He then rose and said, addressing himself to Miss MacNabb, "I propose the old Scottish toast of 'Honest men and _bonnie_ lassies,'" and bowing to the hostess, he resumed his seat.

The lady returned his bow with her usual amiable smile, and taking up her glass, replied, "Weel, Combie, I am sure _we_ may drink that, for it will neither apply to _you_ nor _me_." An amusing example of a quiet cool view of a pecuniary transaction happened to my father whilst doing the business of the rent-day.

He was receiving sums of money from the tenants in succession.

After looking over a bundle of notes which he had just received from one of them, a well-known character, he said in banter, "James, the notes are not correct." To which the farmer, who was much of a humorist, drily answered, "I dinna ken what they may be _noo_; but they were a' richt afore ye had your fingers in amang 'em." An English farmer would hardly have spoken thus to his landlord.

The Duke of Buccleuch told me an answer very quaintly Scotch, given to his grandmother by a farmer of the old school.