Fiction > Book editions > London, 1886 - Kidnapped

6                                         KIDNAPPED.
that we had come at a sort of jogging run. It might
have been laughable to another; but I was in no mind
to laugh. I watched him as long as he was in sight;
and he never stopped hurrying, nor once looked back.
Then it came in upon my mind that this was all his
sorrow at my departure; and my conscience smote me
hard and fast, because I, for my part, was overjoyed to
get away out of that quiet country-side, and go to a great,
busy house, among rich and respected gentlefolk of my
own name and blood.
"Davie, Davie," I thought, "was ever seen such
black ingratitude? Can you forget old favours and old
friends at the mere whistle of a name ? Fie, fie ; think
shame!"
And I sat down on the boulder the good man had
just left, and opened the parcel to see the nature of my
gifts. That which he had called cubical, I had never had
much doubt of; sure enough it was a little Bible, to
carry in a plaid-neuk. That which he had called round, I
found to be a shilling piece; and the third, which was
to help me so wonderfully both in health and sickness
all the days of my life, was a little piece of coarse
yellow paper, written upon thus in red ink :
"To MAKE LILLY OF THE VALLEY WATER.�Take the
flowers of lilly of the valley and distil them in sack, and drink a
spoonefull or two as there is occasion. It restores speech to those
that have the dumb palsey. It is good against the Gout; it
comforts the heart and strengthens the memory ; and the flowers,
put into a Glasse, close stopt, and set into ane hill of ants for a
month, then take it out, and you will find a liquor which comes