“News! The bravest news ye ever heard—the Lord Keeper’s up yonder wi’ his fair daughter, just ready to fling her at my lord’s head, if he winna tak her out o’ his arms; and I’se warrant he’ll stitch our auld lands of Ravenswood to her petticoat tail.” “Eh! sirs—ay!—and will hae her? and is she weel-favoured? and what’s the colour o’ her hair? and does she wear a habit or a railly?” were the questions which the females showered upon the butler. “Hout tout! it wad tak a man a day to answer a’ your questions, and I hae hardly a minute. Where’s the gudeman?” “Awa’ to fetch the minister,” said Mrs. Girder, “precious Mr. Peter Bide-the-Bent, frae the Mosshead; the honest man has the rheumatism wi’ lying in the hills in the persecution.” “Ay! Whig and a mountain-man, nae less!” said Caleb, with a peevishness he could not suppress. “I hae seen the day, Luckie, when worthy Mr. Cuffcushion and the service-book would hae served your turn (to the elder dame), or ony honest woman in like circumstances.” “And that’s true too,” said Mrs. Lightbody, “but what can a body do? Jean maun baith sing her psalms and busk her cockernony the gate the gudeman likes, and nae ither gate; for he’s maister and mair at hame, I can tell ye, Mr. Balderstone.” “Ay, ay, and does he guide the gear too?” said Caleb, to whose projects masculine rule boded little good. “Ilka penny on’t; but he’ll dress her as dink as a daisy, as ye see; sae she has little reason to complain: where there’s ane better aff there’s ten waur.” “Aweel, gudewife,” said Caleb, crestfallen, but not beaten off, “that wasna the way ye guided your gudeman; but ilka land has its ain lauch. I maun be ganging. I just wanted to round in the gudeman’s lug, that I heard them say up-bye yonder that Peter Puncheon, that was cooper to the Queen’s stores at the Timmer Burse at Leith, is dead; sae I though that maybe a word frae my lord to the Lord Keeper might hae served Gilbert; but since he’s frae hame——” “O, but ye maun stay his hame-coming,” said the dame. “I aye telled the gudeman ye meant weel to him; but he taks the tout at every bit lippening word.” “Aweel, I’ll stay the last minute I can.” “And so,” said the handsome young spouse of Mr. Girder, “ye think this Miss Ashton is weel-favoured? Troth, and sae should she, to set up for our young lord, with a face and a hand, and a seat on his horse, that might become a king’s son. D’ye ken that he aye glowers up at my window, Mr. Balderstone, when he chaunces to ride thro’ the town? Sae I hae a right to ken what like he is, as weel as ony body.” “I ken that brawly,” said Caleb, “for I hae heard his lordship say the cooper’s wife had the blackest ee in the barony; and I said, ‘Weel may that be, my lord, for it was her mither’s afore her, as I ken to my cost.’ Eh, Marion? Ha, ha, ha! Ah! these were merry days!”