An advocate, of whose professional qualifications he had formed rather a low estimate, was complaining to him of being passed over in a recent appointment to the bench, and expressed his sense of the injustice with which he had been treated.

He was very indignant at his claims and merit being overlooked in their not choosing him for the new judge, adding with much acrimony, "And I can tell you they might have got a 'waur[54].'" To which, as if merely coming over the complainant's language again, the answer was a grave "Whaur[55] ?" The merit of the impertinence was, that it sounded as if it were merely a repetition of his friend's last words, waur and whaur.

It was as if "_echo_ answered whaur ?" As I have said, the oddity and acuteness of the speaker arose from the manner of expression, not from the thing said.

In fact, the same thing said in plain English would be mere commonplace.

I recollect being much amused with a dialogue between a late excellent relative of mine and his man, the chief manager of a farm which he had just taken, and, I suspect in a good measure manager of the _farmer_ as well.