“Ken ye whaur ye got the last?” muttered Grizzie, and made haste to cover the words:
“Whaur got ye that, Cosmo?” she said.
“What gien I dinna tell ye, Grizzie?” he returned, willing to rouse her with a little teazing.
“That’s as ye see proper, sir,” she answered. “Naebody has a richt to say til anither ‘Whaur got ye that?’ ’cep’ they doobt ye hae been stealin’.”
It was a somewhat strange answer, but there was no end to the strange things Grizzie would say: it was one of her charms! Cosmo told her at once where and how he had got the money; for with such true comrades, although not yet did he know how true, he felt almost that a secret would be a sin.
But the moment Grizzie heard where Cosmo had engaged himself, and from whom on the pledge of that engagement he had borrowed money, she started from her chair, and cried, with clenched and outstretched hand,
“Glenwarlock, yoong sir, ken ye what ye’re duin’?—The Lord preserve ’s! he’s an innocent!” she added, turning with an expression of despair to Aggie, who regarded the two with a strange look.
“Grizzie!” cried Cosmo, in no little astonishment, “what on earth gars ye luik like that at the mention o’ ane wha has this moment helpit us oot o’ the warst strait ever we war in!”
“Gien there had been naebody nearer hame to help ye oot o’ waur straits, it’s waur straits ye wad be in. An’ it’s waur ye’ll be in yet, gien that man gets his wull o’ ye!”
“He’s a fine, honest chiel’! An’ for waur straits, Grizzie—are na ye at the verra last wi’ yer meal?”