This soothed the Dominie, who returned, and said, mildly--"By the by, Clinkum, I want a leister of your making; for I see there is no other tradesman makes them so well. A five-grained one make it; at your own price."
"Very weel, sir. When will you be needing it?"
"Ay, ye may gar the three auld anes do till then."
"What do you wish to insinuate, sir? Would you infer, because I have three leisters, that therefore I am a breaker of the laws? That I, who am placed here as a pattern and monitor of the young and rising generation, should be the first to set them an example of insubordination?"
"Na, but, ye ken, that just beats the world for words! but we ken what we ken, for a' that, master."
"You had better take a little care what you say, Mr Clinkum; just a little care. I do not request you to take particular care, for of that your tongue is incapable, but a very little is necessary. And mark you--don't go to say that I said this or that about a ghost, or mentioned such a ridiculous story."
"The crabbitness o' that body beats the world!" said the smith to himself, as the Dominie went halting homeward.
The very next man that entered the smithy door was no other than John Broadcast, the new Laird's hind, who had also been hind to the late laird for many years, and who had no sooner said his errand than the smith addressed him thus:--"Have _you_ ever seen this ghost that there is such a noise about?"
"Ghost! Na, goodness be thankit, I never saw a ghost in my life, save aince a wraith. What ghost do you mean?"
"So you never saw nor heard tell of any apparition about Wineholm Place, lately?"
"No, I hae reason to be thankfu' I have not."
"Weel, that beats the world! Whow, man, but ye are sair in the dark! Do you no think there are siccan things in nature, as folk no coming fairly to their ends, John?"
"Goodness be wi' us! Ye gar a' the hairs o' my head creep, man. What's that you're saying?"
"Had ye never ony suspicions o' that kind, John?"
"None in the least? Weel, that beats the world!"
"O, haud your tongue, haud your tongue! We hae great reason to be thankfu' that we are as we are!"
"That we arena stocks or stones, or brute beasts, as the Minister o' Traquair says. But I hope in God there is nae siccan a thing about my master's place as an unearthly visitor."