"Be soople,
Davie, in things immaterial," said he. "Bear ye this in mind, that,
though gentle born, ye have had a country rearing. Dinnae shame us, Davie,
dinnae shame us! In yon great, muckle house, with all these domestics, upper
and under, show yourself as nice, as circumspect, as quick at the conception,
and as slow of speech as any. As for the laird—remember
he's the laird; I say no more: honour to whom honour. It's a pleasure to obey a
laird; or should be, to the young."
"Well,
sir," said I, "it may be; and I'll promise you I'll try to make it
so."
"Why, very
well said," replied Mr. Campbell, heartily. "And now to come to the
material, or (to make a quibble) to the immaterial. I have here a little packet
which contains four things." He tugged it, as he spoke, and with some
great difficulty, from the skirt pocket of his coat. "Of these four
things, the first is your legal due: the little pickle money for your father's
books and plenishing, which I have bought (as I have explained from the first)
in the design of re-selling at a profit to the incoming dominie. The other
three are gifties that Mrs. Campbell and myself would be blithe of your
acceptance. The first, which is round, will likely please ye best at the first
off-go; but, O Davie, laddie, it's but a drop of water in the sea; it'll help
you but a step, and vanish like the morning. The second, which is flat and
square and written upon, will stand by you through life, like a good staff for
the road, and a good pillow to your head in sickness. And as for the last,
which is cubical, that'll see you, it's my prayerful wish, into a better
land."