laith was she to gie into the match,
for she had fa'en a wee ower thick wi' a cousin o' her ain that her
father had some ill-will to; and sae it was, that after she had been
married to Sir Richard jimp four months--for marry him she maun, it's
like--ye'll no hinder her gieing them a present o' a bonny knave bairn.
Then there was siccan a ca'-thro', as the like was never seen; and she's
be burnt, and he's be slain, was the best words o' their mouths. But it
was a' sowdered up again some gait, and the bairn was sent awa, and bred
up near the Highlands, and grew up to be a fine wanle fallow, like mony
ane that comes o' the wrang side o' the blanket; and Sir Richard wi' the
Red-hand, he had a fair offspring o'his ain, and a was lound and
quiet till his head was laid in the ground. But then down came Malcolm
Misticot--(Sir Arthur says it should be Misbegot, but they aye ca'd
him Misticot that spoke o't lang syne)--down cam this Malcolm, the
love-begot, frae Glen-isla, wi' a string o' lang-legged Highlanders at
his heels, that's aye ready for onybody's mischief, and he threeps the
castle and lands are his ain as his mother's eldest son, and turns
a' the Wardours out to the hill. There was a sort of fighting and
blude-spilling about it, for the gentles took different sides; but
Malcolm had the uppermost for a lang time, and keepit the Castle of
Knockwinnock, and strengthened it, and built that muckle tower that they
ca' Misticot's tower to this day."

"Mine goot friend, old Mr. Edie Ochiltree." interrupted the German,
"this is all as one like de long histories of a baron of sixteen
quarters in mine countries; but I would as rather hear of de silver and
gold."

"Why, ye see," continued the mendicant, "this Malcolm was weel helped
by an uncle, a brother o' his father's, that was Prior o' St. Ruth here;
and muckle treasure they gathered between them, to secure the succession
of their house in the lands of Knockwinnock. Folk said that the monks in
thae days had the art of multiplying metals--at ony rate, they were
very rich. At last it came to this, that the young Wardour, that was
Red-hand's son, challenged Misticot to fight with him in the lists
as they ca'd them--that's no lists or tailor's runds and selvedges
o' claith, but a palin'-thing they set up for them to fight in like
game-cocks. Aweel, Misticot was beaten, and at his brother's mercy--but
he wadna touch his life, for the blood of Knockwinnock that was in baith
their