"Never mind them, hinny--let them gang--we"ll get mair."
The bride, poor thing, shed a tear; but the miller threw his arm round her neck, stole a kiss, and she blushed and smiled.
It was evident, however, that every one of the company regarded this as a real omen. The mill-loft was prepared for the joyous dance; but scarce had the fantastic toes (some of them were not light ones) begun to move through the mazy rounds, when the loft-floor broke down beneath the bounding feet of the happy-hearted miller; for, unfortunately, he considered not that his goodly body was heavier than his spirits. It was omen upon omen--the work of breaking had begun--the "luck" of the young couple was departed.
Three days after the wedding, one of the miller"s carts was got in readiness to carry home the bride"s mother. On crossing the unlucky burn, to which we have already alluded, the horse stumbled, fell, and broke its knee, and had to be taken back, and another put in its place.
"Mair breakings!" exclaimed the now almost heart-broken old woman. "Oh, dear sake! how will a" this end for my puir bairn!"
I remained with my new-found relatives about a week; and while there the miller sent his boy for payment of an account of thirty pounds, he having to make up money to pay a corn-factor at the Haddington market on the following day. In the evening the boy returned.
"Weel, callant," inquired the miller, "hae ye gotten the siller?"
"No," replied the youth.
"Mercy me!" exclaimed my cousin, hastily, "hae ye no gotten the siller?
Wha did ye see, or what did they say?"
"I saw the wife," returned the boy; "an" she said--"Siller! laddie, what"s brought ye here for siller?--I daresay your maister"s daft! Do ye no ken we"re broken! I"m sure a"body kens that we broke yesterday!""
"The mischief break them!" exclaimed the miller, rising and walking hurriedly across the room--"this is breaking in earnest."
I may not here particularize the breakings that followed. One misfortune succeeded another, till the miller broke also. All that he had was put under the hammer, and he wandered forth with his young wife a broken man.
Some years afterwards, I met with him in a different part of the country. He had the management of extensive flour mills. He was again doing well, and had money in his master"s hands. At last there seemed to be an end of the breakings. We were sitting together when a third person entered, with a rueful countenance.
"Willie," said he, with the tone of a speaking sepulchre, "hae ye heard the news?"
"What news, now?" inquired the miller, seriously.
"The maister"s broken!" rejoined the other.
"An" my fifty pounds?" responded my cousin, in a voice of horror.
"Are broken wi" him," returned the stranger. "Oh, gude gracious!" cried the young wife, wringing her hands, "I"m sure I wish I were out o" this world!--will ever thir breakings be done!--what tempted my mother to buy me the cheena?"
"Or me to wear a black coat at your wedding," thought I.
A few weeks afterwards a letter arrived, announcing that death had suddenly broken the thread of life of her aged father, and her mother requested them to come and take charge of the farm which was now theirs.
They went. The old man had made money on the hills. They got the better of the broken china and of my black coat. Fortune broke in upon them. My cousin declared that omens were nonsense, and his wife added that she "really thought there was naething in them. But it was lang an" mony a day," she added, "or I could get your black coat and my mother"s cheena out o" my mind."
They began to prosper and they prosper still.
END OF VOLUME II.