172 A HUNDRED YEARS 



in the laundry to plait the ruffles with an old blunt 

 pen-knife aided by my thumb, and in return for 

 this favour I suppose we ceased sometimes to plague 

 and worry the maids on all suitable or unsuitable 

 occasions. 



" For full-dress, he wore a blue swallow-tail with gilt 

 buttons, a buff or white waistcoat, and black trousers 

 with grey -marble silk stockings. He wore no shirt 

 collars, but round his neck was any number of unstarched, 

 soft white muslin neckerchiefs rolled round and round 

 till I suppose he could have endured no more, without 

 losing all power of turning his head. There was a 

 wee knot on the last roll in front, and below that a grand 

 display of my plaited shirt-ruffles sticking through his 

 waistcoat (I admit I never got much praise from the 

 laundry -maids for my starching abilities). His shoes 

 were suited to gouty feet, although he suffered that 

 misery more in his knuckles than his feet. I have even 

 seen him with nankeen trousers during our old-fashioned 

 summers, to which I have alluded before. I don't 

 believe he ever owned a dressing-gown or a pair of cosy 

 slippers. At least, I have seen him shaving with 

 nothing on him but a day-shirt, and that in winter. 

 He despised cosiness, but liked to lie on a sofa in the 

 afternoon or evening after a long day occupied in 

 superintending farm work. I seem to see him now 

 on the sofa in the parlour at Tigh Dige, reading news- 

 papers with his head towards the fire and light, and 

 when one was thoroughly read he nipped a bit out of it 

 to prevent a second reading. Except for small mutton- 

 chop whiskers, he was always clean shaven, and never 



