12 Mary Somerville. 



condolence to the afflicted, dressed in black. The 

 gude wives in Burntisland thought it respectable to 

 provide dead-clothes for themselves and the "gude 

 man," that they might have a decent funeral. I 3nce 

 saw a set of grave-clothes nicely folded up, which 

 consisted of a long shirt and cap of white flannel, 

 and a shroud of fine linen made of yarn, spun by 

 the gude wife herself. I did not like that gude wife ; 

 she was purse-proud, and took every opportunity of 

 treating with scorn a poor neighbour who had had a 

 misfortune, that is, a child by her husband before 

 marriage, but who made a very good wife. Her 

 husband worked in our garden, and took our cow to 

 the Links to graze. The wife kept a little shop, 

 where we bought things, and she told us her neigh- 

 bour had given her " mony a sair greet" that is, a 

 bitter fit of weeping. 



The howdie, or midwife, was a person of much 

 consequence. She had often to go far into the 

 country, by day and by night, riding a cart-horse. 

 The neighbours used to go and congratulate the 

 mother, and, of course, to admire the baby. Cake 

 and caudle were handed round, caudle being oat- 

 meal gruel, with sugar, nutmeg, and white wine. In 

 the poorest class, hot ale and " scons " were offered. 



Penny-weddings were by no means uncommon in 

 my young days. When a very poor couple were 



