“Grizzie! Grizzie!” cried Cosmo, ceasing his work and coming back to where they stood, “ye’ll ruin a’!”
“What is there to ruin ’at he can ruin mair?” returned Grizzie. “Whan yer back’s to the wa’, ye canna fa’. An angry chiel’ ’ill ca’ up the deil; but an angry wife ’ll gar him rin for ’s life. When I’m angert, I fear no aiven his lordship there!”
Lord Lick-my-loof turned and went, and Grizzie set to work like a fury, probably stung by the sense that she had gone too far. Old woman as she was, she had soon overtaken Cosmo, but he was sorely vexed, and did not speak to her. When after a while the heat of her wrath was abated, Grizzie could not endure the silence, for in every motion of Cosmo’s body before her she read that she had hurt him grievously.
“Laird!” she cried at last, “my stren’th’s gane frae me. Gien ye dinna speyk to me, I’ll drap.”
Cosmo stopped his scythe in mid swing, and turned to her. How could he resist such an appeal!
“Grizzie,” he said, “I winna deny ’at ye hae vext me,—”
“Ye needna; I wadna believe ye. But ye dinna ken yon man as I du, or ye wadna be sae sair angert at onything wuman cud say til ’im. Gien I was to tell ye what I ken o’ ’im, ye wad be affrontit afore me, auld wife as I am. Haith, ye wadna du anither stroke for ’im!”
“It’s for the siller, no for him , Grizzie. But gien he war as ill as ye ca’ ’im, a’ the same, as ye weel ken, the Lord maks his sun to rise on the evil an’ on the good, an’ sen’s rain on the just an’ on the unjust!”
“Ow ay! the Lord can afoord it!” remarked Grizzie.
“An’ them ’at wad be his, maun afoord it tu, Grizzie!” returned Cosmo. “Whaur’s the guid o’ ca’in’ ill names, ’uman?”