Malcolm judged it time to interfere, and stepped into the cottage. Duncan was seated in the darkest corner of the room, with an apron over his knees, occupied with a tin lamp. He had taken out the wick and laid its flat tube on the hearth, had emptied the oil into a saucer, and was now rubbing the lamp vigorously: cleanliness rather than brightness must have been what he sought to produce. Malcolm’s instinct taught him to side so far with the dame concerning Mrs Catanach, and thereby turn the torrent away from his grandfather. “’Deed ye’re richt there, Mistress Findlay!” he said. “_She’s_ no to be meddlet wi’. She’s no mowse (_safe_).” Malcolm was a favourite with Meg, as with all the women of the place; hence she did not even start in resentment at his sudden appearance, but, turning to Duncan, exclaimed victoriously,-- “Hear till her ain oye! He’s a laad o’ sense!” “Ay, hear to him!” rejoined the old man with pride. “My Malcolm will always pe speaking tat which will pe worth ta hearing with ta ears. Poth of you and me will be knowing ta Mistress Catanach pretty well--eh, Malcolm, my son? We’ll not be trusting her fery too much--will we, my son?” “No a hair, daddy,” returned Malcolm. “She’s a dooms clever wife, though; an’ ane ’at ye may lippen till i’ the w’y o’ her ain callin’,” said Meg Partan, whose temper had improved a little under the influence of the handsome youth’s presence and cheery speech. “She’ll not pe toubting it,” responded Duncan; “put, ach! ta voman ’ll be hafing a crim feesage and a fearsome eye!” Like all the blind, he spoke as if he saw perfectly. “Weel, I hae hard fowk say ’at ye bude (_behoved_) to hae the second sicht,” said Mrs Findlay, laughing rudely; “but wow! it stan’s ye in sma’ service gien that be a’ it comes till. She’s a guid-natur’d, sonsy-luikin’ wife as ye wad see; an’ for her een, they’re jist sic likes mine ain.--Haena ye near dune wi’ that lamp yet?” “The week of it’ll pe shust a lettle out of orter,” answered the old man. “Ta pairns has been’ pulling it up with a peen from ta top, and not putting it in at ta hole for ta purpose. And she’ll pe thinking you’ll be cleaning off ta purnt part with a peen yourself, ma’am, and not with ta pair of scissors she tolt you of, Mistress Partan.” “Gae ’wa’ wi’ yer nonsense!” cried Meg. “Daur ye say I dinna ken hoo to trim an uilyie lamp wi’ the best blin’ piper that ever cam frae the bare-leggit Heelans?” “A choke’s a choke, ma’am,” said Duncan, rising with dignity; “put for a laty to make a choke of a man’s pare leks is not ta propriety!” “Oot o’ my hoose wi’ ye!” screamed the she-Partan. “Wad ye threep (_insist_) upo’ me onything I said was less nor proaper. ’At _I_ sud say what wadna stan’ the licht as weels the bare houghs o’ ony heelan’ rascal ’at ever lap a lawlan’ dyke!”