Page:Tales of my landlord (Volume 1).djvu/217

 the bent; will ye come out and speak just a gliff to ane that has mony thanks to gi'e ye?—It was a' true ye tell'd me about Westburnflat; but he's sent back Grace safe and skaithless, sae there's nae ill happened yet but what may be suffered or sustained.—Wad ye but come out a gliff, man, or but say ye're listening?—Aweel, since ye winna answer, I'se e'en proceed wi' my tale. Ye see I hae been thinking it wad be a sair thing on twa young folk, like Grace and me, to put aff our marriage for mony years till I was abroad and came back again wi' some gear; and they say folk manna take booty in the wars as they did lang syne, and the pay's a sma' matter; there's nae gathering gear on that—and then my gude-dame's auld—and my sisters wad sit pinging at the ingle-side for want o' me to ding them about-and Earnscliff, or the neighbourhood, or maybe your ain sell, Elshie, might want some good turn that Hob Elliot could do ye—and it's a pity that the auld house o' the Heughfoot