toon, I s' gang nae ither gait."

"An' ye'll doobtless read the Greek like yer mither-tongue?" said
the cobbler, with a longing admiration in his tone.

"Na, no like that; but weel eneuch to get guid o' 't."

"Weel, that's jist the ae thing I grutch ye--na, no grutch--I'm
glaid ye hae't--but the ae thing I wud fain be a scholar for mysel'!
To think I kenna a cheep o' the word spoken by the Word himsel'!"

"But the letter o' the word he made little o' comparet wi' the
speerit!" said Donal.

"Ay, that's true! an' yet it's whaur a man may weel be greedy an'
want to hae a'thing: wha has the speerit wad fain hae the letter tu!
But it disna maitter; I s' set to learnin' 't the first thing whan
I gang up the stair--that is, gien it be the Lord's wull."

"Hoots!" said his wife, "what wad ye du wi' Greek up there! I s'
warran' the fowk there, ay, an' the maister himsel', speyks plain
Scotch! What for no! What wad they du there wi' Greek, 'at a body
wad hae to warstle wi' frae mornin' to nicht, an' no mak oot the
third pairt o' 't!"

Her husband laughed merrily, but Donal said,

"'Deed maybe ye're na sae far wrang, guidwife! I'm thinkin' there
maun be a gran' mither-tongue there, 'at 'll soop up a' the lave,
an' be better to un'erstan' nor a body's ain--for it'll be yet mair