PLAIN SPEAKING.
Dinner followed almost immediately after the marriage. There was a little speechmaking after dinner, or “the collation,” as Mrs. McNab called it. Mr. Barrie, in proposing our health, was neat and hearty. He had a hit at me “once thinking of getting married;”—told a story of a lad who, when going to seek a wife, looked so unhappy that his mother said to him, “Keep up yer heart, Johnnie, ma man; faint heart never won fair lady;” “Eh, mother,” said Johnnie, “I’ve mair need to keep it down, for it’s amaist in my mou’ a’ready;”—wished us many happy days, and hoped our married life would be happier than his had been. It took some of us a few seconds to see that this was a very, very good wish.
My uncle proposed Mrs. Stewart’s health. He was a plain, blunt man, and spoke of her as his “auld friend.” Mrs. Stewart was in grand spirits, and said, “Auld, Mr. Martin! auld! I’m no’ sae auld as you.” “Weel, ye’re as auld-like, ony way,” said the honest man; and Mrs. Stewart and he joined as heartily in the laugh that followed as any of us, and it was so long that he ended his speech by a nod to Mrs. Stewart, and “Here’s t’ye, mem; your very good health.”
A confirmed bachelor proposed the bridesmaids. He was, of course, unable to do justice to the toast, with “such” bridesmaids, etc.
Mr. McNab gave the health of Mr. Barrie. He spoke well; my uncle said he had “a grand stock o’ dictionar’ and college-bred words.”.
“THE FROSTIT CORN.”
Some songs were sung. The bachelor friend had a fine voice, and had cultivated it carefully. Few could equal him at “Gae fetch to me a pint o’ wine;” and when pressed to sing it, he bantered about having lost his best song, “O Nanny, wilt thou gang wi’ me?” he had not even got round sufficiently to try “My Nannie’s awa’,” but he hoped he would regain his spirits; he would try “When our king comes o’er the water,” and gave it in fine style. A cousin of Agnes’s, her senior by a very few years, sang “A’body’s like to get married but me,” with sweetness and humour, the last three verses so very well as to put our bachelor friend in great spirits. When she finished the following verse, the last one—
“It’s hard to tak’ shelter behint a laigh dyke,
It’s hard to gang wi’ ane ye dinna weel like,
It’s hard to forsake ane ye fain wad gang wi’,