"I understand, guidwife," began Willie, who meant to be very cunning in his mode of procedure, "that she's just an uncommon bonny leddy your mistress; just wonderfu'."
"Whaever tell't ye that, didna misinform ye," replied the old woman drily.
"And has mints o' siller?" rejoined Mr. Buchanan.
"No ill aff in that way either," said the old woman.
"But it's her beauty—it's her extraordinary beauty—that's the wonder, and that I hear everybody speakin' aboot," said Willie. "I wad gie the price o' sax fat hens to see her. Could ye no get me a glisk o' her ony way, just for ae minute?"
"Didna I tell ye before that she's no at hame?" said the old dame, threatening again to get restive on Willie's hands.
"Od, so ye did; I forgot," said Mr. Buchanan, affecting obliviousness of the fact. "Whaur may she be noo?" he added in his simplest and couthiest manner.
"Wad ye like to ken?" replied the old lady with a satirical sneer.
"'Deed wad I; and there's mae than me wad like to ken," replied Willie; "and them that wad pay handsomely for the information."
"Really," said the old dame, with a continuation of the same sneer, and long ere this guessing what Willie was driving at. "And wha may they be noo, if I may speer?"