ew
poetry and Gospel ethics; until they had struck deep root into his
heart, and the very expressions had become a part of him; so that he
rarely spoke without some antique idiom or Scripture mannerism that gave
a raciness to the merest trivialities of talk. But the influence of the
Bible did not stop here. There was more in Robert than quaint phrase and
ready store of reference. He was imbued with a spirit of peace and love:
he interposed between man and wife: he threw himself between the angry,
touching his hat the while with all the ceremony of an usher. He
protected the birds from everybody but himself, seeing, I suppose, a
great difference between official execution and wanton sport. His
mistress telling him one day to put some ferns into his master's
particular corner, and adding, "Though, indeed, Robert, he doesn't
deserve them, for he wouldn't help me to gather them," "_Eh, mem_,"
replied Robert, "_but I wouldna say that, for I think he's just a most
deservin' gentleman_." Again, two of our friends, who were on intimate
terms, and accustomed to use language to each other somewhat without the
bounds of the parliamentary, happened to differ about the position of a
seat in the garden. The discussion, as was usual when these two were at
it, soon waxed tolerably insulting on both sides. Every one accustomed
to such controversies several times a day was quietly enjoying this
prize-fight of somewhat abusive wit--every one but Robert, to whom the
perfect good faith of the whole quarrel seemed unquestionable, and who,
after having waited till his conscience would suffer him to wait no
more, and till he expected every moment that the disputants would fall
to blows, cut suddenly in with tones of almost tearful entreaty: "_Eh,
but, gentlemen, I wad hae nae mair words about it!_" One thing was
noticeable about Robert's religion: it was neither dogmatic nor
sectarian. He never expatiated (at least, in my hearing) on the
doctrines of his creed, and he never condemned anybody else. I have no
doubt that he held all Roman Catholics, Atheists, and Mahometans as
considerably out of it; I don't believe he had any sympathy for Prelacy;
and the natural feelings of man must have made him a little sore about
Free-Churchism; but, at least, he never talked about these views, never
grew controversially noisy, and never openly aspersed the belief or
practice of anybody. Now all this is not generally characteristic of
Scots piety; Scots sects