His evening adventures the reader is already acquainted
with, and so far knows more of Richie than did his master, who had not
heard of him for twenty-four hours.
Dame Nelly Christie, in the meantime, regarded her guest with some
anxiety, and a great desire to comfort him, if possible. She placed on
the breakfast-table a noble piece of cold powdered beef, with its
usual guards of turnip and carrot, recommended her mustard as coming
direct from her cousin at Tewkesbury, and spiced the toast with her
own hands--and with her own hands, also, drew a jug of stout and nappy
ale, all of which were elements of the substantial breakfast of the
period.
When she saw that her guest's anxiety prevented him from doing justice
to the good cheer which she set before him, she commenced her career
of verbal consolation with the usual volubility of those women in her
station, who, conscious of good looks, good intentions, and good
lungs, entertain no fear either of wearying themselves or of fatiguing
their auditors.
"Now, what the good year! are we to send you down to Scotland as thin
as you came up?--I am sure it would be contrary to the course of
nature. There was my goodman's father, old Sandie Christie, I have
heard he was an atomy when he came up from the North, and I am sure he
died, Saint Barnaby was ten years, at twenty stone weight. I was a
bare-headed girl at the time, and lived in the neighbourhood, though I
had little thought of marrying John then, who had a score of years the
better of me--but he is a thriving man and a kind husband--and his
father, as I was saying, died as fat as a church-warden.
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