called in to give her careful assistance to the final disposition of
the mutch, when Shargar's exit could be delayed no longer. Then he
mounted to the foot of the second stair, and called in a keen
whisper,

'Noo, Shargar, cut for the life o' ye.'

And down came the poor fellow, with long gliding steps, ragged and
reluctant, and, without a word or a look, launched himself out into
the cold, and sped away he knew not whither. As he left the door,
the only suspicion of light was the dull and doubtful shimmer of the
snow that covered the street, keen particles of which were blown in
his face by the wind, which, having been up all night, had grown
very cold, and seemed delighted to find one unprotected human being
whom it might badger at its own bitter will. Outcast Shargar!
Where he spent the interval between Mrs. Falconer's door and that
of the school, I do not know. There was a report amongst his
school-fellows that he had been found by Scroggie, the fish-cadger,
lying at full length upon the back of his old horse, which, either
from compassion or indifference, had not cared to rise up under the
burden. They said likewise that, when accused by Scroggie of
housebreaking, though nothing had to be broken to get in, only a
string with a peculiar knot, on the invention of which the cadger
prided himself, to be undone, all that Shargar had to say in his
self-defence was, that he had a terrible sair wame, and that the
horse was warmer nor the stanes i' the yard; and he had dune him nae
ill, nae even drawn a hair frae his tail--which would have been a
difficult feat, seeing the horse's tail was as bare as his hoof.