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"It's a fac'," answered Peter. "The fowk 'll hardly hear a word noo frae ony o' the aulder an' soberer Christians. They haena the gift o' the Speerit, they say. But in place o' steerin' them up to tak hold upo' their Maker, thir new lichts set them up to luik doon upo' ither fowk, propheseein' an' denuncin', as gien the Lord had committit jeedgment into their han's."
She shook her head. "I never heard a note of it," said she. "Whistle it all through. And now once again," she added, after I had done so. "Haena I got just the lilt of it? Isna this the tune that ye whustled? "You see," she says, "I can do the poetry too, only it won't rhyme. And then again: "I am Miss Grant, sib to the Advocate: You, I believe, are Dauvit Balfour."
"Na," replied she, "I dinna say that; I merely meant that he was an independent man like you, wha, if ye asked him to do it, wouldna refuse on such a ground as the want o' consent o' his wife. Oh, what will my puir faither do? I canna live if he is in sorrow and perplexity." He asked kindly for ye. Ye haena visited him for a lang time.
Then all that crowd of men exploded in a burst of derisive laughter which set the seal of triumph on Angus's argument. After the uproar had subsided, an intrepid Scotsman, only a few months in New Jedboro, volunteered to address the meeting. "I canna jist answer the argyments o' Mr. Strachan, but I maun pit forrit my idea that oor wives and bairns haena the luxuries o' them as owns the works.
'Well, curse thee, never mind; give me the memorial and come to me on Monday at ten, replied the learned counsel. 'But, sir, I haena got ony distinct memorial. 'No memorial, man? said Pleydell. 'Na, sir, nae memorial, answered Dandie; 'for your honour said before, Mr. Pleydell, ye'll mind, that ye liked best to hear us hill-folk tell our ain tale by word o' mouth.
'Aw 'm saying, billie, aw 'm saying, remarked one of the roughs, thrusting his dirty beard into Merton's face. 'Weel, be saying, said Merton. 'You're no Lairdie Bower, ye ken, ye haena the neb o' him. 'And wha the deil said a was Lairdie Bower? Aw 'm a Lanerick man. Lairdie's at hame wi' a sair hoast, answered Merton. 'But ye're wearing Lairdie Bower's auld big coat. 'And what for no?
Aweel, but the twa lads, as I was saying, they haena sae muckle as the ordinar grunds, man, of liberal education they dinna ken the very multiplication table itself, whilk is the root of a' usefu' knowledge, and they did naething but laugh and fleer at me when I tauld them my mind on their ignorance It's my belief they can neither read, write, nor cipher, if sic a thing could be believed o' ane's ain connections in a Christian land."
How do you mean?" "For her ain!" "Not for her son?" "Ay, sir that 's what they say. But ye haena h'ard o' 't?" "Not a word." "Then I believe it's a' havers!" cried Malcolm energetically. "It was sair eneuch upo' me a'ready to ken less o' whaur I cam frae than the puir laird himsel'; but to come frae whaur he cam frae, was a thocht ower sair!"
"I'll fess him wi' me the morn, gien ye like, my lord, for I'll be ower wi' some fine troot or ither, gien I haena the waur luck, the morn's mornin': Mistress Courthope says she'll be aye ready for ane to fry to yer lordship's brakfast. But I'm thinkin' that'll be ower ear' for ye to see him." "I'll send for him when I want him.
"God bless ye, sir!" exclaimed Grizzie, and turned towards the house, entirely relieved and satisfied. "But eh, sir!" she cried, turning again, "ye haena broken yer fast the day!" "I'll be back in a feow minutes, an' mak a brakfast o' 't by or'nar'," answered Cosmo, and hastened away up the hill.
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