d away from my country, has made me
shamefully careless. You must teach me, dear Miss Aline, so that I need
not be put to shame when I come to see the perfection with which you do
everything at Ladykirk!"

"Hoot, the lass Patsy has been bletherin'," snapped Miss Aline, "things
gang nae better at Ladykirk than elsewhere, if I were not for ever at
their tails. My heart is fair broken to think o' the cook and Eelen
Young makin' a hash of the apple jeely and the damson jam. They are sure
to forget the maist needfu' thing of a'--and that's neither more nor
less than an extra under-sheet o' good writing-paper, cut to size and
weel soakit in whusky. And as for the mistakes they will make in the
labelling and dating, it's a sin and a shame to think on't. But at least
I can, and shall, go over every single pot as soon as I set foot within
the hoose. Then, if I find anything wrang, Guid peety the idle hizzies!"

In half an hour Miss Aline was speeding westward by the side of the
Princess, Patsy in great delight sitting opposite to them with her back
to the horses. The great lady was charmed with the ingenuous frankness
of Miss Aline's comments, and signed to Patsy to let her say all that
came into her mind.

In Saint James's Street they crossed the Regent driving out to the park.

"And wha's that frisky body in the frilled sark?" said Miss Aline, who,
like many of her countryfolk of the time, regularly honoured her country
by exaggerating its accent and speech in converse with the Southron.

"The Regent!" said the Princess, returning the royal bow with the very
slightest inclination of her head.

"So that's the Regent," said Miss Aline, with a critical glance over her
shoulder, "weel, to meet him you would never take him to be mickle mair
wickeder than other folk--only sleepier and a dooms deal fatter!"

Soon the town was left behind, and they had the delight of a drive out
to Kew by the riverside before them. Miss Aline was delighted and
admitted that, though not, of course, so beautiful as Ladykirk, England
had its points all the same, and that certainly neither the Abbey Burn
nor the Mays Water could be compared to the Thames _for size_--though,
she added, as she observed the patient wistful array of anglers on the
bank, that she greatly doubted if any of these fisherfolk would bring
back six dozen of trout as Stair Garland often did on a morning after a
spate.

Miss Aline declared herself charmed with Kew and craned h