Cunnings was the next person who interfered with Jenny in her little arrangements. ‘Ye maunna shift the ornaments in the rooms,’ the old servant said with stolid impassiveness, which might have meant anything or nothing to Jenny, whom she caught abstracting an agate patch-box and a pair of silver lazy tongs from the drawing-room--and a gold and tortoise-shell snuff-box, and a shagreen case which might have suited a pair of Moses Primrose’s gross of green spectacles, from the dining-room. ‘Mair by token that flowered pelerine which I heard you borrow from young Mrs. Ramsay that you micht wear it at a friend’s house in Craigie, was sent down by smack frae Lon’on as a gift from the laird to his leddy. It is not my place to interfere wi’ ony favour young Mrs. Ramsay may chuse to grant, but I will tak’ it upon me as an auld servant, weel acquent wi’ the ways of the family, to say that the laird may no tak’ it weel from her to bestow his gift, even in the licht o’ a len’ on anither woman. I’ll also say as a frien’ to baith, that whatever may have been fitting eneuch aince on a time, in the niffer o’ bunches o’ ribands and strings o’ beads and sic worthless troke o’ lasses when you were equals, the fine pelerine, noo shuitable for Drumsheugh’s leddy, is hardly the wear for a young woman even in upper service like you or me, Jenny Hedderwick.’ Jenny snuffed the air with her upturned nose, and her eyes shot out an ominous flash, but she thanked Cunnings with the greatest apparent friendliness and respect. She had taken the accurate measure of the older woman in her strength and weakness, for such natures as Jenny’s seldom fail to gauge the flaws of their neighbours. Accordingly in the week following this incident, Jenny betrayed symptoms of falling into an ailing state of health, languished, and stood clearly in need of the ale-saps and bread-berry, the white wine, whey possets, and warm drinks for which Peggy, in her anxiety and affection, furnished abundant materials; while Cunnings prepared the food and drink for the threatened invalid, disinterestedly to begin with.