“It canna be an angel,” said Robert at length, “for it’s singin’ ‘My Nannie’s Awa.’”
“An’ what for no an angel?” returned Janet. “Isna that jist what ye micht be singin’ yersel’, efter what ye was sayin’ last nicht? I’m thinkin’ there maun be a heap o’ yoong angels up there, new deid, singin’, ‘My Nannie’s Awa.’”
“Hoots, Janet! ye ken there’s naither merryin’ nor giein’ in merriage there.”
“Wha was sayin’ onything aboot merryin’ or giein’ in merriage, Robert? Is that to say ’at you an’ me’s to be no more to ane anither nor ither fowk? Nor it’s no to say ’at, ’cause merriage is no the w’y o’ the country, ’at there’s to be naething better i’ the place o’ ’t.”
“What garred the Maister say onything aboot it than?”
“Jist ’cause they plaguit him wi’ speirin’. He wad never hae opened his moo’ anent it—it wasna ane o’ his subjec’s—gien it hadna been ’at a wheen pride-prankit beuk-fowk ’at didna believe there was ony angels, or speerits o’ ony kin’, but said ’at a man ance deid was aye an’ a’thegither deid, an’ yet preten’it to believe in God himsel’ for a’ that, thoucht to bleck (nonplus) the Maister wi’ speirin’ whilk o’ saiven a puir body ’at had been garred merry them a’, wad be the wife o’ whan they gat up again.”
“A body micht think it wad be left to hersel’ to say,” suggested Robert. “She had come throu’ eneuch to hae some claim to be considert.”
“She maun hae been a richt guid ane,” said Janet, “gien ilk ane o’ the saiven wad be wantin’ her again. But I s’ warran’ she kenned weel eneuch whilk o’ them was her ain. But, Robert, man, this is jokin’—no ’at it’s your wyte (blame)—an’ it’s no becomin’, I doobt, upo’ sic a sarious subjec’. An’ I’m feart—ay! there!—I thoucht as muckle!—the wee sangie’s drappit itsel’ a’thegither, jist as gien the laverock had fa’ntit intil ’ts nest. I doobt we’ll hear nae mair o’ ’t.”
As soon as he could hear what they were saying, Gibbie had stopped to listen; and now they had stopped also, and there was an end.
For weeks he had been picking out tunes on his Pan’s-pipes, also, he had lately discovered that, although he could not articulate, he could produce tones, and had taught himself to imitate the pipes. Now, to his delight, he had found that the noises he made were recognized as song by his father and mother. From that time he was often heard crooning to himself. Before long he began to look about the heavens for airs—to suit this or that song he came upon, or heard from Donal.