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Sam'l and Sanders had both known all along that Bell would take the first of the two who asked her. Even those who thought her proud admitted that she was modest. Bitterly the weaver repented having waited so long. Now it was too late. In ten minutes Sanders would be at T'nowhead; in an hour all would be over. Sam'l rose to his feet in a daze.
T'nowhead himself had never got used to his wife's refined notions, and when any one knocked he always started to his feet, thinking there must be something wrong. Lisbeth came to the door, her expansive figure blocking the way in. "Sam'l," she said. "Lisbeth," said Sam'l.
Thus he had not, so far, made great headway. His method of making up to Bell had been to drop in at T'nowhead on Saturday nights and talk with the farmer about the rinderpest. The farm kitchen was Bell's testimonial. Its chairs, tables, and stools were scoured by her to the whiteness of Rob Angus's sawmill boards, and the muslin blind on the window was starched like a child's pinafore.
To-night, for instance, he wore his hat in the house because he did not like to put up his hand and take it off. T'nowhead had not taken his off, either, but that was because he meant to go out by-and-by and lock the byre door. It was impossible to say which of her lovers Bell preferred. The proper course with an Auld Licht lassie was to prefer the man who proposed to her.
"What do ye think?" asked Lisbeth. "I d'na kin," faltered Bell. "Thae tatties is lang o' comin' to the boil," said T'nowhead. In some circles a lover who behaved like Sam'l would have been suspected of intent upon his rival's life, but neither Bell nor Lisbeth did the weaver that injustice. In a case of this kind it does not much matter what T'nowhead thought.
"Losh keep's a', Leeby; ye say that? They maun hae haen a quarrel." "I'm thinkin' we'll hae Mr. Skinner i' the poopit the morn after a'." "It may be, it may be. Ay, ay, look, Leeby, whatna bit kimmer's that wi' the twa jugs in her hand?" "Eh? Ou, it'll be Lawyer Ogilvy's servant lassieky gaen to the farm o' T'nowhead for the milk. She gangs ilka Saturday nicht. But what did ye say twa jugs?
Ay, but there's things I see an' hear 'at maks me lauch, an' that's the other side o' humour." "I never heard it put sae plain afore," said T'nowhead, "an', sal, am no nane sure but what am a humorist too." "Na, na, no you, T'nowhead," said Tammas, hotly. "Weel," continued the farmer, "I never set up for bein' a humorist, but I can juist assure ye 'at I lauch at queer things too.
"There's my han' on't," said Sam'l. "Bless ye, Sanders; ye've been a true frien' to me." Then they shook hands for the first time in their lives; and soon afterward Sanders struck up the brae to T'nowhead, Next morning Sanders Elshioner, who had been very busy the night before, put on his Sabbath clothes and strolled up to the manse.
It's a think 'at spouts oot o' its ain accord. Some of the maist humorous things I've ever said cam oot, as a body may say, by themsels." "I suppose that's the case," said T'nowhead, "an' yet it maun be you 'at brings them up?" "There's no nae doubt aboot its bein' the case," said Tammas, "for I've watched mysel often. There was a vara guid instance occurred sune after I married Easie.
He hadna nae box to sit upon, an' he was far frae bein' weel in order, but I kent 'im at aince, an' I saw 'at he was waitin' for me. So I drew up, an' waved my hand to 'im." "I would hae drove straucht by 'im," said T'nowhead; "them 'at leaves their auld mother to want doesna deserve a lift."
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