The stone-breaker conned over the words, and by and by his face wrinkled with excitement. He puffed his cheeks, and then let the air rush through his mouth like an escape of gas.
'It's Rob Angus,' he blurted out.
'Man, man,' said Silva, 'an' him lookit sae strong an' snod when he was here i' the back-end o' last year.'
'He's no deid,' cried Tammas, 'he's mairit. Listen, lads, "The thing is true Rob Angus has married the colonel's daughter at a castle Rob Angus has married the colonel."'
'Losh me!' said Sam'l, 'I never believed he would manage't.'
'Ay, but she reads queer,' said Tammas. 'First she says Rob's mairit the dochter, an' neist 'at he's mairit the colonel.'
'Twa o' them!' cried Silva, who was now in a state to believe anything.
Snecky seized the telegram, and thought it over.
'I see what Leeby's done,' he said admiringly. 'Ye're restreected to twenty words in a telegram, an' Leeby found she had said a' she had to say in fourteen words, so she's repeated hersel to get her full shilling's worth.'
'Ye've hit it, Snecky,' said Tammas. 'It's juist what Leeby would do. She was aye a michty thrifty, shrewd crittur.'