Allan Ramsay. [A biography.] - National Library of Scotland

ALLAN RAMSAY 137
aunt, in the fore part of the day, the latter, to punish
him by taking advantage of his dread of ghosts, meets
him at the dead hour of the night when he is repairing
to Mause's cottage. She is draped in a white sheet,
and utters ghastly groans. Bauldy, having sunk terror-
stricken to the ground, is soundly cuffed and trounced
by the two women. As soon, therefore, as daylight
breaks, he seeks an interview with Sir William to entreat
redress. The latter, who had been passing the night in
Symon's house, enters fully into the spirit of the joke,
and orders Mause to be brought before him.
The second scene exhibits Glaud's 'onstead' again,
and the family preparing to go down to Symon's to
take their leave of Patie. Peggy is very sad,— so much
so that her sharp - tongued aunt cannot refrain from
jeering at it
—
' Poor Meg !—Look, Jenny, was the like e'er seen ?
How bleared and red wi' greetin' look her een !
This day her brankan wooer taks his horse
To strut a gentle spark at Edinburgh Cross.
But Meg, poor Meg ! maun wi' the shepherds stay,
And tak what God will send in hodden gray.'
To this ill-timed speech Peggy makes a pathetic reply,
that must have caused a pang of remorse to her aunt.
But when Glaud ventures to warn her against being too
free with Patie, seeing he could not marry her now, she
replies with gentle reproach
—
' Sir William's virtuous, and of gentle blood ;
And may not Patrick too, like him, be good?'
Glaud's answer exhibits the simple faith of the rural
inhabitants of the district in a striking light
' That's true and mony gentry mae than he,
As they are wiser, better are than we
;
—