He stepped into the
street, and taking a hand from a pocket, pointed up to the sign.
"See til't!" he said. "Dinna ye see the twa reid horse?"
"Ay," answered Donal; "I see them weel eneuch, but I'm nane the
wiser nor gien they war twa reid whauls.--Man," he went on, turning
sharp round upon the fellow, "ye're no cawpable o' conceivin' the
extent o' my ignorance! It's as rampant as the reid horse upo' your
sign! I'll yield to naebody i' the amoont o' things I dinna ken!"
The man stared at him for a moment.
"I s' warran'," he said, "ye ken mair nor ye care to lat on!"
"An' what may that be ower the heid o' them?--A crest, ca' ye 't?"
said Donal.
"It's a base pearl-beset," answered the landlord.
He had not a notion of what a base meant, or pearl-beset, yet prided
himself on his knowledge of the words.
"Eh," returned Donal, "I took it for a skate!"
"A skate!" repeated the landlord with offended sneer, and turned
towards the house.
"I was thinkin' to put up wi' ye the nicht, gien ye could
accommodate me at a rizzonable rate," said Donal.
"I dinna ken," replied Glumm, hesitating, with his back to him,
between unwillingness to lose a penny, and resentment at the
supposed badinage, which was indeed nothing but humour; "what wad ye
ca' rizzonable?"
"I wadna grudge a saxpence for my bed; a shillin' I wad," answered
Donal.
"Weel, ninepence than--for ye seemna owercome wi' siller.
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