THE STORY OF GRIZEL HUME

More than two hundred and fifty years ago a nobleman, named Sir Patrick Hume, had to hide from the king's men who wanted to take him prisoner.

One day he was very nearly caught, but he was warned in time and escaped. He took refuge in a cellar below a church which was about a mile from his home and there, in his dark and dreary hiding-place, he stayed for several weeks.
His life there would have been a lonely one indeed, had it not been for his daughter, Grizel. Every night, at midnight, the faithful girl made her way quietly through the churchyard, carrying food to her father in his cellar. She stayed with him as long as she dared, cheering him with news of home as he ate his lonely meal; but she was always careful to return home before daylight.

Only Grizel and her mother, Lady Hume, knew where Sir Patrick was hiding. Grizel's little brothers and sisters were not told where he was; nor were the servants of the house told, lest the king's men should learn the secret from them.

Grizel took great care that they did not notice her taking food away. We are told that she used to steal the food from her plate at dinner.

Sir Patrick was fond of sheep's head. One day, while the children were eating broth, Grizel managed to hide most of a sheep's head in her lap. Sandy, her little brother, finished his broth, then gazed at his sister's plate in wonder, and cried out, 'Mother, Mother, look at Grizel! While we have been taking our broth, she has eaten up the whole sheep's head!

Grizel told this story to her father the same night and they both laughed heartily over it. 'You must take care,' her father said, 'that little sandy gets a good share of the next sheep's head that your mother has for dinner.'

The minister's house was near the church. Now the minister kept several dogs, and the first night that Grizel visited the cellar beneath the church they barked so loudly and so long that she felt sure she would be discovered. Even Sir Patrick in his hiding-place could hear them barking. How he must have wished that the noisy animals could all be locked up!

The next day Grizel's mother visited the minister. 'I am sure that your dogs are mad, sir,' she said, pretending to be very frightened.

'What makes you say that, Lady Hume?' asked the minister kindly.
'Why, last night at midnight they barked wildly for no reason at all. Only mad dogs would do that. I think, sir, that you should rid yourself of the animals at once,' said Grizel' s mother.

The poor minister became very scared. ‘You are right, good lady,’ he said. ‘I cannot have mad dogs here. I will see that they are taken away at once; indeed I will.'

So the dogs were sent away that very day, and after that Grizel was able to make her midnight visit to her father in peace.