At first I thought the plainness of my appearance, in my country habit, and that all dusty from the road, consorted ill with the greatness of the place to which I was bound.

But after two, or maybe three, had given me the same look and the same answer, I began to take it in my head there was something strange about the Shaws itself.
The better to set this fear at rest, I changed the form of my inquiries; and spying an honest fellow coming along a lane on the shaft of his cart, I asked him if he had ever heard tell of a house they called the house of Shaws.
He stopped his cart and looked at me, like the others.
"Ay" said he.

"What for ?" "It's a great house ?" I asked.
"Doubtless," says he.

"The house is a big, muckle house." "Ay," said I, "but the folk that are in it ?" "Folk ?" cried he.

"Are ye daft?
There's nae folk there--to call folk." "What ?" say I; "not Mr.Ebenezer ?" "Ou, ay" says the man; "there's the laird, to be sure, if it's him you're wanting.