Crummie took me to a window whaur I could stand on a flower-pot
and watch the critturs whirling round in the ball like teetotums.
What's mair, she pointed out the leddyship that's to be to me, and
I just glowered at her, for thinks I, 'Take your fill, Sanders,
and whaur there's lords and leddyships, dinna waste a minute on
colonels and honourable misses and sic like dirt.' Ay, but what
wi' my een blinking at the blaze o' candles, I lost sicht o' her
till all at aince somebody says at my lug, 'Well, my man, and who
is the prettiest lady in the room?' Mr. Dishart, it was her
leddyship. She looked like a star."

"And what did you do?"

"The first thing I did was to fall aff the flower-pot; but syne I
came to, and says I, wi' a polite smirk, 'I'm thinking your
leddyship,' says I, 'as you're the bonniest yourself.'"

"I see you are a cute man, Sanders.'"

"Ay, but that's no' a'. She lauched in a pleased way and tapped me
wi' her fan, and says she, 'Why do you think me the prettiest?' I
dinna deny but what that staggered me, but I thocht a minute, and
took a look at the other dancers again, and syne I says, michty
sly like, 'The other leddies,' I says, 'has sic sma' feet.'"

Sanders stopped here and looked doubtingly at Gavin.

"I canna make up my mind," he said, "whether she liked that, for
she rapped my knuckles wi' her fan fell sair, and aff she gaed.
Ay, I consulted Tammas Haggart about it, and he says, 'The flirty