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.

176 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
rake; "your exposition sufficeth, sir. -Master Louis Girnigo, son of my
Lord Kilsteer, in Gringardenshire, I am your humble slave, sir, and drink
your health, in token that I honour you, and all true Scots who draw their
Andrew Ferraras on the right side, sir."
"I'se beholden to you, and thank you, sir," said the young man, with
some haughtiness of manner, which hardly corresponded with his rusticity;
"and I wuss your health in a ceevil way."
Most judicious persons would have here dropped the conversation; but it
was one of Wildrake's marked peculiarities, that he could never let matters
stand when they were well. He continued to plague the shy, proud, and
awkward lad with his observations. "You speak your national dialect
pretty strongly, Master Girnigo," said he, "but I think not quite the
language of the gallants that I have known among the Scottish cavaliersI knew, for example, some of the Gordons, and others of good repute, who
always put an f for wh, asfaat for what, fan for when, and the like."
Albert Lee here-interposed, and said that the provinces of Scotland, like
those of England, had their different modes of pronunciation.
"You are very right, sir," said Wildrake. "I reckon myself, now, a
pretty good speaker of their cursed jargon -no offence, young gentleman;
and yet, when I took a turn with some of Montrse's folk, in the South
Hielands, as they call their beastly wildernesses, (no offence again,) I chanced
to be by myself, and to lose my way, when I said to a shepherd-fellow,
making my mouth as wide, and my voice as broad as I could, whore am I
ganging till - confound me if the fellow could answer me, unless, indeed,
he was sulky, as the bumpkins will be now and then to the gentlemen of
the sword."
This was familiarly spoken, and though partly addressed to Albert, was
still more directed to his immediate neighbour, the young Scotsman, who
seemed, from bashfulness, or some other reason, rather shy of his intimacy.
To one or two personal touches from Wildrake's elbow, administered during
his last speech, by way of a practical appeal to him in particular, he only
answered, " Misunderstandings were to be expected when men converse in
national deealects."
Wildrake, now considerably drunker than he ought to have been in civil
company, caught up the phrase and repeated it: —" Misunderstanding, sir
- Misunderstanding, sir? -I do not know how I am to construe that, sir;
but to judge from the information of these scratches on your honourable
visnomy, I should augur that you had been of late at misunderstanding
with the cat, sir."
"You are mistaken, then, friend, for it was with the dowg," answered
the Scotsman, dryly, and cast a look towards Albert.
" We had some trouble with the watch-dogs in entering so late in the
evening," said Albert, in explanation, "and this youth had a fall among
some rubbish, by which he came by these scratches."
" And now, dear Sir Henry," said Dr. Rochecliffe, " allow us to remind
you of your gout, and our long journey. I do it the rather that my good
friend your son has been, during the whole time of supper, putting questions
to me aside, which had much better be reserved till to-morrow -May we
therefore ask permission to retire to our night's rest?"
" These private committees in a merry meeting," said Wildrake, " are a
solecism in breeding. They always put me in mind of the cursed committees at Westminster. -But shall we roost before we rouse the night-owl
with a catch?"
"Aha, canst thou quote Shakspeare?" said Sir Henry, pleased at discovering a new good quality in his acquaintance, whose military services
were otherwise but just able to counterbalance the intrusive freedom of his
conversation. "In the name of merry Will," he continued, -" whom I
never saw, though I have seen many of his comrades, as Alleyn, Hemmings,