"The guests of the house, McNab, ought to have a kind of consideration."
"Consider them yoursel', then."
"The Crawfords and Lairds both are the most respect——"
"Ill-bred, and forwardsome o' mortals. I could say much worse——"
"Better not."
"Bouncing, swaggering, nasty, beggarly creatures! They turn up their lang noses, and the palms o' their greedy hands at the like o' you and me, but there isna a lady or a gentleman at this table, that wouldna scorn the dirty things they did here."
"They gave none o' us a sixpence when they went awa," said Thomas, the second man.
"Sixpence! They couldna imagine a bawbee or a kind word to anybody but themsel's. They wouldna gie the smoke aff their porridge—but I'll tell you the differ o' them. The young mistress, God bless her, sends her maid to me last night, and the girl—a civil spoken creature—says: 'Mrs. McNab, my mistress would like her coffee and rolls in her own parlor, and there will be due you half-a-crown a week for your trouble, and thank you.' That's the way a lady puts things. And mind you, if there's the like o' a fresh kidney, or a few mushrooms coming Mrs. McNab's way, they will go to my lovely lady in her own parlor—and Jepson, you can just tell the auld woman I made that remark."
"What is said at this table goes no further, Mrs. McNab, and that you know."
"Then the auld woman has the far-hearing, that's a'——" and being by this time at the end of her temper and her English speech, she plunged into Gaelic. It was her sure and unconquered resort, for no one could answer unpronounceable and untranslatable words. All her companions knew was, that she rose from the table with an air of victory.