But so unpleasant was concealment to his nature, and so much did the dread of discovery press upon him, that the moment he saw the thing had come out into the daylight of her knowledge, such a reaction of relief took place as, operating along with his deep natural humour and the comical circumstance of the case, gave him an ease and freedom of communication which he had never before enjoyed with her.
Likewise there was a certain courage in the boy which, if his own natural disposition had not been so quiet that he felt the negations of her rule the less, might have resulted in underhand doings of a very different kind, possibly, from those of benevolence.
He must have been a strange being to look at, I always think, at this point of his development, with his huge nose, his black eyes, his lanky figure, and his sober countenance, on which a smile was rarely visible, but from which burst occasional guffaws of laughter.
At the words 'droont himsel',' Mrs.Falconer started.
'Rin, laddie, rin,' she said, 'an' fess him back direckly! Betty! Betty! gang wi' Robert and help him to luik for Shargar.

Ye auld, blin', doited body, 'at says ye can see, and canna tell a lad frae a lass!' 'Na, na, grannie.

I'm no gaein' oot wi' a dame like her trailin' at my fut.

She wad be a sair hinnerance to me.

Gin Shargar be to be gotten--that is, gin he be in life--I s' get him wantin' Betty.