"
The laird, he alighted and went into the cottage, where he saw the yarn,
and admired it so much he begged to see the spinner.
The mother dragged in her girl. He vowed he was lonely without a wife,
and had long been in search of one who was a good spinner. So their
troth was plighted, and the wedding took place soon afterwards, though
the bride was in great fear that she should not prove so clever at her
spinning-wheel as he expected. But old Dame Habetrot came to her aid.
"Bring your bonny bridegroom to my cell," said she to the young bride
soon after her marriage; "he shall see what comes o' spinning, and never
will he tie you to the spinning-wheel."
Accordingly the bride led her husband the next day to the flowery knoll,
and bade him look through the self-bored stone. Great was his surprise
to behold Habetrot dancing and jumping over her rock, singing all the
time this ditty to her sisterhood, while they kept time with their
spindles:--
"We who live in dreary den,
Are both rank and foul to see?
Hidden from the glorious sun,
That teems the fair earth's canopie:
Ever must our evenings lone
Be spent on the colludie stone.
Pages:
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224