may have a story about it, as long as my arm; old Moll Stevens, who nursed the children, and who staid by the cradle till they were taken to by the ladies, is alive now; I do verily think as she must be upwards of fourscore , but she is mighty recollectful and long winded; Moll has got a little maintenance, I believe, and what with a little trifle of begging, and a little trifle from parish, she contrives to make it out, snuff and all.'

"Make way, sir!" said Brooke austerely, "and return home about your business. Get out of my way."
"O! we' pleasure like ; it's a bad wa' mun , and a dark way I promise thee .--Lord ha' mercy on thy poor soul I sa' ! Aye , go in 'tid cell, mun , and fall upon thy sinfu' marrowbones and axe pardon, do, thou Judas Hashcarrot. "

"Get up, master Turnbull, or I will baste you with your own ladle."
" Ise going to give tid' colonel a bit of someit in excalpitation like," quoth master Turnbull.
" Hold your Yorkshire tongue, and let me hear what the colonel says."
"Quite amincable , like , I assure thee : dommit , mun ! can't thee be civil to a body. "

"Now, Master Ebenezer," said Hopkins, to the rubicond and portly cook, "what evidence have you against this adjutant of Belial's kingdom?"
"I'm no but a cook, sur," rejoined the lord of the dripping-pan; "and I hanna mooch to say tid' woman, like ; only she's a deep un."
"Come near, my good man," said the witch-finder, like a showman who has muzzled a wild beast. "Don't be afraid of her, she won't eat you."
"I dunna know that, mun ," was the reply-- "she has done queerer things nor that--she ha' got an evil eye, I guess, and I'd joost keep a cervil distance, like : quite mannerly , I assure thee . Lord love you , she'd wisk thee up and throttle thee , joist as a coachman does a goose--before you could sa' Jack Robinson."
"'Tis part of the charge against her," replied Hopkins, "facinating poultry."
"Why you don't sa' so. Well , that's macking free, I reckon: personating poultry-- ha, ha! I ax pardon, zur -- but I'm dommed if I could keep a capon, whenever she was to the fore. They all got the pip, and the pigs took French leave; and as for the cattle, poor beasts, they took--they took on, as if they'd got the plag' . I mane , your honour, when she used to come tid' yound leddy ad castle, pretending about simples and harbs , and such like. Lord, how they wou'd jabber fra' hour to hour a mort of things, about old towers, and barons, and goblins, and that 'ere --and about Dame Shipton, the Yarkshire syllabub; and then the hag there--I ax pardon; I mane Mistris Thingamee used to look on her hand, like , and says he'd ha' an ougly death; and yet she'd chuse it. I remember t' words well by this mark, that the yeast wou'd na work that day, and the booter wou'd na coom , do as I wou'd . And all that night I cou'd na get a snap of sleep."
"What, she sent her imps to plague you?" enquired Hopkins.
"Na , na --she doos na need for that-- Lord love ye , she cooms through the keyhole, riding on a broomstick, like ony thing; I ha' no doubt all roobed and anoynted with child's fat, and suchlike."
"Write that down, Mr. Clerk," said Hopkins. So you saw her riding in this way?"
"Na, mun , dommer , she's too deep to be seen at her tricks. I did na see her, but I felt her: for I itched, and roobed , and scroobed the houl night, for all the worle as if I lay upon cow-itch; and there was sooch a wowling and catter-wowling wi' that domd black cat that used to follow her. I'm moral sartain , the Laccademon snuffed me out."
"The Cacodemon you mean. Well, and so, this cat follows her? Have you seen it lately?"
"Na , na --the baist 's up to someat , Ise tell thee . Never since Miles White watched her out of the back posten . Miaw, said the limb of Satan--and snuffs, and snuffs, as if he wanted a tidbit of flesh.--Oh, it's you, Beelzebub! says he, is it? By the poors , Ise mark ye . So, out he whips his loong soord , and slices off one o' t' baist 's paws, as nice as nine pence .-- All's right, thought he; I shall know ye now, mun , by head mark. Wull , would ye credit it? he meets the baist ond' next day, like , with all his paws as whool as mine, and it miowls him in the face, as who should sa' -- its varry pratty , like , but it won't do. Wull , this passed on--and in a day or two, woud ye credit it? there comes this old hag--this good woman, I mean, and brings ye another woman to th' Spittle, wi' never a hond . So then, the murder was out."
"Well: is that all you have to say?" asked Hopkins.
"Na, mun ; there's a mort of other things, but I doona mind them. Lord love ye , take care of her--she looks dommed obstrepelous , like ; wha knows but she may wisk us all away with a corner of the floor. That's a room un , I tell thee ."