“Deed, an’ I wull refeese yersel’,” returned the old man. “Sic a chield for jaw an’ cheek—saw I never nane—as the auld sang says! Whaur on this earth cam ye frae?”
As he spoke, he gave Cosmo a round punch on the shoulder next him that made him look from his work, and then began eying him up and down in the most supercilious manner. He was a small, withered, bowed man, with a thin wizened face, crowned by a much worn fur cap. His mouth had been so long drawn down at each corner as by weights of discontent, that it formed nearly a half-circle. His eyebrows were lifted as far as they would go above his red-lidded blue eyes, and there was a succession of ripply wrinkles over each of them, which met in the middle of his forehead, so that he was all over arches. Under his cap stuck out enormous ears, much too large for his face. Huge veiny hands hung trembling by his sides, but they trembled more from anger than from age.
“I tellt ye a’ready,” answered Cosmo; “I come frae the auld country.”
“Deil tak the auld country! What care I for the auld country! It’s a braid place, an’ langer nor it’s braid, an’ there’s mony ane intil ’t an’ oot on ’t ’at’s no warth the parritch his mither pat intil ’im. Eh, the fowth o’ fushionless beggars I hae seen come to me like yersel’!—Ow ay! it was aye wark they wad hae!—an’ cudna du mair nor a flee amo’ triacle!—What coonty are ye frae, wi’ the lang legs an’ the lang back-bane o’ ye?”
Cosmo told him. The hands of the old man rose from his sides, and made right angles of his elbows.
“Weel,” he said slowly, “that’s no an ill coonty to come frae. I may say that , for I belang til ’t mysel’. But what pairt o’ ’t ran ye frae whan ye cam awa’?”
“I ran frae nae pairt, but I cam frae hame i’ the north pairt o’ that same,” answered Cosmo, and bent again to his work.
The man came a step nearer, and Cosmo, without looking up, was aware he was regarding him intently.
“Ay! ay!” he said at last, in a tone of reflection mingled with dawning interest, “I ance kent a terrible rascal cam frae owerby that gait: what ca’ they the perris ye’re frae?”
Cosmo told him.