"What would you like to have?" "It’s no’ for me tae say," replied Jock; "beggars shouldna be choosers." "Perhaps you would have no objection to have this fine house--eh?" asked his lordship, with a smile. "I’ll no’ say that I wad," replied Jock. "And what would you make of it?" "I wad," replied Jock, "fill’t fu’ wi’ puir ne’er-do-weel faitherless and mitherless bairns, and pit Sergeant Mercer and his wife ower them--that’s Mr. Spence’s cousin, ye ken." "Hillo!" said his lordship, "that would make a large party! And what would you do with them, when here assembled, my man?" "I wad feed them," said Jock, "wi’ the sheep and nowt in the park, and the birds frae the heather, and the fish frae the burns, and gie them the flowers aboot the doors--and schule them weel, and learn them trades: and shoot them or hang them, if they didna dae weel efter hin." "Ha! ha! ha! And what would you do with me and my wife and daughters?" asked his lordship. "I wad mak’ you their faither, and them their mither and sisters. Ye never wad be idle or want pleasure, yer honour, among sic a hantle o’ fine lads and lasses." "Never idle--never idle! I should think not! But as to the pleasure! Ha! ha! ha!" And his lordship laughed with much glee at the idea of his being master of such an establishment. "Eh! sir," said Jock, with fire in his eyes, "ye dinna ken what poverty is! Ye never lay trimblin’ on a stair-head on a snawy nicht; nor got a spoonfu’ or twa o’ cauld parritch in the mornin’ tae cool ye, wi’ curses and kicks tae warm ye, for no’ stealin’ yer ain meat; nor see’d yer wee brithers an’ sisters deein’ like troots, openin’ their mooths wi’ naethin’ to pit in them; or faix ye wad be thankfu’ tae help mitherless and faitherless bairns, and instead o’ sendin’ young craturs like them tae the jail, ye wad sen’ aulder folk that ill-used and neglected them; ay, and maybe some rich folk, and some ministers and elders as weel, for helpin’ naebody but themsel’s!" His lordship looked in silence with wide-open eyes at Jock; and for a moment, amidst his ease and luxury, his fits of _ennui_ and difficulty in killing time, his sense of the shallowness and emptiness of much of his life, with the selfishness of idle society, there flashed upon his naturally kind heart a gleam of noble duties yet to perform, and noble privileges yet to enjoy, though not perhaps in the exact form suggested by Jock Hall. But this was not the time to discuss these. So he only said, "You are not a bad fellow--not at all. Wiser men have said more foolish things," he added, as if thinking to himself; and then approaching Jock with a kindly smile, offered him some money. "Na! na!" said Jock, "I didna come here to beg; I’ll no’ tak’ onything."