Page:Scott - Tales of my Landlord - 3rd series, vol. 1 - 1819.djvu/146

136 "Shame be in my meal-poke then," exclaimed Lord Turntippet, "and your hand aye in the nook of it. I had set that down for a bye bit between meals for mysel."

"To use one of your favourite saws, my lord," replied the Marquis, "you are like the miller's dog, that licks his lips before the bag is untied—the man is not fined yet."

"But that costs but twa skarts of a pen," said Lord Turntippet; "and surely there is nae noble lord that will presume to say, that I, wha hae complied wi' a' compliances, tane all manner of tests, abjured all that was to be abjured, and sworn a' that was to be sworn, for these thirty years by-past, sticking fast by my duty to the state through good report and bad report, shouldna hae something now and then to synde my mouth wi' after sic drouthy wark."

"It would be very unreasonable indeed, my lord," replied the Marquis, "had we either thought that your lordship's