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Right, Mr. Osbaldistoneright,but I maun speak to this gabbling skyte too, for bairns and fules speak at the Cross what they hear at the ingle-side.Dye hear, you, AndrewWhats your nameFairservice! Andrew, who at the last rebuff had fallen a good way behind, did not choose to acknowledge the summons. Andrew, ye scoundrel! repeated Mr. Jarvie; here, sir! here! Here is for the dog, said Andrew, coming up sulkily. Ill gie you dogs wages, ye rascal, if ye dinna attend to what I say tyeWe are gaun into the Hielands a bit I judged as muckle, said Andrew. Haud your peace, ye knave, and hear what I have to say till yeWe are gaun a bit into the Hielands Ye tauld me sae already, replied the incorrigible Andrew. Ill break your head, said the Bailie, rising in wrath, if ye dinna haud your tongue. A hadden tongue, replied Andrew, makes a slabbered mouth. It was now necessary I should interfere, which I did by commanding Andrew, with an authoritative tone, to be silent at his peril. I am silent, said Andrew. Ise do a your lawfu bidding without a nay-say.My puir mither used aye to tell me,
Sae ye may een speak as lang as ye like, baith the tane and the tither o you, for Andrew. Mr. Jarvie took the advantage of his stopping after quoting the above proverb, to give him the requisite instructions. Now, sir, its as muckle as your lifes worththat wad be dear o little siller, to be surebut it is as muckle as a our lives are worth, if ye dinna mind what I say to ye. In this public whar we are gaun to, and whar it is like we may hae to stay a night, men o a clans and kindredHieland and Lawlandtak up their quartersAnd whiles there are mair drawn dirks than open Bibles amang them, when the usquebaugh gets uppermost. See ye neither meddle nor mak, nor gie nae offence wi that clavering tongue o yours, but keep a calm sough, and let ilka cock fight his ain battle. Muckle needs to tell me that, said Andrew contemptuously, as if I had never seen a Hielandman before, and kend nae how to manage them. Nae man alive can cuitle up Donald better than mysellI hae bought wi them, sauld wi them, eaten wi them, drucken wi them Did ye ever fight wi them? said Mr. Jarvie. Na, na, answered Andrew, I took care o that; it wad ill hae set me, that am an artist and half a scholar to my trade, to be fighting amang a wheen kilted loons that dinna ken the name o a single herb or flower in braid Scots, let abee in the Latin tongue. Then, said Mr. Jarvie, as ye wad keep either your tongue in your mouth, or your lugs in your head (and ye might miss them, for as saucy members as they are), I charge ye to say nae word, gude or bad, that ye can weel get by, to onybody that may be in the Clachan. And yell specially understand that yere no to be bleezing and blasting about your masters name or mine, or saying that this is Mr. Bailie Nicol Jarvie o the Saut-Market, son o the worthy Deacon Nicol Jarvie, that a body has heard |
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