it; weel,
ye can have naething to do with it, then."

"My good man," said I, "I can allow myself to be placed in no such
ridiculous position. Mrs. Gilchrist is nothing to me, and I refuse to be
her debtor."

"I dinna exac'ly see what way ye're gaun to help it," observed my
drover.

"By paying you here and now," said I.

"There's aye twa to a bargain, Mr. St. Ivy," said he.

"You mean that you will not take it?" said I.

"There or thereabout," said he. "Forbye that it would set ye a heap
better to keep your siller for them you awe it to. Ye're young, Mr. St.
Ivy, and thoughtless; but it's my belief that, wi' care and
circumspection, ye may yet do credit to yoursel'. But just you bear this
in mind: that him that _awes_ siller should never _gie_ siller."

Well, what was there to say? I accepted his rebuke, and, bidding the
pair farewell, set off alone upon my southward way.

"Mr. St. Ivy," was the last word of Sim, "I was never muckle ta'en up in
Englishry; but I think that I really ought to say that ye seem to me to
have the makings of quite a decent lad."

CHAPTER XI

THE GREAT NORTH ROAD

It chanced that as I went down the hill these last words of my friend
the drover echoed not unfruitfully in my head. I had never told these
men the least particulars as to my race or fortune, as it was a part,
and the best part, of their civility to ask no questions: yet they had
dubbed me without hesitation English. Some strangeness in the accent
they had doubtless thus explained. And it occurred to me, that if I
could pass in Scotland for an Englishman, I might be able to reverse the
process and pass in England for a Scot. I thought, if I was pushed to
it, I could make a struggle to imitate the brogue; after my experience
with Candlish and Sim, I had a rich provision of outlandish words at my
command; and I felt I could tell the tale of Tweedie's dog so as to
deceive a native. At the same time, I was afraid my name of St. Ives was
scarcely suitable; till I remembered there was a town so called in the
province of Cornwall, thought I might yet be glad to claim it for my
place of origin, and decided for a Cornish family and a Scots education.
For a trade, as I was equally ignorant of all, and as the most innocent
might at any moment be the means of my exposure, it was best to pretend
to none. And I dubbed myself a young gentleman of a sufficient fortune
and an idle, curious habit of mind, rambling the country at m