If you looked brighter, think how that would help him, and it would show that you are worthy of him." So Elspeth went home trying hard to look brighter, but made a sad mess of it.
"Think of getting letters frae me every time the post comes in!" said Tommy, and then indeed her face shone.
And then Elspeth could write to him--yes, as often as ever she liked! This pleased her even more.

It was such an exquisite thought that she could not wait, but wrote the first one before he started, and he answered it across the table.

And Mrs.McLean made a letter bag, with two strings to it, and showed her how to carry it about with her in a safer place than a pocket.
Then a cheering thing occurred.

Came Corp, with the astounding news that, in the Glenquharity dominie's opinion, Tommy should have got the Hugh Blackadder.
"He says he is glad he wasna judge, because he would have had to give you the prize, and he laughs like to split at the ministers for giving it to Lauchlan McLauchlan." Now, great was the repute of Mr.Ogilvy, and Tommy gaped incredulous.
"He had no word of that at the time," he said.
"No likely! He says if the ministers was so doited as to think his loon did best, it wasna for him to conter them." "Man, Corp, you ca'me me aff my feet! How do you ken this ?" Corp had promised not to tell, and he thought he did not tell, but Tommy was too clever for him.

Grizel, it appeared, had heard Mr.Ogilvy saying this strange thing to the doctor, and she burned to pass it on to Tommy, but she could not carry it to him herself, because--Why was it?
Oh, yes, because she hated him.