d mither
sune died off, and the dochter went to board wi' the minister an' his
wife, to see if they could dae onything wi' her. I mind seein' her
yince. She was sittin' horn-idle, an' I said to her, 'D'ye niver tak' up
a stockin'?' and she says, 'I dinna _need_ to dae naething.' 'But,' I
says, 'a stockin' keeps your hands busy, an' keeps ye frae wearyin','
but she juist said, 'I tell ye I dinna need to dae naething. I whiles
taks a ride in a carriage.' ... It was a sorry sicht, I can tell ye, to
see a dacent lass ruined wi' siller.... Weel, Miss Jean 'll get a man
noo. Nae fear o' that," and Miss Bathgate repeated her cynical lines
about the lass "on Tintock tap."

Mrs. Hope was much excited when she heard, more especially when she
found who Jean's benefactor was.

"Reids who lived in The Rigs thirty years ago? But I knew them. I know
all about them. It was I who suggested to Alison Jardine that the
cottage would suit her. She had lost a lot of money and wanted a small
place.... Why, bless me, Augusta, Mrs. Reid, this man's mother, came
from Corlaw; her people were tenants of my father's. What was the name?
I used to be taken to their house by my nurse and get an oatcake with
sugar sprinkled on it--a great luxury, I thought. Yes, of course,
Laidlaw. She was Jeannie Laidlaw. When I married and came to Hopetoun I
often went to see Mrs. Reid. She reminded me of Corlaw, and could talk
of my father, and I liked that.... Her husband was James Reid. He must
have had some money, and I think he was retired. He had a beard and came
from Fife. I remember the east-country tone in his voice. They went to
the Free Kirk, and I overheard, one day, a man say to him as we came out
of church (where a retiring collection for the next Sunday had been
announced), 'There's an awfu' heap o' collections in oor kirk,' and
James Reid replied, 'Ou ay, but ma way is to pay no attention.' When I
told your father he was delighted and said that he must take that for
his motto through life--'Ma way is to pay no attention.'"

Mrs. Hope took off her glasses and smiled to herself over her
recollections.... "Mrs. Reid was a nice creature, 'fair bigoted,' as
they say here, on her son Peter. He was her chief topic of conversation.
Peter's cleverness, Peter's kindness to his mother, Peter's good looks,
Peter's fine voice: when I saw him--well, I thought we should all thank
God for our mothers, for no one else will ever see us with such kind
eyes.... And it