At this appeal , I could see the lass was in great trouble of mind , being tempted to help us , and yet in some fear she might be helping malefactors ; and so now I determined to step in myself and to allay her scruples with a portion of the truth . `` Did ever you hear , '' said I , `` of Mr. Rankeillor of the Ferry ? '' `` Rankeillor the writer ? '' said she . `` I daur say that ! '' `` Well , '' said I , `` it 's to his door that I am bound , so you may judge by that if I am an ill-doer ; and I will tell you more , that though I am indeed , by a dreadful error , in some peril of my life , King George has no truer friend in all Scotland than myself . '' Her face cleared up mightily at this , although Alan 's darkened . `` That 's more than I would ask , '' said she . `` Mr. Rankeillor is a kennt man . '' And she bade us finish our meat , get clear of the clachan as soon as might be , and lie close in the bit wood on the sea-beach . `` And ye can trust me , '' says she , `` I 'll find some means to put you over . '' At this we waited for no more , but shook hands with her upon the bargain , made short work of the puddings , and set forth again from Limekilns as far as to the wood . It was a small piece of perhaps a score of elders and hawthorns and a few young ashes , not thick enough to veil us from passersby upon the road or beach . Here we must lie , however , making the best of the brave warm weather and the good hopes we now had of a deliverance , and planing more particularly what remained for us to do . We had but one trouble all day ; when a strolling piper came and sat in the same wood with us ; a red-nosed , bleareyed , drunken dog , with a great bottle of whisky in his pocket , and a long story of wrongs that had been done him by all sorts of persons , from the Lord President of the Court of Session , who had denied him justice , down to the Bailies of Inverkeithing who had given him more of it than he desired . It was impossible but he should conceive some suspicion of two men lying all day concealed in a thicket and having no business to allege . As long as he stayed there he kept us in hot water with prying questions ; and after he was gone , as he was a man not very likely to hold his tongue , we were in the greater impatience to be gone ourselves . The day came to an end with the same brightness ; the night fell quiet and clear ; lights came out in houses and hamlets and then , one after another , began to be put out ; but it was past eleven , and we were long since strangely tortured with anxieties , before we heard the grinding of oars upon the rowing-pins . At that , we looked out and saw the lass herself coming rowing to us in a boat . She had trusted no one with our affairs , not even her sweetheart , if she had one ; but as soon as her father was asleep , had left the house by a window , stolen a neighbour 's boat , and come to our assistance single-handed .
I was abashed how to find expression for my thanks ; but she was no less abashed at the thought of hearing them ; begged us to lose no time and to XXXXX our peace , saying -LRB- very properly -RRB- that the heart of our matter was in haste and silence ; and so , what with one thing and another , she had set us on the Lothian shore not far from Carriden , had shaken hands with us , and was out again at sea and rowing for Limekilns , before there was one word said either of her service or our gratitude .
brave came cleared coming heard hold looked made veil waited