Drumsheugh would even send his men to road-making, and apologise to the neighbours--"juist reddin' up aboot the doors"-- while Saunders the foreman and his staff laboured in a shamefaced manner like grown-ups playing at a children's game.

Hillocks used to talk vaguely about going to see a married sister in Glasgow, and one year got as far as Kildrummie, where he met Piggie Walker, and returned to have a deal in potatoes with that enterprising man.

More than once Drumsheugh--but then his position was acknowledged--set off on the Monday for Carnoustie with a large carpet bag containing, among other things, two pounds of butter and two dozen eggs, and announced his intention of spending a fortnight at the "saut water." The kirkyard would bid him good-bye, and give him a united guarantee that Sabbath would be kept at Drumtochty during his absence, but the fathers were never astonished to see the great man drop into Muirtown market next Friday on his way west--having found four days of unrelieved gaiety at that Scottish Monaco enough for flesh and blood.
This season of small affairs was redeemed by the Sacrament, and preparations began far off with the cleaning of the kirk.

As early as June our beadle had the face of one with something on his mind, and declined to pledge himself for roups of standing corn, where his presence was much valued, not on business grounds, but as an official sanction of the proceedings.

Drumtochty always felt that Dr.Davidson was fully represented by his man, and John could no longer disentangle the two in his own mind--taking a gloomy view of the parish when he was laid up by lumbago and the Doctor had to struggle on single-handed, and regarding the future when both would be gone with despair.
"Ay, ay, Hillocks," he once remarked to that worthy, "this 'll be a queer-like place when me an' the Doctor 's awa'.
"Na, na, a' daurna promise for the roup, but ye can cairry it on whether a 'm there or no; prices dinna hang on a beadle, and they 're far mair than appearances.