A poor and honest sodger.
[Jean comes in.]
Jean: You mustn’t exhaust yourself, Robin dear.
Burns: There’s not much left of me now to spend, my girl. It’s busy in the town to-day?
Jean: Aye. It’s the emigrants. And the volunteers are leaving this evening.
Burns: They’re going to fight the Frenchies, and I’m going to fight auld Nickie-ben. We’re full of affairs in Scotland to-day.
Jean: Mr. Gavin Hamilton is coming to see you.
Burns: It’s very attentive of him. He’s welcome. Most of my fine friends have grown tired of me these years.
Jean: You mustn’t say that, Robin.
Burns: Why not? It’s true. They wouldn’t look at me across the street, lots of them, these months past. I don’t blame them. I’ve not played my game very well, Jean.