His matter was
copious, his voice powerful, and his memory strong; so that there was
little chance of his ending his exhortation till the party had reached
Stirling, had not his attention been attracted by a pedlar who had joined
the march from a cross-road, and who sighed or groaned with great
regularity at all fitting pauses of his homily.
'And what may ye be, friend?' said the Gifted Gilfillan.
'A puir pedlar, that's bound for Stirling, and craves the protection of
your honour's party in these kittle times. Ah' your honour has a notable
faculty in searching and explaining the secret,--ay, the secret and
obscure and incomprehensible causes of the backslidings of the land; ay,
your honour touches the root o' the matter.'
'Friend,' said Gilfillan, with a more complacent voice than he had
hitherto used, 'honour not me. I do not go out to park-dikes and to
steadings and to market-towns to have herds and cottars and burghers pull
off their bonnets to me as they do to Major Melville o' Cairnvreckan, and
ca' me laird or captain or honour. No; my sma' means, whilk are not aboon
twenty thousand merk, have had the blessing of increase, but the pride of
my heart has not increased with them; nor do I delight to be called
captain, though I have the subscribed commission of that gospel-searching
nobleman, the Earl of Glencairn, fa whilk I am so designated.
Pages:
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535