Scotland/Scots > Johnny Gibb of Gushetneuk

THE MANSE SCHEME.
23I
“ Dear be here, Dawvid, fat wud gar the like o’ you speer
a question o’ that kin’ ?” said Meg Raffan.
“ Ou,” answered Dawvid, “ ilka window o’ their hoose is
bleezin o’ licht like a new gless booet There maun 'a been
fowk there.”
“ Fowk there!” exclaimed Meg. “ Weel, an’ there hinna
been that, ye’re nae mark. Oh, Dawvid, Dawvid, it’s a
gweed thing for some o’’s to hae the markness o’ nicht to
fesh us hame files. Nae doot fan fowk meets in wi’ company
moderate things is exkeesable, but seerly it’s gyaun owre the
bows to foryet faur ye’ve been.”
“Fat dive ye mean?” said Dawvid, sharply, “I wasna
there, I tell you, woman!”
“ Hoot, noo,” answered Meg, with provoking persistency,
“ I’m nae refleckin o’ ye, Dawvid, man; mony ane plays waur
mistak’s, an’ lies doon i’ the gutter, or tynes their road a’the-
gither, cornin’ fae their freen’s hoose.”
“ They ’re no freens o’ mine; an’ I’m not i’ the haibit o’
goin’ there,” said Dawvid, with rising dignity.
“Dinna be sayin”t noo, Dawvid. Fa sud be inveetit to
Clinkstyle but Maister Hadden, Sir Seemon’s awgent; fan
fairms has to be mizzouFt aff an’ arreeng’t for them’t’s to get
them, fa can dee’t but him ? Wow, sirs—wasna there! ”
“ It’s a lie, I tell ye!” roared Dawvid, and as he roared
he marched abruptly off, shutting Meg Raffan’s door with a
snap.
“There maun hae been something or ither gyaun on,
that’s seer aneuch ; the creatur has a drap in, or he wudna
been tiggin wi”s. But he’s nae sae far on but he wud ’a
notic’t onything oot o’ the ordinar’ as he cam’ bye.” So mused
Meg Raffan with herself. And Meg resolved to find out all
about it on the morrow. Her first movement was to catch
Hairry Muggart as he went past in the morning to his work,
but all Hairry could tell was that there had been “a pairty—
some kin’ o’ a kirk affair,” whereupon Meg suggested that, all
things considered, it was extreme ill-usage to Hairry to have
failed of inviting him ; and Hairry hardly denied that he was
disappointed, seeing he had some services to speak of, not
the least considerable of which were the friendly lift he had
endeavoured, against his better judgment, to give Peter Birse,
senior, when he wanted to be made an elder; and the element
of respectability thrown into the initial stage of Peter Birse,
junior’s, wedded life by his presence at his marriage. How¬
ever, Hairry bore it with what resignation he could.