urlay. Now, it would be easy to lead that water down and alang through
all the gardenth on the high side of Main Street--and, 'deed, it might
feed a pump at the Cross, too, to supply the lower portionth o' the
town. It would really be a grai-ait convenience. Every man on the high
side o' Main Street would have a running spout at his own back door! If
your garden didna run tho far back, Mr. Gourlay, and ye hadna tho muckle
land about your place"--_that_ should fetch him, thought the Deacon--"if
it werena for that, Mr. Gourlay, we could easily lead the water round to
the other gardenth without interfering with your property. But, ath it
ith, we simply can-noat move without ye. The water must come through
your garden, if it comes at a-all."

"The most o' you important men live on the high side o' Main Street,"
birred Gourlay. "Is it the poor folk at the Cross, or your ain bits o'
back doors that you're thinking o'?"

"Oh--oh, Mr. Gourlay!" protested Allardyce, head flung back, and palms
in air, to keep the thought of self-interest away, "oh--oh, Mr. Gourlay!
We're thinking of noathing but the common good, I do assure ye."

"Ay, man! You're dis-in-ter-ested!" said Gourlay, but he stumbled on the
big word and spoiled the sneer. That angered him, and, "It's likely," he
rapped out, "that I'll allow the land round _my_ house to be howked and
trenched and made a mudhole of to oblige a wheen things like you!"

"Oh--oh, but think of the convenience to uth--eh--eh--I mean to the
common good," said Allardyce.

"I howked wells for myself," snapped Gourlay. "Let others do the like."

"Oh, but we haven't all the enterprithe of you, Mr. Gourlay. You'll
surely accommodate the town!"

"I'll see the town damned first," said Gourlay, and passed on his steady
way.

FOOTNOTES:

[3] _Trauchle_, a poor trollop who trails about; _smeddum_, grit.

CHAPTER VI.

The bodies watched Gourlay in silence until he was out of earshot. Then,
"It's monstrous!" the Provost broke out in solemn anger; "I declare it's
perfectly monstrous! But I believe we could get Pow-ers to compel him.
Yass; I believe we could get Pow-ers. I do believe we could get
Pow-ers."

The Provost was fond of talking about "Pow-ers," because it implied that
he was intimate with the great authorities who might delegate such
"Pow-ers" to him. To talk of "Pow-ers," mysteriously, was a tribute to
his own importance. He rolled the word on his tongue as if he enjoyed
t