"Nae 'cep he wad condescen' til a grainie meal intil 't," returned
Grizzie mournfully, and she looked at him again, with an anxious
deprecating look now, as if before the heir she was ashamed of the
poverty of the house, and dreaded blame."--But laird, "she resumed,
turning to her master, "ye hae surely a drap o' something i' yer
cellar! Weel I wat ye hae made awa' wi' nane o' 't yersel!"
"Weel, there ye wat wrang, Grizzie, my bonny wuman!" replied the
laird, with the flicker of a humourous smile on his wrinkled face,
"for I sellt the last bottle oot o' 't a month ago to Stronach o'
the distillery. I thought it cudna du muckle ill there, for it
wadna make his nose sae reid as his ain whusky. Whaur, think ye,
wad the sma' things ye wantit for my mother hae come frae, gien I
hadna happent to hae that property left? We're weel taen care o',
ye see, Grizzie! That WAD hae tried my faith, to hae my mother gang
wi'oot things! But he never suffers us to be tried ayont what we're
able to beir; an' sae lang as my faith hauds the grup, I carena for
back nor belly! Cosmo, I can bide better 'at ye sud want. Ye're
mair like my ain nor even my mother, an' sae we bide it thegither.
It maun be 'cause ye're pairt o' my Mar'on as weel 's o' mysel'.
Eh, man! but this o' faimilies is a won'erfu' Godlike contrivance!
Gien he had taen ony ither w'y o' makin' fowk, whaur wad I hae been
this day wantin' you, Cosmo?"
While he spoke, Cosmo was drinking the water Grizzie had brought
him--with a little meal on the top of it--the same drink he used to
give his old mare, now long departed to the place prepared for her,
when they were out spending the day together.
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