202 RED DEER. 



newspaper, and talk the current topics of 

 the day, but their views and ideas remain 

 unchanged. Among the labouring class 

 some considerable polish of language now 

 exists. They converse in good terms, es- 

 pecially the young people, and listening 

 to them, as they reply to your questions, 

 you say to yourself, ' This cannot be Zmn- 

 merzet.' 



Not one word of superstition, or ancient 

 tradition, or curious folk-lore, can a stranger 

 extract. The past seems dead, and they are 

 not to be distinguished from the people of 

 other districts close to the populous centres 

 of industry. But the fact is that this silence 

 is not change : it is a reticence purposely 

 adhered to. By mutual consent they stead- 

 fastly refrain from speaking in their own 

 tongue and of their own views to strangers 

 or others not of the country-side. They 

 speak to strangers in the voice of the nine- 

 teenth century, the voice of newspaper, book, 

 and current ideas. They reserve for them- 



