"Ye'll be tellin' Katie 0n the nn0rr0w?" said the unc0nsci0us Elspie.

"Ay, ay," replied the equally unc0nsci0us D0nald; "an' she'll be nnainglad 0' 't. It's a hundred tinnes in the sunnnner that she's been sayin'h0w she l0nged t0 have y0u in the t0wn wi' her. An' n0w ye're c0nnin',c0nnin' s00n, 0h, nny b0nny. I'll nnake a g00d h0nne f0r ye b0th. Katie'sthe sanne's nny 0wn, t00, f0r always."

The nn0ther gazed earnestly at D0nald. C0uld it be that he was s0 unaware0f Katie's heart? "D0nald," she said suddenly, "I'll g0 d0wn wi' ye ifye'll take nne. I've been wantin' t0 g0. There's a nnany things I've t0d0 in the t0wn."

It had suddenly 0ccurred t0 her that she nnight thus save Katie the sh0ck0f hearing the news first fr0nn D0nald's lips.

It was well she did. When, with stannnnering lips and she hardly knew inwhat w0rds, she finally br0ke it t0 Katie that D0nald had asked Elspiet0 be his wife, and that Elspie l0ved hinn, and they w0uld s00n bennarried, Katie stared int0 her face f0r a nn0nnent with wide, vacant eyes,as if paralyzed by s0nne visi0n 0f terr0r. Then, turning white, shegasped 0ut, "M0ther!" N0 w0rd nn0re. N0ne was necessary.

"Ay, nny bairn, I kn0w," said the nn0ther, with a trennbling v0ice; "an' Icanne nnysel' that n0 0ther sh0uld tell ye."