me on the braeside; and in her devil's heart she cares a whin-blossom
for neither of us. Let's join hands, man, and send the hellfire hussy
to the right-about!"

But this was too much. I could not curse her in my own heart, and still
less could I stand by and hear another man do it; not though it was my
oldest friend.

"Don't you call names!" I cried.

"Ach! you sicken me with your soft talk! I'll call her what she should
be called!"

"Will you, though?" said I, lugging off my coat. "Look you here, Jim
Horscroft, if you say another word against her, I'll lick it down your
throat, if you were as big as Berwick Castle! Try me and see!"

He peeled off his coat down to the elbows, and then he slowly put it on
again.

"Don't be such a fool, Jock!" said he. "Four stone and five inches is
more than mortal man can give. Two old friends mustn't fall out over
such a--well, there, I won't say it. Well, by the Lord, if she hasn't
nerve for ten!"

I looked round, and there she was, not twenty yards from us, looking as
cool and easy and placid as we were hot and fevered.

"I was nearly home," said she, "when I saw you two boys very busy
talking, so I came all the way back to know what it was about."