If, however, the choice is not satisfactory, he may reply:—
| I'll set her up on the auld fael dyke, Where she may rot ere I be ripe; The corbies her auld banes wadna pyke. |
Or (if the maiden be of surly temper):—
| I'll set her up on the high crab-tree, It's sour and dour, and sae is she; She may gang to the mools unkissed for me. |
But he may decline civilly, by saying:—
| She's for another, she's no for me, I thank ye for your courtesie. |
A similar ritual is gone through with respect to one of the gentler sex, where such rhymes as the following are used. In the case of acceptance the lady will say:—
| I'll set him up at my table-head, And feed him there wi' milk and bread. |
Whereas, if the proposal is not agreeable, her reply may be:—
| I'll put him on a riddle, and blaw him owre the sea, Wha will buy [Jamie Paterson] for me? |