“I houp yer leddyship,” began Geordie, with a low bow, “has been quite weel sin’ I had the honour o’ yer acquaintanceship, whilk is now a year, come twa o’clock o’ this day. Ye micht maybe be thinking we were gaun to fa’ out o’ acquaintanceship; but I’m no ane o’ yer conceited creatures wha despise auld freends, and rin after new anes, merely because they may think them brawer—sae ye may keep yer mind easy on that score; and I wad farther tak the liberty to assure yer leddyship that, if ye hae ony siller by ye at present, I winna hesitate to gie ye a proof o’ the continuance o’ my freendship, by offerin’ to tak frae ye as meikle as I may need.”
“How much is that?” asked Lady Maitland.
“Twunty pund, my leddy, twunty pund,” answered Geordie.
The money was handed to him by the lady, without saying a word; and, having again made a low bow, he departed.
Next year, Geordie Willison went and paid a visit to Lady Maitland, got from her the same sum of money, and nothing passed to indicate what it was paid for. The lady clearly remained under the impression that the child was not in existence.
It happened that, some time after the last payment, Geordie was on the pier of Leith, with a view to fall in with some chance message or carriage to Edinburgh. A vessel had newly arrived from the Continent, and one of the passengers was Sir Marmaduke Maitland. Geordie was employed to assist in getting his luggage removed to Edinburgh. On arriving at the house, Lady Maitland, with Louise behind her, was standing on the landing-place to receive her husband. They saw Geordie walking alongside of him, and talking to him in the familiar manner which his alleged silliness in many cases entitled him to do; but whatever they may have felt or expressed, by looks or otherwise, Geordie seemed not to be any way out of his ordinary manner, and they soon observed, from the conduct of Sir Marmaduke, that Geordie had said nothing to him. Geordie bustled about, assisting to take out the luggage, while Sir Marmaduke was standing in the lobby with his lady alongside of him.
“Is there any news stirring in these parts, Geordie, worth telling to one who has been from his own country so long as I have been.”
“Naething worth mentioning, Sir Marmaduke,” answered Geordie; “a’thing quiet, decent, and orderly i’ the toun and i’ the country—no excepting your ain house here, whar I hae missed mony a gude luck-penny sin’ your honour departed.”
“Has Lady Maitland not been in the habit of employing you, then, Geordie?” asked Sir Marmaduke.
“No exactly, Sir Marmaduke,” answered Geordie; “the last time I ca’ed on her leddyship, she asked me what I wanted. I didna think it quite ceevil, and I haena gane back; but I canna deny that she paid me handsomely for the last thing I carried for her. She’s a fine leddy, Sir Marmaduke, and meikle credit to ye.”