rs after.

That was one thing settled and sealed, so no more need be said about it;
yet, notwithstanding of Nanse's being satisfied that the spaewife was a
deceitful gipsy, perfectly untrustworthy, she would aye have a finger in
the pie, and try to persuade me in a coaxing way. "I'm sure," she would
say, "ane with half an e'e may see that our son Benjie has just the
physog of an admiral. It's a great shame contradicting nature."

"Po, po," answered I, "woman, ye dinna ken what ye're saying. Do ye
imagine that, if he were made a sea-admiral, we could ever live to have
any comfort in the son of our bosom? Would he not, think ye, be obliged
with his ship to sail the salt seas, through foul weather and fair; and,
when he met the French, to fight, hack, and hew them down, lith and limb,
with grape-shot and cutlass; till some unfortunate day or other, after
having lost a leg and an arm in the service, he is felled as dead as a
door-nail, with a cut and thrust over the crown, by some furious rascal
that saw he was off his guard, glowring with his blind e'e another
way?--Ye speak havers, Nanse; what are all the honours of this world
worth? No worth this pinch of snuff I have between my finger and thumb,
no worth a bodle, if we never saw our Benjie again, but he was aye
ranging and rampauging far abroad, shedding human blood; and when we
could only aye dream about him in our sleep, as one that was wandering
night and day blindfold, down the long, dark, lampless avenue of
destruction, and destined never more to visit Dalkeith again, except with
a wooden stump and a brass virl, or to have his head blown off his
shoulders, mast high, like ingan peelings, with some exploding earthquake
of combustible gunpowder.--Call in the laddie, I say, and see what he
would like to be himsell."

Nanse ran but the house, and straightway brought Benjie, who was playing
at the bools, ben by the lug and horn. I had got a glass, so my spirit
was up. "Stand there," I said; "Benjie, look me in the face, and tell me
what trade ye would like to be."

"Trade?" answered Benjie; "I would like to be a gentleman."

Dog on it, it was more than I could thole, and I saw that his mother had
spoiled him; so, though I aye liked to give him wholesome reproof rather
than lift my fist, I broke through this rule in a couple of hurries, and
gave him such a yerk in the cheek with the loof of my hand, as made, I am
sure, his lugs ring, and sent him dozing to the