I remember the east-country tone in his voice.

They went to the Free Kirk, and I overheard, one day, a man say to him as we came out of church (where a retiring collection for the next Sunday had been announced), 'There's an awfu' heap o' collections in oor kirk,' and James Reid replied, 'Ou ay, but ma way is to pay no attention.' When I told your father he was delighted and said that he must take that for his motto through life--'Ma way is to pay no attention.'" Mrs.Hope took off her glasses and smiled to herself over her recollections....

"Mrs.Reid was a nice creature, 'fair bigoted,' as they say here, on her son Peter.

He was her chief topic of conversation.
Peter's cleverness, Peter's kindness to his mother, Peter's good looks, Peter's fine voice: when I saw him--well, I thought we should all thank God for our mothers, for no one else will ever see us with such kind eyes....

And it's this Peter Reid--Jeannie Laidlaw's son--who has enriched Jean.