The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

70 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
language of the world and worldlings base, if you can condescend to so
mean a sphere, shall we stay or go?"
"In the language of selfishness, then, which is of course the language
of the world -let us go by all means."
" Amen, amen, quo' the Earl Marshall," answered Oldbuck, as he
exchanged his slippers for a pair of stout walking shoes, with cutikins, as
he called them, of black cloth. He only interrfipted the walk by a slight,
deviation to the tomb of John o' the Girnel, remembered as the last bailiff
of the abbey who had resided at Monkbarns. Beneath an old oak-tree upon
a hillock, sloping pleasantly to the south, and catching a distant view of
the sea over two or three rich enclosures, and the Musselcrag, lay a nossgrownD stone, and, in memory of the departed worthy, it bore an inscription,
of which, as Mr. Oldbuck affirmed, (though many doubted,) the defaced
characters could be distinctly traced to the following effect:Here lyeth John o' ye Girnell;
Erth has ye nit, and heuen ye kirnell.
In hys tyme ilk wife's hennis clokit.
Illia good mannis lerth wi' bairnis was stokit.
He deled a boll o'bear in firlottis fyve,
Four for ye halie kirke and ane for puir nleunis wyvis.
"You see how modest the author of this sepulchral commendation was;
-he tells us that honest John could make five firlots, or quarters, as you
would say, out of the boll, instead of four, -that he gave the fifth to the
wives of the parish, and accounted for the other four to the abbot and
chapter — that in his time the wives' hens always laid eggs - and devil
thank them, if they got one-fifth of the abbey rents; and that honest men's
hearths were never unblest with offspring-an addition to the miracle, which
they, as well as I, must have considered as perfectly unaccountable. But
come on —leave we Jock o' the Girnel, and let us jog on to the yellow sands,
where the sea, like a repulsed enemy, is now retreating from the ground on
which he gave us battle last night."
Thus saying, he led the way to the sands. Upon the links or downs close
to them, were seen four or five huts inhabited by fishers, whose boats, drawn
high upon the beach, lent the odoriferous vapours of pitch melting under a
burning sun, to contend with those of the offals of fish and other nuisances
usually collected round Scottish cottages. Undisturbed by these complicated steams of abomination, a middle-aged womaln, with a face which had
defied a thousand storms, sat mending a net at the door of one of the cottages. A handkerchief close bound about her head, and a coat which had
formerly been that of a man, gave her a masculine air, which was increased
by her strength, uncommon stature, and harsh voice. " What are ye for
the day, your honour?" she said, or rather screamed, to Oldbuck; "caller
haddocks and whitings-a bannock-fluke and a cock-padle."
"IIow much for the bannock-fluke and cock-padle?" demanded the
Antiquary.
" Four white shillings and saxpence," answered the Naiad.
"Four devils and six of their imps 1" retorted the Antiquary; "do ye
think I am miad, Maggie?"
"'And div ye think," rejoined the virago, setting her arms a-kimbo, "that
my man and my sons are to gae to the sea in weather like yestreen and the
day - sic a sea as it's yet outby -and get naething for their fish, and be
misca'd into the bargain, Monkbarns? It's no fish ye're buying-it's men's
lives."
"Well, Maggie, I'll bid you fair-I'll bid you a shilling for the fluke and
the cock-padle, or sixpence separately —and if all your fish are as'well
paid, I think your man, as you call him, and your sons, will make a good
voyage."
" Deil gin their boat were knockit against the Bell-Rock rather! it wad
bh better, and the bonnier voyage o' the twa. A shilling for thae twa bonny
fish I Od, that's ane indeed!"