IV

THE DOCTOR'S LAST JOURNEY

Drumtochty had a vivid recollection of the winter when Dr. MacLure was
laid up for two months with a broken leg, and the Glen was dependent on
the dubious ministrations of the Kildrummie doctor. Mrs. Macfayden
also pretended to recall a "whup" of some kind or other he had in the
fifties, but this was considered to be rather a pyrotechnic display of
Elspeth's superior memory than a serious statement of fact. MacLure
could not have ridden through the snow of forty winters without
suffering, yet no one ever heard him complain, and he never pled
illness to any messenger by night or day.

"It took me," said Jamie Soutar to Milton afterwards, "the feck o' ten
meenuts tae howk him 'an' Jess oot ae snawy nicht when Drums turned bad
sudden, and if he didna try to excuse himself for no hearing me at aince
wi' some story aboot juist comin' in frae Glen Urtach, and no bein' in
his bed for the laist twa nichts.

"He wes that carefu' o' himsel an' lazy that if it hedna been for the
siller, a've often thocht, Milton, he wud never hae dune a handstroke o'
wark in the Glen.

"What scunnered me wes the wy the bairns were ta'en in wi' him. Man,
a've seen him tak a wee laddie on his knee that his ain mither cudna
quiet, an' lilt 'Sing a song o' saxpence' till the bit mannie would be
lauchin' like a gude are, an' pooin' the doctor's beard.