"You!" said Janet. "You can be an auld bachelor and live next door to Maggie, and she'll send a laddie ower wi' a bowl o' soup when she has soup to her dinner."
"Aye," said Gladys, "and she'll wash yer sarks and mend yer socks for you."
"Sounds as if I am to have all the joys of matrimony without its sorrows," I said. "I'm afraid, Margaret, that we'll have to get married after all. The other way is too expensive: we should require to pay the rent of two houses."
"But," cried Annie, "if ye get married ye'll hae bairns to keep, and they'll cost mair than the rent o' two hooses!"
"Then in Heaven's name what am I to do?" I cried in feigned perplexity.
Janet took Margaret's hand and placed it in mine.
"Just tak Maggie," she said sweetly; "and by the time ye hae bairns Aw'll maybe be marrit mysell, and Aw'll mak my man send ye a ham when he kills the swine."
So I placed the ring on Margaret's finger and kissed her. Then I drew Janet's head down and kissed her too.
"Eh!" cried Annie, "that's no fair!"
"What do you mean?" I asked.