第60章

them,'' said Mrs.Heukbane;--``pride will hae a fa'--he hasna settled his account wi' my gudeman, the deacon, for this twalmonth --he's but slink, I doubt.''

``Nor wi' huz for sax months,'' echoed Mrs.Shortcake--``He's but a brunt crust.''

``There's a letter,'' interrupted the trusty postmistress, ``from his son, the captain, I'm thinking--the seal has the same things wi' the Knockwinnock carriage.He'll be coming hame to see what he can save out o' the fire.''

The baronet thus dismissed, they took up the esquire--``Twa letters for Monkbarns--they're frae some o' his learned friends now; see sae close as they're written, down to the very seal--and a' to save sending a double letter--that's just like Monkbarns himsell.When he gets a frank he fills it up exact to the weight of an unce, that a carvy-seed would sink the scale--but he's neer a grain abune it.Weel I wot I wad be broken if I were to gie sic weight to the folk that come to buy our pepper and brimstone, and suchlike sweetmeats.''

``He's a shabby body the laird o' Monkbarns,'' said Mrs.

Heukbane; ``he'll make as muckle about buying a forequarter o' lamb in August as about a back sey o' beef.Let's taste another drop of the sinning'' (perhaps she meant _cinnamon_)``waters, Mrs.Mailsetter, my dear.Ah, lasses! an ye had kend his brother as I did--mony a time he wad slip in to see me wi' a brace o' wild deukes in his pouch, when my first gudeman was awa at the Falkirk tryst--weel, weel--we'se no speak o' that e'enow.''

``I winna say ony ill o'this Monkbarns,'' said Mrs.Shortcake;``his brother neer brought me ony wild-deukes, and this is a douce honest man; we serve the family wi' bread, and he settles wi' huz ilka week--only he was in an unco kippage when we sent him a book instead o' the _nick-sticks,_ whilk, he said, were * Note E.Nick-sticks.

the true ancient way o' counting between tradesmen and customers; and sae they are, nae doubt.''

``But look here, lasses,'' interrupted Mrs.Mailsetter, ``here's a sight for sair e'en! What wad ye gie to ken what's in the inside o' this letter? This is new corn--I haena seen the like o' this--For William Lovel, Esquire, at Mrs.Hadoway's, High Street, Fairport, by Edinburgh, N.B.This is just the second letter he has had since he was here.''

``Lord's sake, let's see, lass!--Lord's sake, let's see!--that's him that the hale town kens naething about--and a weel-fa'ard lad he is; let's see, let's see!'' Thus ejaculated the two worthy representatives of mother Eve.

``Na, na, sirs,'' exclaimed Mrs.Mailsetter; ``haud awa--bide aff, I tell you; this is nane o' your fourpenny cuts that we might make up the value to the post-office amang ourselves if ony mischance befell it;--the postage is five-and-twenty shillings --and here's an order frae the Secretary to forward it to the young gentleman by express, if he's no at hame.Na, na, sirs, bide aff;--this maunna be roughly guided.''

``But just let's look at the outside o't, woman.''

Nothing could be gathered from the outside, except remarks on the various properties which philosophers ascribe to matter, --length, breadth, depth, and weight, The packet was composed of strong thick paper, imperviable by the curious eyes of the gossips, though they stared as if they would burst from their sockets.The seal was a deep and well-cut impression of arms, which defied all tampering.

``Od, lass,'' said Mrs.Shortcake, weighing it in her hand, and wishing, doubtless, that the too, too solid wax would melt and dissolve itself, ``I wad like to ken what's in the inside o' this, for that Lovel dings a' that ever set foot on the plainstanes o'

Fairport--naebody kens what to make o' him.''

``Weel, weel, leddies,'' said the postmistress, ``we'se sit down and crack about it.--Baby, bring ben the tea-water--Muckle obliged to ye for your cookies, Mrs.Shortcake--and we'll steek the shop, and cry ben Baby, and take a hand at the cartes till the gudeman comes hame--and then we'll try your braw veal sweetbread that ye were so kind as send me, Mrs.Heukbane.''

``But winna ye first send awa Mr.Lovel's letter?'' said Mrs.

Heukbane.

``Troth I kenna wha to send wi't till the gudeman comes hame, for auld Caxon tell'd me that Mr.Lovel stays a' the day at Monkbarns--he's in a high fever, wi' pu'ing the laird and Sir Arthur out o' the sea.''

``Silly auld doited carles!'' said Mrs.Shortcake; ``what gar'd them gang to the douking in a night like yestreen!''

``I was gi'en to understand it was auld Edie that saved them,''

said Mrs.Heukbane--``Edie Ochiltree, the Blue-Gown, ye ken;and that he pu'd the hale three out of the auld fish-pound, for Monkbarns had threepit on them to gang in till't to see the wark o' the monks lang syne.''

``Hout, lass, nonsense!'' answered the postmistress; ``I'll tell ye, a' about it, as Caxon tell'd it to me.Ye see, Sir Arthur and Miss Wardour, and Mr.Lovel, suld hae dined at Monkbarns''--``But, Mrs.Mailsetter,'' again interrupted Mrs.Heukbane, ``will ye no be for sending awa this letter by express?--there's our powny and our callant hae gane express for the office or now, and the powny hasna gane abune thirty mile the day;--Jock was sorting him up as I came ower by.''

``Why, Mrs.Heukbane,'' said the woman of letters, pursing up her mouth, ``ye ken my gudeman likes to ride the expresses himsell--we maun gie our ain fish-guts to our ain sea-maws--it's a red half-guinea to him every time he munts his mear;and I dare say he'll be in sune--or I dare to say, it's the same thing whether the gentleman gets the express this night or early next morning.''

``Only that Mr.Lovel will be in town before the express gaes aff,'' said Mrs.Heukbane; ``and where are ye then, lass? But ye ken yere ain ways best.''