第55章

Mrs.Pringle to Miss Mally Glencairn

Dear Miss Mally--I hav a cro to pik with you conserning yoor comishon aboot the partickels for your friends.You can hav no noshon what the Doctor and me suffert on the head of the flooring shrubs.We took your Nota Beny as it was spilt, and went from shop to shop enquirin in a most partiklar manner for "a Gardner's Bell, or the least of all flowering plants"; but sorrow a gardner in the whole tot here in London ever had heard of sic a thing; so we gave the porshoot up in despare.Howsomever, one of Andrew's acquaintance--a decent lad, who is only son to a saddler in a been way, that keeps his own carriage, and his son a coryikel, happent to call, and the Doctor told him what ill socsess we had in our serch for the gardner's bell; upon which he sought a sight of your yepissle, and read it as a thing that was just wonderful for its whorsogroffie; and then he sayid, that looking at the prinsipol of your spilling, he thought we should reed, "a gardner's bill, or a list of all flooring plants"; whilk being no doot your intent, I have proqurt the same, and it is included heerin.But, Miss Mally, I would advize you to be more exac in your inditing, that no sic torbolashon may hippen on a future okashon.

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As I am naterally gretly okypt with this matteromoneal afair, youcannot expect ony news; but the queen is going on with a dreadful rat, by which the pesents hav falen more than a whole entirr pesent.I wish our fonds were well oot of them, and in yird and stane, which is a constansie.But what is to become of the poor donsie woman, no one can expound.Some think she will be pot in the Toor of London, and her head chappit off; others think she will raise sic a stramash, that she will send the whole government into the air, like peelings of ingons, by a gunpoother plot.But it's my opinion, and I have weighed the matter well in my understanding, that she will hav to fight with sword in hand, be she ill, or be she good.How els can she hop to get the better of more than two hundred lords, as the Doctor, who has seen them, tells me, with princes of the blood- royal, and the prelatic bishops, whom, I need not tell you, are the worst of all.

But the thing I grudge most, is to be so long in Lundon, and no to see the king.Is it not a hard thing to come to London, and no to see the king? I am not pleesed with him, I assure you, becose he does not set himself out to public view, like ony other curiosity, but stays in his palis, they say, like one of the anshent wooden images of idolatry, the which is a great peety, he beeing, as I am told, a beautiful man, and more the gentleman than all the coortiers of his court.

The Doctor has been minting to me that there is an address from Irvine to the queen; and he, being so near a neighbour to your toun, has been thinking to pay his respecs with it, to see her near at hand.But I will say nothing; he may take his own way in matters of gospel and spiritualety; yet I have my scroopols of conshence, how this may not turn out a rebellyon against the king; and I would hav him to sift and see who are at the address, before he pits his han to it.For, if it's a radikol job, as I jealoos it is, what will the Doctor then say? who is an orthodox man, as the world nose.

In the maitre of our dumesticks, no new axsident has cast up; but I have seen such a wonder as could not have been forethocht.Having a washin, I went down to see how the lassies were doing; but judge of my feelings, when I saw them triomphing on the top of pattons, standing upright before the boyns on chairs, rubbin the clothes to juggins betweentheir hands, above the sapples, with their gouns and stays on, and round- cared mutches.What would you think of such a miracle at the washing- house in the Goffields, or the Gallows-knows of Irvine? The cook, howsomever, has shown me a way to make rice- puddings without eggs, by putting in a bit of shoohet, which is as good--and this you will tell Miss Nanny Eydent; likewise, that the most fashionable way of boiling green pis, is to pit a blade of spearmint in the pot, which gives a fine flavour.But this is a long letter, and my pepper is done; so no more, but remains your friend and well-wisher, JANET PRINGLE.

"A great legacy, and her dochtir married, in ae journey to London, is doing business," said Mrs.Glibbans, with a sigh, as she looked to her only get, Miss Becky; "but the Lord's will is to be done in a' thing;--sooner or later something of the same kind will come, I trust, to all our families." "Ay," replied Miss Mally Glencairn, "marriage is like death--it's what we are a' to come to.""I have my doubts of that," said Miss Becky with a sneer."Ye have been lang spair't from it, Miss Mally.""Ye're a spiteful puddock; and if the men hae the e'en and lugs they used to hae, gude pity him whose lot is cast with thine, Becky Glibbans," replied the elderly maiden ornament of the Kirkgate, somewhat tartly.

Here Mr.Snodgrass interposed, and said, he would read to them the letter which Miss Isabella had received from the bride; and without waiting for their concurrence, opened and read as follows:-