"You wish to marry me, Mr. Duncan?" Outwardly, she was serious.
"Yes, Miss, sen ye was sae willin', I thocht I maucht as weel tak ye, an' then I'd not be bothered wi' ither women.
"Have they troubled you?" she asked, with a look of amusement. "Have they been attentive to you?"
"Not as attentive as y'rsel'."
"In what way have I been attentive to you, Mr. Duncan?" she asked, looking still more amused.
"Ye've helpit me bairn, an' cleaned his claes, an' let him ca' ye mither. Ye'd no hae doon that wi'oot wishin' the faither, too."
His confidence was rather startling.
"But suppose I do not wish the father. What then?"
"Oh, that could never be," he said, "that could never be."
"You have made a mistake, Mr. Duncan," she said, quietly. "You will have to look elsewhere for a wife. Good afternoon."