ok at it, an' a sair trial tae us
a'. A' never heard tell o' sic a thing in oor family afore, an' it's no
easy accoontin' for't.

"The gudewife was sayin' he wes never the same sin' a weet nicht he lost
himsel on the muir and slept below a bush; but that's neither here nor
there. A'm thinkin' he sappit his constitution thae twa years he wes
grieve aboot England. That wes thirty years syne, but ye're never the
same aifter thae foreign climates."

Drumtochty listened patiently to Hillocks' apology, but was not
satisfied.

"It's clean havers about the muir. Losh keep's, we've a' sleepit oot and
never been a hair the waur.

"A' admit that England micht hae dune the job; it's no cannie stravagin'
yon wy frae place tae place, but Drums never complained tae me if he hed
been nippit in the Sooth."

The parish had, in fact, lost confidence in Drums after his wayward
experiment with a potato-digging machine, which turned out a lamentable
failure, and his premature departure confirmed our vague impression of
his character.

"He's awa noo," Drumsheugh summed up, after opinion had time to form;
"an' there were waur fouk than Drums, but there's nae doot he was a wee
flichty."

When illness had the audacity to attack a Drumtochty man, it was
described as a "whup," and was treated by the men with a fine
negligence. Hillocks was sitting in the post-office one afternoon when
I looked in for my letters, and the right side of his face was blazing
red. His subject of discourse was the prospects of the turnip "breer,"
but he casually explained that he was waiting for medical advice.

"The gudewife is keepin' up a ding-dong frae mornin' till nicht aboot ma
face, and a'm fair deaved (deafened), so a'm watchin' for MacLure tae
get a bottle as he comes wast; yon's him noo."

The doctor made his diagnosis from horseback on sight, and stated the
result with that admirable clearness which endeared him to Drumtochty.

"Confoond ye, Hillocks, what are ye ploiterin' aboot here for in the
weet wi' a face like a boiled beet? Div ye no ken that ye've a titch o'
the rose (erysipelas), and ocht tae be in the hoose? Gae hame wi' ye
afore a' leave the bit, and send a haflin for some medicine. Ye donnerd
idiot, are ye ettlin tae follow Drums afore yir time?" And the medical
attendant of Drumtochty continued his invective till Hillocks started,
and still pursued his retreating figure with medical directions of a
simple and practical character.