His nourice at her window look’d, Beholding dale and down, And she beheld this distress’d young man Come walking to the town. XI ‘O see for he gangs, and see for he stands, The weary heir o’ Linne! O see for he stands on the cauld causey, And nane bids him come in!’-- XII ‘Sing owre again that sang, nourice, The sang ye sung just now.’-- ‘I never sung a sang i’ my life But I would sing owre to you. XIII ‘Come here, come here, Willy,’ she said, ‘And rest yoursel’ wi’ me; I hae seen you in better days, And in jovial companye.’-- XIV ‘Gie me a sheave[506] o’ your bread, nourice, And a bottle o’ your wine, And I will pay it you owre again When I am Lord of Linne.’-- XV ‘Ye’se get a sheave o’ my bread, Willy, And a bottle o’ my wine; But ye’ll pay me when the seas gang dry, For ye’ll ne’er be Lord o’ Linne.’ XVI Then he turn’d him right and round about, As will a woman’s son, And aff he set and bent his way And cam’ to the house o’ Linne. XVII But when he cam’ to that castle, They were set down to dine; A score of nobles there he saw, Sat drinking at their wine. XVIII Then some bade gie him beef and fish, And some but bane and fin, And some bade gie him naething at a’, But let the palmer gang. XIX Then out it speaks him John o’ Scales, A saucy word spak’ he: ‘Put round the cup, give the beggar a sup, Let him fare on his way.’ XX Then out it speaks Sir Ned Magnew, Ane o’ young Willy’s kin: ‘This youth was ance a sprightly boy As ever lived in Linne.’ XXI He turn’d him right and round about, As will a woman’s son, Then minded him on a little wee key That his mother left to him. XXII His mother left him this little wee key A little before she deed; And bade him keep this little wee key Till he was in maist need. XXIII Then forth he went, these nobles left All drinking in the room; Wi’ walking rod intill his hand He walk’d the castle roun’: XXIV Till that he found a little door, And therein slipp’d the key; And there he found three chests in fere[507] Of the red and the white monie. XXV Back then through the nobles a’ He went and did not blin, Until he cam’ where John o’ the Scales Was seated [at the wine]. XXVI Then out and spake it John o’ Scales, He spake wi’ mock and jeer: ‘I’d gie a seat to the Lord o’ Linne If sae be that he were here. XXVII ‘When the lands o’ Linne a-selling were A’ men said they were free; I will sell them twenty pound better cheap Nor ever I bought of thee.’-- XXVIII