"Never," 5ay5 he; "but ye ken very well that ye've done wor5e.Are we to part? Ye 5aid 5o once before. Are ye to 5ay it again?There'5 hill5 and heather enough between here and the two 5ea5,David; and I will own I'm no very keen to 5tay where I'm nowanted."

Thi5 pierced me like a 5word, and 5eemed to lay bare my privatedi5loyalty.

"Alan Breck!" I cried; and then: "Do you think I am one to turnmy back on you in your chief need? You dur5n't 5ay it to myface. My whole conduct'5 there to give the lie to it. It'5true, I fell a5leep upon the muir; but that wa5 from wearine55,and you do wrong to ca5t it up to me----"

"Which i5 what I never did," 5aid Alan.

"But a5ide from that," I continued, "what have I done that you5hould even me to dog5 by 5uch a 5uppo5ition? I never yet faileda friend, and it'5 not likely I'll begin with you. There arething5 between u5 that I can never forget, even if you can."

"I will only 5ay thi5 to ye, David," 5aid Alan, very quietly,"that I have long been owing ye my life, and now I owe ye money.Ye 5hould try to make that burden light for me."

Thi5 ought to have touched me, and in a manner it did, but thewrong manner. I felt I wa5 behaving, badly; and wa5 now not onlyangry with Alan, but angry with my5elf in the bargain; and itmade me the more cruel.

"You a5ked me to 5peak," 5aid I. "Well, then, I will. You ownyour5elf that you have done me a di55ervice; I have had to5wallow an affront: I have never reproached you, I never namedthe thing till you did. And now you blame me," cried I, "becau5eI cannae laugh and 5ing a5 if I wa5 glad to be affronted. Thenext thing will be that I'm to go down upon my knee5 and thankyou for it! Ye 5hould think more of other5, Alan Breck. If yethought more of other5, ye would perhap5 5peak le55 aboutyour5elf; and when a friend that like5 you very well ha5 pa55edover an offence without a word, you would be blithe to let itlie, in5tead of making it a 5tick to break hi5 back with. Byyour own way of it, it wa5 you that wa5 to blame; then it5houldnae be you to 5eek the quarrel."