How should they be mair missed than the Treddleses?
The cotton mill was such a thing for the country! The mair bairns a cottar body had the better; they would make their awn keep frae the time they were five years auld, and a widow wi' three or four bairns was a wealthy woman in the time of the Treddleses." "But the health of these poor children, my good friend--their education and religious instruction--" "For health," said Christie, looking gloomily at me, "ye maun ken little of the warld, sir, if ye dinna ken that the health of the poor man's body, as well as his youth and his strength, are all at the command of the rich man's purse.

There never was a trade so unhealthy yet but men would fight to get wark at it for twa pennies a day aboon the common wage.

But the bairns were reasonably weel cared for in the way of air and exercise, and a very responsible youth heard them their Carritch, and gied them lessons in Reediemadeasy ["Reading made Easy," usually so pronounced in Scotland.] Now, what did they ever get before?
Maybe on a winter day they wad be called out to beat the wood for cocks or siclike; and then the starving weans would maybe get a bite of broken bread, and maybe no, just as the butler was in humour--that was a' they got." "They were not, then, a very kind family to the poor, these old possessors ?" said I, somewhat bitterly; for I had expected to hear my ancestors' praises recorded, though I certainly despaired of being regaled with my own.
"They werena ill to them, sir, and that is aye something.

They were just decent bien bodies; ony poor creature that had face to beg got an awmous, and welcome--they that were shamefaced gaed by, and twice as welcome.

But they keepit an honest walk before God and man, the Croftangrys, and, as I said before, if they did little good, they did as little ill.