Whether that is natural or not, Miss
Jessie," said I, "I don't know, for how can I tell what women thinks?"
"Oh, of course not," said Janet, "you are not waywise, and so artless;
you don't know, of course!"
"Exactly," sais I; "but I thought mother spoke kinder cross to her,
and it confused the gall.
"Says Flora, 'Colonel Slick, Mr Dearborne says--says--' Well, she
couldn't get the rest out; she couldn't find the English. 'Mr
Dearborne says--'
"'Well, what the devil does he say?' said father, stampin' his foot,
out of all patience with her.
"It frightened Flora, and off she went out of the room crying like
anything.
"'That girl talks worse and worse,' said mother.
"'Well, I won't say that,' says father, a little mollified, 'for she
can't talk at all, so there is no worse about it. I am sorry though I
scared her. I wish somebody would teach her English.'
"'I will,' sais I, 'father, and she shall teach me Gaelic in return.'
"'Indeed you shan't,' sais mother; 'you have got something better to
do than larning her; and as for Gaelic I can't bear it. It's a horrid
outlandish language, and of no earthly use whatever under the blessed
sun. It's worse than Indian.'
"'Do, Sam,' said father; 'it's an act of kindness, and she is an
orphan, and besides, Gaelic may be of great use to you in life. I like
Gaelic myself; we had some brave Jacobite Highland soldiers in our
army in the war that did great service, but unfortunately nobody could
understand them.
Pages:
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122