find that he could not act upon the system of deception which had been projected.-When he attempted, by some exaggeration of distance and peril, to enhance the hire of the boats and of the men, (for the search was to be by sea and land,) he found himself at once cut short by Mertoun, who showed not only the most perfect knowledge of the country, but of distances, tides, currents, and all belonging to the navigation of those seas, although these were topics with which he had hitherto appeared to be .otally unacquainted. The ranzelman, therefore, trembled when they came to speak of the recompense to be afforded for their exertions in the search; for it was not more unlikely that Mertoun should be well informed of what was just and proper upon this head than upon others; and Niel remembered the storm of his fury, when, at an early period after he had settled at Jarlshof, he drove Swertha and Sweyn Erickson from his presence. As, however, he stood hesitating betwixt the opposite fears of asking too much or too little, Mertoun stopped his mouth, and ended his uncertainty, by promising him a recompense beyond what he dared have ventured to ask, with an additional gratuity, in case they returned with the pleasing intelligence that his son was safe.

When this great point was settled, Niel Ronaldson, like a man of conscience, began to consider earnestly the various places where search should be made after the young man; and having undertaken faithfully that the inquiry should be prosecuted at all the houses of the gentry, both in this and the neighbouring islands, he added, that," after all, if his honour would not be angry, there was ane not far off, that, if anybody dared speer her a question, and if she liked to answer it, could tell more about Maister Mordaunt than anybody else could.—Ye will ken wha I mean, Swertha? Her that was down at the haven this morning." Thus he concluded, addressing himself with a mysterious look to the housekeeper, which she answered with a nod and a wink.

"How mean you?" said Mertoun; "speak out, short and open whom do you speak of ?"

"It is Norna of the Fitful-head," said Swertha, "that the ranzelman is thinking about; for she has gone up to Saint Ringan's Kirk this morning on business of her own." "And what can this person know of my son?" said Mertoun; "she is, I believe, a wandering madwoman, or impostor."

"If she wanders," said Swertha, "it is for nae lack of means at hame, and that is weel known-plenty of a' thing has she of her ain, forby that the Fowd himsell would let her want naething."

"But what is that to my son ?" said Mertoun impatiently.

"I dinna ken—she took unco pleasure in Maister Mordaunt from the time she first saw him, and mony a braw thing she gave him at ae time or another, forby the gowd chain that hangs about his bonny craig-folks say it is of fairy gold. I kenna what gold it is, but Bryce Snailsfoot says, that the value will mount to an hundred poundsEnglish, and that is nae deaf nuts."

"Go, Ronaldson," said Mertoun, "or else send some one, to seek this woman out--if you think there be a chance of her knowing anything of my son."

"She kens a' thing that happens in thae islands," said Niel Ronaldson, "muckle sooner than other folk, and that is Heaven's truth.-But as to going to the kirk, or the kirk-yard, to speer after her, there is not a man in Zetland will do it, for meed or for money and that's Heaven's truth as weel as the other."

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Cowardly, superstitious fools!" said Mertoun."but give me my cloak, Swertha.-This woman has been at Burgh-Westra-she is related to Troil's family-she may know something of Mordaunt's absence, and its cause I will seek her myself-She is at the Cross-kirk, you say?"

"No, not at the Cross-kirk, but at the auld Kirk of Saint Ringan's-its a dowie bit, and far frae being canny; and if your honour," added Swertha, "wad walk by my ru.e, I wad wait until she came back, and no trouble her when she may be mair busied wi' the dead, for ony thing

that we ken, than she is wi' the living.

The like of her earena to have other folk's een on them when they are, gude sain us! doing their ain particular turns."

Mertoun made no answer, but throwing his cloak loosely around him, (for the day was misty with passing showers,) and leaving the decayed mansion of Jarlshof, he walked at a pace much faster than was usual with him, taking the direction of the ruinous church, which stood, as he well knew, within three or four miles of his dwelling. The ranzelman and Swertha stood gazing after him in silence, until he was fairly out of ear-shot, when, looking. seriously on each other, and shaking their sagacious heads in the same boding degree of vibration, they uttered their remarks in the same breath.

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"Fools are aye fleet and fain," said Swertha. Feyfolk run fast," added the ranzelman; " and the thing that we are born to, we cannot win by.I have known them that tried to stop folk that were fey.-You have heard of Helen Emberson of Camsey, how she stopped all the holes and windows about the house, that her gudeman might not see day-light, and rise to the haaf-fishing, because she feared foul weather; and how the boat he should have sailed in was lost in the Roost; and how she came back, rejoicing in her gudeman's safety-but ne'er may care, for there she found him drowned in his own masking-fat, within the wa's of his ain biggin; and more

But here Swertha reminded the ranzelman that he must go down to the haven to get off the fishing-boats; "" for both that my heart is sair for the bonny lad, and that I am fear'd he cast up of his ain accord before you are at sea; and, as I have often told ye, my master may lead, but he winna drive; and if ye do not his bidding, and get out to sea, the never a bodle of boat-hire will ye see."

"Weel, weel, good dame," said the ranzelman, "we will launch as fast as we can; and by good luck, neither Clawson's boat, nor Peter Grot's, is out to the haaf this morning, for a rabbit ran across the path as they were go

ing on board, and they came back like wise men, kenning they wad be called to other wark this day. And a marvel it is to think, Swertha, how few real judicious men are left in this land. There is our great Ūdaller is weel eneugh when he is fresh, but he makes ower mony voyages in his ship and his yawl to be lang sae; and now, they say, his daughter, Mistress Minna, is sair out of sorts.Then there is Norna kens muckle mair than other folk, but wise woman ye cannot call her.-Our tacksman here, Maister Mertoun, his wit is sprung in the bowsprit, I doubt -his son is a daft gowk; and I ken few of consequence hereabouts-excepting always myself, and may be you, Swertha-but, what may, in some sense or other, be called fules."

"That may be, Niel Ronaldson," said the dame ; "but if you do not hasten the faster to the shore. you will lose tide; and, as I said to my master some short time syne, wha will be the fule then?"

CHAPTER V.

I do love these ancient ruins-
We never tread upon them but we set
Our foot upon some reverend history;
And, questionless, here, in this open court,
(Which now lies naked to the injuries

Of stormy weather,) some men lie interr❜d,
Loved the Church so well, and gave so largely to it,
They thought it should have canopied their bones
Till dooms-day; but all things have their end-
Churches and cities, which have diseases like to men,
Must have like death which we have.

Duchess of Malfy.

THE ruinous church of Saint Ninian had, in its time enjoyed great celebrity; for that mighty system of Roman superstition, which spread its roots over all Europe, had not failed to extend them even to this remote archipelago, and Zetland had, in the Catholic times, her saints, her shrines, and her reliques, which, though little known elsewhere, attracted the homage, and commanded the observance, of the simple inhabitants of Thule. Their devotion to this church of Saint Ninian, or, as he was provincially termed, Saint Ringan, situated, as the edifice was, close to the sea-beach, and serving, in many points, as a landmark to their boats, was particularly obstinate, and was connected with so much superstitious ceremonial and credulity, that the reformed clergy thought it best, by an order of the Church Courts, to prohibit all spiritual service within its walls, as tending to foster the rooted faith of the simple and rude people around in saint-worship. and other erroneous doctrines of the Romish Church.

After the church of Saint Ninian had been thus denounced as a seat of idolatry, and desecrated of course, the public worship was transferred to another church; 6 VOL. II.