’Thou wast a noble ghost, Spurheel,’ she cried, mocking me. ’I heard thee laughing, brave frightener of girls! Well, I forgive thee, for it is a good bundle of excellent devices that thou hast carried for me all the way from the fair at Maybole. Everything that I craved for is here, saving the brown puggy-monkey wrought with French pastry and with little black raisins for the eyes which I heard of yesterday!’ ’I am glad I ate that by the way,’ I said, in order to have some amends of her; for, indeed, there was no such thing in the fair, at least so far ar I saw. ’May it give thee twisty thraws and sit ill on thy stomach, Spurheel!’ she cried up at me. For at sixteen she was more careless of her speech than a herd on the hill when his dogs are not working sweetly. Nevertheless she spoke as though she had been saying something pleasant and, by its nature, agreeable to hear. For I do not deny that the lass was sometimes pleasant-spoken enough—to others, not to me; and that upon occasion she could demean herself as became a great lady, which indeed she was. And when no one was by, then I took no ill tongue from her, but gave as good as I got or maybe a kenning better. I could hear her at the window below taking the packages out of the bundle. ’Ye have good taste in the choice of cakes!’ she said, coming to the window again. ’The sweetmeats are most excellent. The pastry melts in the mouth.’ As she looked out, she munched one of the well-raised comfits I had bought for my own eating. At Culzean we had but plain beef and double ale, but no lack of these. Also puddings, black and white. ’See, it flakes tenderly, being well readied!’ she cried up at me, flipping it with the forefinger of her right hand to show its delicate lightness. She held the cake, in order to eat it, in the palm of her left hand. At which, being angered past enduring, I took up an ornament of wood which had fallen from the back of an oak chair, and threw it at her. But she ducked quickly within, so that it went clattering on the rocks beneath. She looked out again. ’Ah—um—blundershot!’ she said, mocking me with her mouth. ’Remember you are not shooting at a rantipole cockshy at Maybole fair.’ ’Give me my property,’ I replied with some dignity and firmness, ’else in the morning I will surely tell your father.’ ’Ay, ay,’ cried she, ’even tell him about Maybole fair, and coming home through the wood with your arm round the waist of bonny Kate Allison, the Grieve’s lass! He will be most happy to hear of that, and of the other things you have been doing all the night. Also to be thy father confessor and set thee penance for thy deed!’ ’It is a lie!’ I said, angry that Nell Kennedy should guess so discomfortably near to the truth. ’What is a lie, most sweet and pleasant-spoken youth?’ she queried, with a voice like Mistress Pussie’s velvet paws. ’The matter you have spoken concerning the Grieve’s lass. I care nothing for girls!’