These nine suits of harness, of such large size, are for the leichtach, from whom so much is expected." "And these goodly deer hides," said Simon, the spirit of his profession awakening at the sight of the goods in which he traded--"think you the chief will be disposed to chaffer for them?
They are in demand for the doublets which knights wear under their armour." "Did I not pray you," said Niel Booshalloch, "to say nothing on that subject ?" "It is the mail shirts I speak of," said Simon--"may I ask if any of them were made by our celebrated Perth armourer, called Henry of the Wynd ?" "Thou art more unlucky than before," said Niel, "that man's name is to Eachin's temper like a whirlwind upon the lake; yet no man knows for what cause." "I can guess," thought our glover, but gave no utterance to the thought; and, having twice lighted on unpleasant subjects of conversation, he prepared to apply himself, like those around him, to his food, without starting another topic.
We have said as much of the preparations as may lead the reader to conclude that the festival, in respect of the quality of the food, was of the most rude description, consisting chiefly of huge joints of meat, which were consumed with little respect to the fasting season, although several of the friars of the island convent graced and hallowed the board by their presence.

The platters were of wood, and so were the hooped cogues or cups out of which the guests quaffed their liquor, as also the broth or juice of the meat, which was held a delicacy.

There were also various preparations of milk which were highly esteemed, and were eaten out of similar vessels.

Bread was the scarcest article at the banquet, but the glover and his patron Niel were served with two small loaves expressly for their own use.

In eating, as, indeed, was then the case all over Britain, the guests used their knives called skenes, or the large poniards named dirks, without troubling themselves by the reflection that they might occasionally have served different or more fatal purposes.
At the upper end of the table stood a vacant seat, elevated a step or two above the floor.