He will come next by some scathe in the hobbleshow, and then it will be, 'Dorothy, get the lint,' and 'Dorothy, spread the plaster;' but now it is nothing but nonsense, and a lie, and impossibility, that can come out of Dorothy's mouth.
Impossible! Does auld Simon think that Harry Smith's head was as hard as his stithy, and a haill clan of Highlandmen dinging at him ?" Here she was interrupted by a figure like an angel, who came wandering by her with wild eye, cheek deadly pale, hair dishevelled, and an apparent want of consciousness, which terrified the old woman out of her discontented humour.
"Our Lady bless my bairn!" said she.

"What look you sae wild for ?" "Did you not say some one was dead ?" said Catharine, with a frightful uncertainty of utterance, as if her organs of speech and hearing served her but imperfectly.
"Dead, hinny! Ay--ay, dead eneugh; ye'll no hae him to gloom at ony mair." "Dead!" repeated Catharine, still with the same uncertainty of voice and manner.

"Dead--slain--and by Highlanders ?" "I'se warrant by Highlanders, the lawless loons.

Wha is it else that kills maist of the folks about, unless now and than when the burghers take a tirrivie, and kill ane another, or whiles that the knights and nobles shed blood?
But I'se uphauld it's been the Highlandmen this bout.
The man was no in Perth, laird or loon, durst have faced Henry Smith man to man.

There's been sair odds against him; ye'll see that when it's looked into." "Highlanders!" repeated Catharine, as if haunted by some idea which troubled her senses.