"I was sayin' what ye wadna hearken till, an that's enouch," she
answered, willing to show offence.

"Say 't again, gran'mamma, if you please. I wasna noticin'."

"Na! Is' warran' ye frae noticin'! There ye winna gang, whaur yer
ain fule fancy does na lead the w'y. Cosmo, by gie ower muckle
tether to wull thoucht, an' someday ye'll be laid i' the dub,
followin' what has naither sense intil't, nor this warl's gude.
--What was ye thinkin' aboot the noo?--Tell me that, an' Is' lat ye
gang."

"I was thinkin' aboot the burnie, gran'mamma."

"It wad be tellin' ye to lat the burnie rin, an' stick to yer buik,
laddie!"

"The burnie wull rin, gran'mamma, and the buik 'ill bide," said
Cosmo, perhaps not very clearly understanding himself.

"Ye're gettin' on to be a man, noo," said his grandmother, heedless
of the word of his defence, "an' ye maun learn to put awa' bairnly
things. There's a heap depen'in' upo' ye, Cosmo. Ye'll be the fift
o' the name i' the family, an' I'm feart ye may be the last. It's
but sma' honour, laddie, to ony man to be the last; an' gien ye
dinna gaither the wit ye hae, and du the best ye can, ye winna lang
be laird o' Glenwarlock. Gien it wasna for Grizzie there, wha has
no richt to owerhear the affairs o' the family, I micht think the
time had come for enlichtenin' ye upo' things it's no shuitable ye
should gang ignorant o'. But we'll put it aff till a mair