“Nobody ’ill gar me believe, sir, ’at Ma’colm MacPhail ever tellt a lee again’ you or onybody. I dinna believe he ever tellt a lee in ’s life. Jist ye exem’ him weel anent it, sir. An’ for the boat, nae doobt it was makin’ free to tak it; but ye ken, sir, ’at hoo he was maister o’ the same. It was in his chairge, an’ ye ken little aboot boats yersel’, or the sailin’ o’ them, sir.”
“But it was me that engaged him again, after all the servants at the House had been dismissed: he was my servant.”
“That maks the thing luik waur, nae doobt,” allowed Lizzy, with something of cunning. “Hoo was ’t ’at he cam to du ’t ava’ (_of all; at all_), sir? Can ye min’?” she pursued.
“I discharged him.”
“An’ what for, gien I may mak bold to speir, sir?” she went on.
“For insolence.”
“Wad ye tell me hoo he answert ye? Dinna think me meddlin’, sir. I’m clear certain there’s been some mistak. Ye cudna be sae guid to me, an’ be ill to him, ohn some mistak.”
It was consoling to the conscience of the factor, in regard of his behaviour to the two women, to hear his own praise for kindness from a woman’s lips. He took no offence therefore at her persistent questioning, but told her as well and as truly as he could remember, with no more than the all but unavoidable exaggeration with which feeling will colour fact, the whole passage between Malcolm and himself concerning the sale of Kelpie, and closed with an appeal to the judgment of his listener, in which he confidently anticipated her verdict.
“A most ridic’lous thing! ye can see yersel’ as weel ’s onybody, Lizzy! An’ sic a thing to ca’ an honest man like mysel’ a hypocrete for! ha! ha! ha! There’s no a bairn ’atween John o’ Groat’s an’ the Lan’s En’ disna ken ’at the seller o’ a horse is b’un’ to reese (extol) him, an’ the buyer to tak care o’ himsel’. I’ll no say it’s jist allooable to tell a doonricht lee, but ye may come full nearer till ’t in horse-dealin’, ohn sinned, nor in ony ither kin’ o’ merchandeze. It’s like luve an’ war, in baith which, it’s weel kenned, a’ thing’s fair. The saw sud rin—Luve an’ war an’ horse dealin’.—Divna ye see, Lizzy?”
But Lizzy did not answer, and the factor, hearing a stifled sob, started to his elbow.