"Both excellent things in their way, quartermaster; the Romans, who conquered all the world——"
"South of Forth and Clyde—haud ye there, dominie!"
"Well, they conquered by the force of their discipline, and as that declined, so did their power; but to what profitable end, I say, teach the bairn all these havers about wars, battles, and bombshelling? Do you wish to make of him a tearing, swearing, tramping dragoon, such as we read of in the days of that atrocious Claverhouse?"
"Not at all, dominie."
"Then," asked Skaill, angrily, "what would ye make of him?"
"A man, where you would make him a Molly."
The dominie shook his head, and as he did so the bag of his wig shook pendulously behind him.
"John Girvan, bairns should be taught early to delight, not in arts which conduce to the destruction of human life, but in such as lead to charity, mercy, benevolence, and humanity."
"Quite right, dominie, and for utterly ignoring all these, I know a man of peace who had his lugs cropped off his head."
"Cropped?"