Small wonder that the Glen, that Scotland had become intolerable to him.

With this bitter burden on his heart it was that young Mr.Allan went his way through the Glen making his farewells, not daring to indulge the luxury of his grief, and with never a word of return.
His sister, who knew all, and who would have carried--oh! how gladly!--on her own heart, and for all her life long, that bitter burden, pleaded to be allowed to go with him on what she knew full well was a journey of sorrow and sore pain, but this he would not permit.
This sorrow and pain which were his own, he would share with no one, and least of all with her upon whose life he had already cast so dark a shadow.

Hence she was at the house alone, her father not having yet returned from an important meeting at a neighbouring village, when a young man came to the door asking for young Mr.Cameron.
"Who is it, Kirsty ?" she inquired anxiously, a new fear at her heart for her brother.
"I know not, but he has neffer been in this Glen before whateffer," replied Kirsty, with an ominous shake of the head, her primitive instincts leading her to view the stranger with suspicion.

"But!" she added, with a glance at her young mistress' face, "he iss no man to be afraid of, at any rate.

He is just a laddie." "Oh, he is a YOUNG man, Kirsty ?" replied her mistress, glancing at her blue serge gown, her second best, and with her hands striving to tuck in some of her wayward curls.
"Och, yess, and not much at that!" replied Kirsty, with the idea of relieving her young mistress of unnecessary fears.
Then Moira, putting on her grand air, stepped into the parlour, and saw standing there and awaiting her, a young man with a thin and somewhat hard face, a firm mouth, and extraordinarily keen, grey eyes.