n conseedered critically. Ye see she's drawn
lauchin'; an' the genteel thing's no to lauch, but juist to put on a
bit smirk. Ay, that's the genteel thing."

"A smile, they ca' it," interposed T'nowhead.

"I said a smile," continued Tammas. "Then there's her waist. I say
naething agin her waist, speakin' in the ord'nar meanin'; but,
conseedered critically, there's a want o' suppleness, as ye micht say,
aboot it. Ay, it doesna compare wi' the waist o' ----" (Here Tammas
mentioned a young lady who had recently married into a local county
family.)

"That was a pretty tiddy," said Hookey, "Ou, losh, ay! it made me a
kind o' queery to look at her."

"Ye're ower kyowowy (particular), Tammas," said Pete.

"I may be, Pete," Tammas admitted; "but I maun say I'm fond o' a
bonny-looken wuman, an' no aisy to please; na, I'm nat'rally ane o' the
critical kind."

"It's extror'nar," said T'nowhead, "what a poo'er beauty has. I mind
when I was a callant readin' aboot Mary Queen o' Scots till I was fair
mad, lads; yes, I was fair mad at her bein' deid. Ou, I could hardly
sleep at nichts for thinking o' her."

"Mary was spunky as weel as a beauty," said Hookey, "an' that's the
kind I like. Lads, what a persuasive tid she was!"

"She got roond the men," said Hendry, "ay, she turned them roond her
finger. That's the warst o' thae beauties."

"I dinna gainsay," said T'nowhead, "but what there was a little o' the
deevil in Mary, the crittur."

Here T'nowhead chuckled, and then looked scared.

"What Mary needed," said Tammas, "was a strong man to manage her."

"Ay, man, but it's ill to manage thae beauties. They gie ye a glint o'
their een, an' syne whaur are ye?"

"Ah, they can be managed," said Tammas, complacently. "There's naebody
nat'rally safter wi' a pretty stocky o' a bit wumany than mysel; but
for a' that, if I had been Mary's man I would hae stood nane o' her
tantrums. 'Na, Mary, my lass,' I would hae said, 'this winna do; na,
na, ye're a bonny body, but ye maun mind 'at man's the superior; ay,
man's the lord o' creation, an' so ye maun juist sing sma'.' That's
hoo I would hae managed Mary, the speerity crittur 'at she was."

"Ye would hae haen yer wark cut oot for ye, Tammas."

"Ilka mornin'," pursued Tammas, "I would hae said to her, 'Mary,' I
would hae said, 'wha's to wear thae breeks the day, you or me?' Ay,
syne I would hae ordered her to kindle the fire, or if I had been the
king, of coorse I w