Margot's first inquiry in a
somewhat flisty and off-hand manner, as though advantage were being
taken of a careless word, which she had not expected to have taken in
serious earnest. George Elgood, distinctly rebuffed, muttered
unintelligible words of apology, but already Margot was beginning to
understand the dour Northern manner, and pressed the attack with
undiminished eagerness. Thus coerced, Mrs Forsyth was forced to
acknowledge that she wouldna deny that she had raspberries in the
garden; and that it seemed a pity they should waste, as she hadna the
time to "presarve." There was no telling--maybe when the children came
hame from school in the afternoon they wouldna be above picking a
basketful, and taking it down to the inn.

"But we want them now! We want as many as you can possibly spare, but
we must have them to take back with us now!"

"And who's to pick them for ye, I would ask?" demanded Mrs Forsyth with
scathing directness. "I've the shop to mind, and the dinner to cook;
it's not likely I can be out picking fruit at the same time, and there's
not anither soul in the house forbye mysel! I'm thinking you'll have to
wait, or do without!"

"We could pick them ourselves!" pleaded the Editor eagerly. "You would
have no trouble except to measure the fruit after it is gathered, and
tell us what we owe! I don't care how much I pay. I want some fruit
this morning, and if I can't get it from you I shall have to drive over
to Rew. That would cost five or six shillings for the trap alone, so
you see I shall get off well, even if you charge me twice the usual
price."

But here again the benighted Southerner found himself brought up sharply
against an unexpected phase of Scottish character, for Mrs Forsyth was
distinctly on her high horse at the thought of being offered more than
her due. She had her price; a fair-like price, she informed him
loftily, and she stuck to it. She wasna the woman to make differences
between one person and anither. Justice was justice, and she would like
to meet the man who could say she had ever stooped to accept a bribe.

So on and so on, while once again George Elgood hung his head abashed,
and glanced in distress at his companion. In the delight afforded by
that appeal Margot felt equal to dealing with ten Mrs Forsyths, each
equally unreasonable and "kamstary."

"We will leave the price to you; we will leave everything to you!" she
cried gaily. "I know it's asking a gr