"That's neither here nor there. Ye wad be wantin' 't or that time ony hoo."
Now Bruce had given up the notion of leaving Glamerton, for he had found that the patronage of the missionars in grocery was not essential to a certain measure of success; and he had no intention of proceeding to an auction of Mrs Forbes's goods, for he saw that would put him in a worse position with the public than any amount of quiet practice in lying and stealing. But there was every likelihood of Annie's being married some day; and then her money would be recalled, and he would be left without the capital necessary for carrying on his business upon the same enlarged scale�-seeing he now supplied many of the little country shops. It would be a grand move then, if, by a far-sighted generalship, a careful copying of the example of his great ancestor, he could get a permanent hold of some of Annie's property.�-Hence had come the descent upon Mrs Forbes, and here came its success.
"Ye s' hae as muckle o' mine to yer nainsel' as'll clear Mrs Forbes," said Annie.
"Weel. Verra weel.�-But ye see that's mine for twa year and a half ony gait. That wad only amunt to losin' her interest for twa year an' a half�-a'thegither. That winna do."
"What will do, than, Mr Bruce?"
"I dinna ken. I want my ain."
"But ye maunna torment her, Mr Bruce. Ye ken that."
"Weel! I'm open to onything rizzonable. There's the enterest for twa an' a half�-ca' 't three years�-at what I could mak' o' 't�-say aucht per cent�-four and twenty poun'. Syne there's her arrears o' interest�-and syne there's the loss o' the ower-turn�-and syne there's the loss o' the siller that ye winna hae to len' me.�-Gin ye gie me a quittance for a hunner an' fifty poun', I'll gie her a receipt.�-It'll be a sair loss to me!"
"Onything ye like," said Annie.
And Bruce brought out papers already written by his lawyer, one of which he signed and the other she.