'd see ye hae putten the enemy in your mooth sae
aerly. (That's Custy's word.)"

"Jemmy Drysel," replied Sandy, addressing vacancy, for Jemmy was
mysteriously at work in the kitchen, "ye hae gotten a thoughtfu' wife."
(Then, with a strong revulsion of feeling.) "Dinna let the blackguard*
in here," cried he, "to spoil the young folk's sporrt."

* At present this is a spondee in England--a trochee in
Scotland The pronunciation of this important word ought to
be fixed, representing, as it does, so large a portion of
the community in both countries.

_Christie._ "Aweel, lassies, comes a letter to Bassanio; he reads it,
and turns as pale as deeth."

_A Fishwife._ "Gude help us."

_Christie._ "Poorsha behooved to ken his grief, wha had a better reicht?
'Here's a letter, leddy,' says he, 'the paper's the boedy of my freend,
like, and every word in it a gaping wound.'"

_A Fisherman._ "Maircy on us."

_Christie._ "Lad, it was fra puir Antonio, ye mind o' him, Lasses. Hech!
the ill luck o' yon man, no a ship come hame; ane foundered at sea,
coming fra Tri-po-lis; the pirates scuttled another, an' ane ran ashore
on the Goodwins, near Bright-helm-stane, that's in England itsel', I
daur say. Sae he could na pay the three thoosand ducats, an' Shylock had
grippit him, an' sought the pund o' flesh aff the breest o' him, puir
body."

_Sandy Liston._ "He would na be the waur o' a wee bit hiding, yon
thundering urang-utang; let the man alane, ye cursed old cannibal."

_Christie._ "Poorsha keepit her man but ae hoor till they were united,
an' then sent him wi' a puckle o' her ain siller to Veeneece, and
Antonio--think o' that, lassies--pairted on their wedding-day."

_Lizzy Johnstone, a Fishwife, aged 12._ "Hech! hech! it's lamentable."

_Jean Carnie._ "I'm saying, mairriage is quick wark, in some
pairts--here there's an awfu' trouble to get a man."

_A young Fishwife._ "Ay, is there."

_Omnes._ "Haw! haw! haw!" (The fish-wife hides.)

_Christie._ "Fill your taupsels, lads and lasses, and awa to Veneece."

_Sandy Liston (sturdily)._ "I'll no gang to sea this day."

_Christie._ "Noo, we are in the hall o' judgment. Here are set the
judges, awfu' to behold; there, on his throne, presides the Juke."

_Flucker._ "She's awa to her Ennglish."

_Lizzy Johnstone._ "Did we come to Veeneece to speak Scoetch, ye useless
fule?"

_Christie._ "Here, pale and hopeless, but resigned, stands the broken
mairchant