446 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



deprecated its desert by saying, " Ye're makkin' me ower 

 grand, ower grand ! Dinna be ower guid to me ! " 



In his weak states, his natural humility and fear of 

 being made "over grand," as he put it, was curiously 

 expressed. He could not then be prevailed upon to sit 

 in the fine arm-chair that had been purchased for him 

 insisting that it " far ower fine, far ower braw " for him ; 

 and, like the sturdy old soul he had been, accustomed all his 

 days to hard fare and plain living, he said he had had 

 always a hard seat to sit on, and he would use it to the last ! 

 He was also timorous in trying to sit down in it, for it went 

 away from behind him on its smoothly running casters, as 

 he tried with difficulty, from his stiff joints, to take a seat 

 there. 



He was especially and proudly grateful for the Queen's 

 gift, as presented to a poor, hidden man like him ! To 

 raise his spirits, I suggested the possibility of Her Majesty 

 visiting him, as she had done others, not being very far 

 distant while staying over the hill at Balmoral. "Ay," 

 said he, more than once, his face lighting up, " it was great 

 prefarment, very great prefarment." Then, thinking him- 

 self still young and able to go out into the world, he 

 continued, " Fowk'll be jokin' me aboot it ! " But the 

 reality of his position suddenly returned, and he added, 

 " Ah, had it been but half a dizen years syne " " half a 

 dizen " being his constant expression at that time for a 

 considerable period " half a dizen years syne, I cu'd hae 

 spoken till'r and thankit 'er. But noo, it'll be sune ower. 

 Eh, man, ay ! Half a dizen years back, and I cu'd hae held 

 discoorse wi' her ! But noo, noo it's ower late ; it canna 

 be ! " Then, after a pause of sadness, he continued, with 



