'Hae ye settled wi' him yoursel', sir? For it was you that tied the tow rope!'
My adversary laughed, and looked not at all ill-pleased.
He pointed to the five gold Georges on the tables.
'Hark ye, Robin of Airyolan, these are the five guineas ye gied to me like an honest man. I'll forgie ye for layin' the pistol to my lug, for after all ye are some credit to the land that fed ye. Gin ye promise to wed a decent lass, I'll e'en gie ye a farm o' your ain. And as sure as my name is Sir William Maxwell, ye shall sit your lifetime rent free, for the de'il's errand that ye took me on the nicht of the brandy-running at the Clone.'
I could have sunken through the floor when I heard that it was Sir William himself,—whom, because he had so recently returned from foreign parts after a sojourn of many years, I had never before seen.
Then both the factor and the laird laughed heartily at my discomfiture.
'Ken ye o' ony lass that wad tak' up wi' ye, Robin?' said Sir William.
'Half a dozen o' them, my lord,' said I. 'Lassies are neither ill to seek nor hard to find when Robin of Airyolan gangs acoortin'!'
'Losh preserve us!' cried the laird, slapping his thigh, 'but I mysel' never sallied forth to woo a lass so blithely confident!'
I said nothing, but dusted my knee-breeks. For the laird was no very good-looking man, being grey as a badger.