'An' what said our ain young minister himsel', Tibbie?' inquired Elspeth at last, after all the fine things said by the others had been duly discussed.
'Hoot, woman! He wasna there ava. Did ye no ken he was lyin'? an' rael ill. I winder Jean didna tell ye that! For it was Mistress Sangster, the folk's tellin', 'at cam near giein' him his death. Ye see they gaed stravaigin' ower the hills, an' what suld come ower my leddy but she maun coup in a burn! Up comes the minister to pu' her out, and a sair job he'd hae fand it at the best, for she's a muckle hefty wife; but the daft auld rinketer, whan ance she'd gotten a grip o' him, she gied a screech an' a fling, an' pu'ed him in ower aside her, an' baith gat a sair drookin', an' a wamefu' o' cauld water. Aweel! Stephen Boague's wife, she dried the claes o' my leddy, an' she's nae waur; but the puir minister beut to gang hame as he was--a' drouket--an' he's gotten a sair host 'at's like to be the death o' him.'
'Puir chield! The cauld water he drank was ower strong for him. I ne'er thocht muckle o' that for a drink mysel'. It wants whusky peuten til't, to gar't lie licht on the staumick. But if a' folk says be true, it's het water he's gotten amang noo! honest man. Think ye he'll thole that better nor the cauld?' with a sidelong glance which was not observed.
'I ken there's daft-like clashes rinnin' round, but I ne'er mind them. There's folk 'at maun aye be blatherin' some gate. But he's a gude man, I'll say! an' a worthy son o' the gude auld minister 'at gaed afore him.'
'An' ye think it's lees the folk's tellin' about him?' with a quizzical smile. Elspeth had heard all the rumours, and after a lengthened experience of her fellow-creatures, she was disposed to credit all she heard against any of them, without thinking much the worse of them for merely being found out, which she supposed to be the only difference between them and their accusers; but it was a tempting amusement to prod Tibbie on the subject of these reports, and to hover about the edge of what must not be said to a friend or a guest.
'I'll believe naething on Mester Brown till there's pruif for't! He's a gude lad, an' a free-handet as I hae cause to ken.'
'Ay! What is't ye ken, Tibbie?'
'Aweel! he has gien me siller like the fine gentleman he is! An' me no seekin't frae him either.'
'An' hoo was that, Tibbie?'
'He heard tell I was a lanesome widdie an' no weel aff, an' he cam to speer after me. An' he out wi' his siller an' gied it til me, an' me no seekin't, mind! An' no the gate ye wad fling a bawbee til a beggar, or a bane til a dug; but just like's he was a man, an' me a woman made o' flesh an' bluid like himsel'.'