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At length they saw, as if issuing from the huge heavy orb, a long dark line, like a sea-serpent of a hundred joints, coming down the street towards them, and soon discovered that it was a slow procession of animals. First came Mistress Stephen, Stumpin Steenie the policeman's cow, with her tail at full stretch behind her.
"Aweel, aweel, Maggie, ilka land has its ain lauch But where's Steenie the night, when a's come and gane? And where's the gudeman?"* "I hae putten the gudeman to his bed, for he was e'en sair forfain; and Steenie's awa out about some barns-breaking wi' the auld gaberlunzie, Edie Ochiltree: they'll be in sune, and ye can sit doun."
The boy had been longer used to being thus fed than most children, and having taken the first mouthful instinctively, now moved his head, but without raising it from his knee, so that his father might feed him more comfortably. In this position he took every spoonful given him, and so ate both the eggs, greatly to the delight of the rest of the company. A moment more and Steenie got up.
There's no a body, man or wuman, I like better nor yersel to du ye ony guid or turn o' guid 'cep' my father, of coorse, and my mither, and my ain Steenie! 'And hoo mony mair, gien I had the wull to hear the lang bible-chapter o' them, and see mysel comin in at the tail o' them a', like the hin'most sheep, takin his bite as he cam?
'Ay, whether he be man or dog! assented Steenie solemnly. He drew his stool close to his father where he sat at the table, and again laid his head on his knee. The mother sighed but said nothing. She looked nowise hurt, only very sad. In a minute, Steenie spoke again: 'I'm thinkin nane o' ye kens, he said, 'what it's like whan a' the hillside 's gien up to the ither anes!
But then, Huntinglen, the lad will have other debts and why burden himsell with sae mony acres of barren woodland? let the land gang, man, let the land gang; Steenie has the promise of it from our Scottish Chancellor it is the best hunting-ground in Scotland and Babie Charles and Steenie want to kill a buck there this next year they maun hae the land they maun hae the land; and our debt shall be paid to the young man plack and bawbee, and he may have the spending of it at our Court; or if he has such an eard hunger, wouns! man, we'll stuff his stomach with English land, which is worth twice as much, ay, ten times as much, as these accursed hills and heughs, and mosses and muirs, that he is sae keen after."
"No, no!" the Monarch continued to insinuate, "things are not so bad as that Steenie himself never thought of her being a streetwalker, even when he thought the worst of her." "If it can at all console my Lord of Huntinglen," said the citizen, "I can assure him of this lady's good birth, and most fair and unspotted fame."
"And what do you expect now, Edie, for being the adviser, and messenger, and guard, and confidential person in all these matters?" "Deil haet do I expect excepting that a' the gentles will come to the gaberlunzie's burial; and maybe ye'll carry the head yoursell, as ye did puir Steenie Mucklebackit's. What trouble was't to me?
This is the gentleman who called himself his Majesty's dog and slave, and called his Majesty Your Sowship. His Sowship called him STEENIE; it is supposed, because that was a nickname for Stephen, and because St. Stephen was generally represented in pictures as a handsome saint.
'I will delate you for a warlock to the Privy Council! said Sir John. 'I will send you to your master, the devil, with the help of a tar-barrel and a torch! 'I intend to delate mysell to the Presbytery, said Steenie, 'and tell them all I have seen last night, whilk are things fitter for them to judge of than a borrel man like me.
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