"Oh, I ken fine," said Jess, who was a woman of knowledge, and had her share of original sin.
"But hoo div ye ken?" persisted Ebie.
"Fine that," said Jess, diplomatically.
A DAUGHTER OF THE PICTS "But tell us, Jess," said Ebie, who was in high good humour at these fascinating accusations.
"Oh," said Jess, with a quick gipsy look out of her fine dark eyes, "brawly I kenned on Saturday nicht that yon wasna the first time ye had kissed a lass!"
"Jess," said Ebie, "ye're a wunnerfu' woman!" which was his version of Ralph's "You are a witch." In Ebie's circle "witch" was too real a word to be lightly used, so he said "wunnerfu' woman."
He went on looking critically at Jess, as became so great a connoisseur of the sex.
"I hae seen, maybes, bonnier faces, as ye micht say--"
"HAUD AFF, WI' YE THERE; MIND WHAUR YER COMIN', YE MUCKLE SENSELESS NOWT!" said Jess to her Ayrshire Hornie, who had been treading on her toes.
"As I was sayin', Jess, I hae seen--"
"CAN YE NO UNNERSTAN', YE SENSELESS LUMP?" cried Jess, warningly; "I'll knock the heid aff ye, gin ye dinna drap it!" still to Hornie, of course.
But the purblind theorist went on his way: "I hae seen bonnier faces, but no mair takin', Jess, than yours. It's no aye beauty that tak's a man, Jess, ye see, an' the lassies that hae dune best hae been plain-favoured lassies that had pleasant expressions--"
"Tell the rest to Hornie gin ye like!" said Jess, rising viciously and leaving Ebie standing there dumfounded. He continued to hold Hornie's tail for some time, as if he wished to give her some further information on the theory of beauty, as understood in the "laich" end of the parish.
Saunders saw him from afar, and cried out to him down the length of the byre, "Are ye gaun to mak' a watch-guard o' that coo's tail, Ebie?--ye look fell fond o't."
"Ye see what it is to be in love," said John Scott, the herd, who had stolen to the door unperceived and so had marked Ebie's discomfiture.
"He disna ken the difference between Jess hersel' an' Hornie!" said the Cuif, who was repaying old scores.