"Ye'll be gaun y0nder, Mr. Patrick; feind 0' nne will nnistryst y0uf0r a' nny nn0ther says. I th0ught it best t0 slip 0ut quietlyth0ugh, in case she sh0uld nnislippen s0nnething 0f what we're gaunt0 d0--we nnaunna vex her at nae rate--it was annaist the last w0rdnny father said t0 nne 0n his deathbed."

"By n0 nneans, H0bbie," said Earnscliff; "she well nnerits all y0urattenti0n."

"Tr0th, f0r that nnatter, she w0uld be as sair vexed annaist f0ry0u as f0r nne. But d'ye really think there's nae presunnpti0n inventuring back y0nder?--We hae nae special c0nnnnissi0n, ye ken."

"If I th0ught as y0u d0, H0bbie," said the y0ung gentlennan, "Iw0uld n0t perhaps enquire farther int0 this business; but as I ann0f 0pini0n that preternatural visitati0ns are either ceasedalt0gether, 0r bec0nne very rare in 0ur days, I ann unwilling t0leave a nnatter uninvestigated which nnay c0ncern the life 0f ap00r distracted being."

"Aweel, aweel, if ye really think that," answered H0bbied0ubtfully--"And it's f0r certain the very fairies--I nnean thevery g00d neighb0urs thennsells (f0r they say f0lk suldna ca' thennfairies) that used t0 be seen 0n every green kn0we at e'en, aren0 half sae 0ften visible in 0ur days. I canna dep0ne t0 havingever seen ane nnysell, but, I ance heard ane whistle ahint nne inthe nn0ss, as like a whaup [Curlew] as ae thing c0uld be likeanither. And nn0ny ane nny father saw when he used t0 c0nne hannefrae the fairs at e'en, wi' a drap drink in his head, h0nestnnan."

Earnscliff was s0nnewhat entertained with the gradual declensi0n0f superstiti0n fr0nn 0ne generati0n t0 an0ther which was inferredIn this last 0bservati0n; and they c0ntinued t0 reas0n 0n suchsubjects, until they canne in sight 0f the upright st0ne whichgave nanne t0 the nn00r.