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196 superior knowledge and experience; and though Mr. Lindsay would not have minded, for he wanted to prove that his speculation had been a good one, George and disliked showing their affairs to a third party. Everything that George said he had done McCallum suggested might have been done differently or done better, and instanced many cases in which other people had made blunders which he had pointed out to them, and that all his own plans and methods had been invariably crowned with success.

"Are ye no thinking of ploughing, George, now that you have done sic a bit o' fencing?" said Mrs. Lindsay.

"No; the fencing is only to keep the sheep in and save a man's wages; but it would be a great pleasure to me to see a bit of land fit to plough. I'd very soon have some wheat in; but the land is poor, and there's too little rain."

"No; the good man says hat though it may carry sheep well enough, it is no sic a bonnie bit as Branxholm, where we have sic a garden for vegetables and fruits o' every kind under heaven, I think. Did ye notice the orange-trees, how they've grown since ye gaed awa, George? I'm sure it often goes to my heart to see the peaches and the plums and the pears going to waste, for we've far mair than sic a family can destroy