Cosmo closed the door as she requested, and Aggie made haste to get her some water, which she drank eagerly. After a time of panting and sighing, she seemed to come to herself, and rose, saying, as if nothing had happened,
“I maun see to the supper.”
Cosmo stooped and would have taken up the bag, but she pounced upon it, and carried it with her to the corner of the fire, where she placed it beyond her. In the meantime the porridge had begun to burn.
“Eh, sirs!” she cried, “the parritch’ll be a’ sung—no to mention the waste o’ guid meal! Aggie, hoo cud ye be sae careless!”
“It was eneuch to gar onybody forget the pot to see ye come in like that, Grizzie!” said Cosmo.
“An’ what’ll ye say to the tale I bring ye!” rejoined Grizzie, as she turned the porridge into a dish, careful not to scrape too hard on the bottom of the pot.
“Tell ’s a’ aboot it, Grizzie, an’ bena lang aither, for I maun gang to my father.”
“Gang til ’im. Here’s naebody wad keep ye frae ’im!”
Cosmo was surprised at her tone, for although she took abundant liberty with the young laird, he had not since boyhood known her rude to him.
“No till I hear yer tale, Grizzie,” he answered.