"fighting their battles over again;" while the young ones looked in
each other's faces, and laughed heartily at little jests.
Unpremeditated compliments were paid in off-handed profusion; old and
incredible stories were revived; and, in the words of Goldsmith, "news
much older than their ale went round;" but, whatever might be their
age, at such seasons they were certain to produce as much merriment as
upon the occasion when they were first produced. To conclude the
picture--

"The nappy reek'd wi' mantling 'ream,
And shed a heart-inspiring stream;
And luntin pipe and sneeshin mill
Were handed round wi' richt guid-will."

Sandy Crawford and his mother had been invited to "get their cakes,"
and spend the evening with John Jervis and his wife. They came,
according to custom; and, after the cheese, the oaten bread, and the
ale had been sent round in the usual manner--

"Troth, Nelly," said Margaret Crawford, addressing her hostess, "your
Jenny's turned a perfect woman, I declare. Sic an odds there's on her
within the last twalmonth! Mony a time I look at her when she's gaun
past; and, to say the truth, ye may weel be proud o' yer dochter, for
I dinna see a bonnier lassie i' the hale country-side than she is."

"Beauty is only skin-deep," said Nelly, with a smile of satisfaction,
which showed how highly she appreciated the quality in her daughter
which she pretended to undervalue. "But the lassie's weel aneugh,
though she were nae freend o' mine. And noo, Sandy," she continued, in
a jesting tone, and turning from the mother to the son as she spoke,
"what think ye o' her for a wife? Yer mither seems to be unco weel
pleased wi' her; I'm sure I would like weel to see ye gang thegither,
and I dinna think our Jock would say onything against sic a marriage."

"Hoot, woman," interrupted her husband, "were I to haver like you, I
would say that, if I thought she would only turn out half as guid a
wife to him as you've dune to me, I would maist advise him to tak her;
but she's our ain bairn, and we should haud our tongues."

"That's as true as ye hae said it," rejoined Nelly; "fathers and
mithers should say little on sic a subject; but as this is a nicht on
which a'body haver, ye maun just allow me to haver too: when folk only
haver for diversion, it can do little ill. And sae, as I was gaun to
say," she continued, again addressing Sandy, "yer mither seems to be
pleased; I'm weel pleased; Jock's no that sair s