'Ow, he is just a wud harum-scarum creature, that wad never take to his
studies; daft, sir, clean daft.'

'Deft!' said the Justice; 'what d'ye mean by deft--eh?'

'Just Fifish,' replied Peter; 'wowf--a wee bit by the East Nook or sae;
it's a common case--the ae half of the warld thinks the tither daft. I
have met with folk in my day that thought I was daft mysell; and, for my
part, I think our Court of Session clean daft, that have had the great
cause of Peebles against Plainstanes before them for this score of
years, and have never been able to ding the bottom out of it yet.'

'I cannot make out a word of his cursed brogue,' said the Cumbrian
justice; 'can you, neighbour--eh? What can he mean by DEFT?'

'He means MAD,' said the party appealed to, thrown off his guard by
impatience of this protracted discussion.

'Ye have it--ye have it,' said Peter; 'that is, not clean skivie, but--'

Here he stopped, and fixed his eye on the person he addressed with an
air of joyful recognition.--'Aye, aye, Mr. Herries of Birrenswork, is
this your ainsell in blood and bane? I thought ye had been hanged at
Kennington Common, or Hairiebie, or some of these places, after the
bonny ploy ye made in the Forty-five.'

'I believe you are mistaken, friend,' said Herries, sternly, with whose
name and designation I was thus made unexpectedly acquainted.

'The deil a bit,' answered the undaunted Peter Peebles; I mind ye weel,
for ye lodged in my house the great year of Forty-five, for a great
year it was; the Grand Rebellion broke out, and my cause--the great
cause--Peebles against Plainstanes, ET PER CONTRA--was called in the
beginning of the winter session, and would have been heard, but that
there was a surcease of justice, with your plaids, and your piping, and
your nonsense.'

'I tell you, fellow,' said Herries, yet more fiercely, 'you have
confused me with some of the other furniture of your crazy pate.'

'Speak like a gentleman, sir,' answered Peebles; 'these are not legal
phrases, Mr. Herries of Birrenswork. Speak in form of law, or I sall bid
ye gude day, sir. I have nae pleasure in speaking to proud folk, though
I am willing to answer onything in a legal way; so if you are for
a crack about auld langsyne, and the splores that you and Captain
Redgimlet used to breed in my house, and the girded cask of brandy that
ye drank and ne'er thought of paying for it (not that I minded it muckle
in thae days, though I have felt a lack of