Janet, so you will be pleased, and we stand to pray and sit to sing." "Tuts, tuts, I am not minding about a bit hime at a time from a friend, but it iss those Lowlanders meddling with everything I do not like, and I am hoping to hear you sing again, for it wass a fery pretty tune;" and the smith, passing along the road when Carmichael left that evening, heard Janet call him "my dear," and invoke a thousand blessings on his head.
When he called again in the end of the week to cement the alliance and secure her presence on Sabbath, Janet was polishing the swords, and was willing enough to give their history.
"This wass my great-grandfather's, and these two nicks in the blade were made on the dragoons at Prestonpans; and this wass my husband's sword, for he wass sergeant-major before he died, a fery brave man, good at the fighting and the praying too.
"Maybe I am wrong, and I do not know what you may be thinking, but things come into my mind when I am reading the Bible, and I will be considering that it wass maybe not so good that the Apostles were fishing people." "What ails you at fishermen, Janet ?" "Nothing at all but one thing; they are clever at their nets and at religion, but I am not hearing that they can play with the sword or the dirk.
"It wass a fery good intention that Peter had that night, no doubt, and I will be liking him for it when he took his sword to the policeman, but it wass a mighty poor blow.

If Ian or his father had got as near as that, it would not have been an ear that would have been missing." "Perhaps his head," suggested Carmichael.
"He would not have been putting his nose into honest people's business again, at any rate," and Janet nodded her head as one who could see a downright blow that left no regrets; "it hass always made me ashamed to read about that ear.
"It wass not possible, and it iss maybe no good speaking about it now"-- Janet felt she had a minister now she could open her mind to--"but it would hef been better if our Lord could hef had twelve Macphersons for His Apostles." "You mean they would have been more brave and faithful ?" "There 'wass a price of six thousand pounds, or it might be four, put on Cluny's head after Culloden, and the English soldiers were all up and down the country, but I am not hearing that any clansman betrayed his chief.
"Thirty pieces of silver wass a fery small reward for such a dirty deed, and him one of the Chief's tail too; it wass a mistake to be trusting to fisher folk instead of Glen's men.
"There iss something I hef wished," concluded Janet, who seemed to have given her mind to the whole incident, "that Peter or some other man had drawn his skean-dhu and slippit it quietly into Judas.

We would hef been respecting him fery much to-day, and it would hef been a good lesson--oh yes, a fery good lesson--to all traitors." As they got more confidential, Janet began to speak of signs and dreams, and Carmichael asked her if she had the second sight.
"No; it iss not a lie I will be telling you, my dear, nor will I be boasting.

I have not got it, nor had my mother, but she heard sounds, oh yes, and knew what wass coming to pass.
"'Janet,' she would say, 'I have heard the knock three times at the head of the bed; it will be your Uncle Alister, and I must go to see him before he dies.'" "And was she--" "Oh yes, she wass in time, and he wass expecting her; and once she saw the shroud begin to rise on her sister, but no more; it never covered the face before her eyes; but the knock, oh yes, many times." "Have you known any one that could tell what was happening at a distance, and gave warning of danger ?" for the latent Celt was awakening in Carmichael, with his love of mystery and his sense of the unseen.
"Listen, my dear"-- Janet lowered her voice as one speaking of sacred things--"and I will tell you of Ina Macpherson, who lived to a hundred and two, and had the vision clear and sure.
"In the great war with Russia I wass staying in the clachan of my people, and then seven lads of our blood were with the Black Watch, and every Sabbath the minister would pray for them and the rest of the lads from Badenoch that were away at the fighting.
"One day Ina came into my sister's house, and she said, 'It iss danger that I am seeing,' and my heart stood still in my bosom for fear that it wass my own man Hamish.
"'No,' and she looked at me, 'not yet, and not to-day,' but more she would not say about him.

'Is it my son Ronald ?' my sister cried, and Ina only looked before her.