He sat in his great chair, with his book open upon his knees. His
mother and Cosmo were gone to bed, and Grizzie was preparing to
follow them: the laird was generally the last to go. But Grizzie,
who had been eying him at intervals for the last half hour, having
now finished her preparations for the morning, drew near, and stood
before him, with her hands and bare arms under her apron. Her
master taking no notice of her, she stood thus in silence for a
moment, then began. It may have been noted that the riming tendency
appeared mostly in the start of a speech, and mostly vanished
afterwards.
"Laird," she said, "ye're in trouble, for ye're sittin' double, an'
castna a leuk upo' yer buik. Gien ye wad lat a body speyk 'at kens
naething,'cep' 'at oot o' the moo' o' babes an' sucklin's--an'troth
I'm naither babe nor sucklin' this mony a lang, but I'm a
muckle eneuch gowk to be ane o' the Lord's innocents, an' hae him
perfec' praise oot o' the moo' o' me!--"
She paused a moment, feeling it was time the laird should say
something-which immediately he did.
"Say awa', Grizzie," he answered; "I'm hearin' ye. There's nane has
a better richt to say her say i' this hoose; what ither hae ye to
say't intil!"
"I hae no richt," retorted Grizzie, almost angrily, "but what ye
alloo me', laird; and I wadna wuss the Lord to gie me ony mair. But
whan I see ye in tribble--eh, mony's the time I haud my tongue till
my hert's that grit it's jist swallin' in blobs an' blawin' like
the parritch whan its dune makin', afore tak it frae the fire! for
I hae naething to say, an' naither coonsel nor help intil me.
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