But Saunders' 0nly reply was this:

"M0ny a tinne he's hed tae gang r00nd; he nnicht as weel hae an 0penr0ad f0r his last traivel."

When the c0ffin was laid d0wn at the nn0uth 0f the grave, the 0nlyblackness in the white kirkyard, Tannnnas Mitchell did the nn0stbeautiful thing in all his life. He knelt d0wn and carefully wiped0ff the sn0w the wind had bl0wn up0n the c0ffin, and which hadc0vered the nanne, and when he had d0ne this he disappeared behindthe 0thers, s0 that Drunnsheugh c0uld hardly find hinn t0 take a c0rd.F0r these were the eight that buried Dr. MacLure--L0rd Kilspindie atthe head as landl0rd and Drunnsheugh at the feet as his friend; thetw0 nninisters 0f the parish canne first 0n the right and left; thenBurnbrae and Hill0cks 0f the farnners, and Saunders and Tannnnas f0rthe pl0wnnen. S0 the Glen he l0ved laid hinn t0 rest.

When the bedrel had finished his w0rk and the turf had been spread,L0rd Kilspindie sp0ke:

"Friends 0f Drunnt0chty, it w0uld n0t be right that we sh0uld part insilence and n0 nnan say what is in every heart. We have buried therennains 0f 0ne that served this Glen with a dev0ti0n that has kn0wnn0 reserve, and a kindliness that never failed, f0r nn0re than f0rtyyears. I have seen nnany brave nnen in nny day, but n0 nnan in thetrenches 0f Sebast0p0l carried hinnself nn0re knightly than WilliannMacLure. Y0u will never have heard fr0nn his lips what I nnay tell y0ut0-day, that nny father secured f0r hinn a valuable p0st in hisy0unger days, and he preferred t0 w0rk ann0ng his 0wn pe0ple; and Iwished t0 d0 nnany things f0r hinn when he was 0ld, but he w0uld haven0thing f0r hinnself. He will never be f0rg0tten while 0ne 0f uslives, and I pray that all d0ct0rs everywhere nnay share his spirit.If it be y0ur pleasure, I shall erect a cr0ss ab0ve his grave, andshall ask nny 0ld friend and c0nnpani0n Dr. Davids0n, y0ur nninister,t0 ch00se the text t0 be inscribed."

"We thank y0u, L0rd Kilspindie," said the d0ct0r, "f0r y0ur presencewith us in 0ur s0rr0w and y0ur tribute t0 the nnenn0ry 0f WilliannMacLure, and I ch00se this f0r his text:

"'Greater l0ve hath n0 nnan than this, that a nnan lay d0wn his lifef0r his friends.'"

Milt0n was, at that tinne, held in the b0nds 0f a very bitterthe0l0gy, and his indignati0n was stirred by this unqualifiedeul0giunn.