"An' sae a prence he was! an', forbye that, jist a man by himsel'
to luik at!--i' the prime o' life, maybe, but no freely i' the
first o' 't, for he had the luik as gien he had had a hard time o'
't, an' had a white streak an' a craw's fit here and there--the
liklier to please my leddy, wha lookit doon upo' a'body yoonger
nor hersel'. He hae a commandin', maybe some owerbeirin' luik--
ane at a man micht hae birstled up at, but a leddy like my leddy
wad welcome as worth bringin' doon. He was dressed as never man
had appears in Scotlan' afore--glorious withoot--no like the
leddy i' the Psalms--for yer ee cud licht nowhaur but there was
the glitter o' a stane, sae 'at he flashed a' ower, ilka motion
he made. He cairret a short swoord at his side--no muckle langer
nor my daddy's dirk, as gien he never foucht but at closs quarters
--the whilk had three sapphires--blue stanes, they tell me--an
muckle anes, lowin' i' the sheath o' 't, an' a muckler ane still i'
the heft; only they war some drumly (clouded), the leddy thoucht,
bein' a jeedge o' hingars at lugs (earrings) an' sic vainities.
"That may be 's it may, but in cam the prence, wi' a laich boo, an'
a gran upstrauchtin' again; an' though, as I say, he was flashin'
a' ower, his mainner was quaiet as the munelicht,--jist grace
itsel'. He profest himsel unco' indebtit for the shelter accordit
him; an' his een aye soucht the leddy's, an' his admiration o'
her was plain in ilka luik an' gestur', an' though his words were
feow, they a' meant mair nor they said.
Pages:
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399