Wilson's eyes flickered over him, hurt and dubious. His mouth opened--then shut--then he decided to speak after all. "Oh, I was thinking Barbie would be very quiet," said he, "compared wi' places where they have the railway. I was thinking it would need stirring up a bit." "Oh, ye was thinking that, was ye?" birred Gourlay, with a stupid man's repetition of his jibe. "Well, I believe there's a grand opening in the moleskin line, so _there's_ a chance for ye. My quarrymen wear out their breeks in no time." Wilson's face, which had swelled with red shame, went a dead white. "Good-morning!" he said, and started rapidly away with a vicious dig of his stick upon the wet road. "Goo-ood mor-r-ning, serr!" Gourlay birred after him; "goo-ood mor-r-ning, serr!" He felt he had been bright this morning. He had put the branks on Wilson! Wilson was as furious at himself as at Gourlay. Why the devil had he said "Good-morning"? It had slipped out of him unawares, and Gourlay had taken it up with an ironic birr that rang in his ears now, poisoning his blood. He felt equal in fancy to a thousand Gourlays now--so strong was he in wrath against him. He had gone forward to pass pleasant remarks about the weather, and why should he noat?--he was no disgrace to Barbie, but a credit rather. It was not every working-man's son that came back with five hundred in the bank. And here Gourlay had treated him like a doag! Ah, well, he would maybe be upsides with Gourlay yet, so he might! CHAPTER X. "Such a rickle of furniture I never saw!" said the Provost. "Whose is it?" said Brodie. "Oh, have ye noat heard?" said the Head of the Town with eyebrows in air. "It beloangs to that fellow Wilson, doan't ye know? He's a son of oald Wilson, the mowdie-man of Brigabee. It seems we're to have him for a neighbour, or all's bye wi't. I declare I doan't know what this world's coming to!" "Man, Provost," said Brodie, "d'ye tell me tha-at? I've been over at Fleckie for the last ten days--my brother Rab's dead and won away, as I dare say you have heard--oh yes, we must all go--so, ye see, I'm scarcely abreast o' the latest intelligence. What's Wilson doing here? I thought he had been a pawnbroker in Embro." "Noat he! It's _whispered_ indeed, that he left Brigabee to go and help in a pawmbroker's, but it seems he married an Aberdeen lass and sattled there after a while, the manager of a store, I have been given to understa-and. He has taken oald Rab Jamieson's barn at the bottom of the Cross--for what purpose it beats even me to tell! And that's his furniture----" "I declare!" said the astonished Brodie. "He's a smart-looking boy that. Will that be a son of his?"