g:--

She. "The range has sic a bad draft I canna mak' the fire draw!"

We. 'But I'm ower auld for the tears to start,
An' sae the sighs maun blaw!'

She. "The clock i' the hall doesna strike. I have to get oot o' my bed
to see the time."

We. 'The broken hairt it kens
Nae second spring again!'

She. "There's no' eneuch jugs i' the hoose."

We. 'I'm downright dizzy wi' the thought--
In troth I'm like to greet!'

She. "The sink drain isna recht."

We. 'An' it's oh! to win awa', awa',
An' it's oh! to win awa'!'

She. "I canna thole a box-bed!"

We. 'Ay waukin O
Waukin O an' weary.
Sleep I can get nane,
Ay waukin O!'

She. "It's fair insultin' to rent a hoose wi' so few convenience."

We. 'An' I'm ower auld to fish ony mair,
An' I hinna the chance to droon.'

She. "The work is fair sickenin' i' this hoose, an' a' for ane puir body
to do by her lane."

We. 'How can ye chant, ye little birds,
An' I sae weary, fu' o' care?'

She. "Ah, but that was a fine family I lived wi' in Glasgy; an' it's a
wearifu' day's work I've had the day."

We. 'Oh why was I spared to cry, Wae's me!'

She. "Why dinna they leave floo'rs i' the garden makin' a mess i' the
hoose wi' 'em? It's not for the knowin' what they will be after next!"

We. 'Oh, waly waly up the bank,
And waly waly doon the brae!'

Miss Grieve's plaints never grow less, though we are sometimes at a loss
for appropriate quotations to match them. The poetic interpolations are
introduced merely to show the general spirit of her conversation. They
take the place of her sighs, which are by their nature unprintable. Many
times each day she is wont to sink into one low chair, and, extending
her feet in another, close her eyes and murmur undistinguishable plaints
which come to us in a kind of rhythmic way. She has such a shaking right
hand we have been obliged to give up coffee and have tea, as the former
beverage became too unsettled on its journey from the kitchen to
the breakfast-table. She says she kens she is a guid cook, though
salf-praise is sma' racommendation (sma' as it is she will get nae
ither!); but we have little opportunity to test her skill, as she
prepares only our breakfasts of eggs and porridge. Visions of home-made
goodies had danced before our eyes, but as the hall clock doesna strike
she is unable to rise at any exact hour, and as t