Your uncle's been in his maist three hours syne, and Robin's ill o' the rheumatize, and he's to his bed too, and sae I had to sit up for ye mysell, for as sair a hoast as I hae." Here she coughed once or twice, in further evidence of the egregious inconvenience which she had sustained.
"Much obliged to you, Alison, and many kind thanks." "Hegh, sirs, sae fair-fashioned as we are! Mony folk ca' me Mistress Wilson, and Milnwood himsell is the only ane about this town thinks o' ca'ing me Alison, and indeed he as aften says Mrs Alison as ony other thing." "Well, then, Mistress Alison," said Morton, "I really am sorry to have kept you up waiting till I came in." "And now that you are come in, Mr Henry," said the cross old woman, "what for do you no tak up your candle and gang to your bed?
and mind ye dinna let the candle sweal as ye gang alang the wainscot parlour, and haud a' the house scouring to get out the grease again." "But, Alison, I really must have something to eat, and a draught of ale, before I go to bed." "Eat ?--and ale, Mr Henry ?--My certie, ye're ill to serve! Do ye think we havena heard o' your grand popinjay wark yonder, and how ye bleezed away as muckle pouther as wad hae shot a' the wild-fowl that we'll want atween and Candlemas--and then ganging majoring to the piper's Howff wi' a' the idle loons in the country, and sitting there birling, at your poor uncle's cost, nae doubt, wi' a' the scaff and raff o' the water-side, till sun-down, and then coming hame and crying for ale, as if ye were maister and mair!" Extremely vexed, yet anxious, on account of his guest, to procure refreshments if possible, Morton suppressed his resentment, and good-humouredly assured Mrs Wilson, that he was really both hungry and thirsty; "and as for the shooting at the popinjay, I have heard you say you have been there yourself, Mrs Wilson--I wish you had come to look at us." "Ah, Maister Henry," said the old dame, "I wish ye binna beginning to learn the way of blawing in a woman's lug wi' a' your whilly-wha's!-- Aweel, sae ye dinna practise them but on auld wives like me, the less matter.

But tak heed o' the young queans, lad .-- Popinjay--ye think yoursell a braw fellow enow; and troth!" (surveying him with the candle,) "there's nae fault to find wi' the outside, if the inside be conforming.
But I mind, when I was a gilpy of a lassock, seeing the Duke, that was him that lost his head at London--folk said it wasna a very gude ane, but it was aye a sair loss to him, puir gentleman--Aweel, he wan the popinjay, for few cared to win it ower his Grace's head--weel, he had a comely presence, and when a' the gentles mounted to show their capers, his Grace was as near to me as I am to you; and he said to me, 'Tak tent o' yoursell, my bonny lassie, (these were his very words,) for my horse is not very chancy.'-- And now, as ye say ye had sae little to eat or drink, I'll let you see that I havena been sae unmindfu' o' you; for I dinna think it's safe for young folk to gang to their bed on an empty stamach." To do Mrs Wilson justice, her nocturnal harangues upon such occasions not unfrequently terminated with this sage apophthegm, which always prefaced the producing of some provision a little better than ordinary, such as she now placed before him.

In fact, the principal object of her maundering was to display her consequence and love of power; for Mrs Wilson was not, at the bottom, an illtempered woman, and certainly loved her old and young master (both of whom she tormented extremely) better than any one else in the world.

She now eyed Mr Henry, as she called him, with great complacency, as he partook of her good cheer.
"Muckle gude may it do ye, my bonny man.

I trow ye dinna get sic a skirl-in-the-pan as that at Niel Blane's.