294 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



name" in Gonga's hearing ! It could not be done 

 twice by the same individual; and even if one ven- 

 tured to tell her that she herself had " said as bad," 

 she was ready to retort : " Dat's nae business o' yours. 

 I may say at a time what I like; but the family 

 kens what my thouchts are, and the hale island has 

 seen my deeds." 



Her ideas of right and wrong were very confused. 

 She would have been virtuously indignant if you had 

 accused her of dishonesty when she klickit (abstracted) 

 sugar or cake to be afterwards surreptitiously doled 

 out to us. 



She never dreamed she was encouraging deceit when 

 she screened a child from deserved punishment by 

 deliberate falsehood. 



I had forbidden my little son to remain in the 

 kitchen when the servants were at meals, for I knew, 

 from my own experience, how they stuffed children at 

 such times. 



I suspected he had disobeyed in this respect, and I 

 went to the kitchen and asked, " Do you know where 

 Harry is just now ? " Eight glibly old Gonga made 

 reply, " Na, my dear, what should we ken o' the 

 bairn?" 



At that moment from under her shawl popped out 

 Harry's head, and his merry voice answered me, " Here 

 I am, Mamma." 



The " black fingers " (taws) were used on one 

 occasion, and Gonga, wrathful at sight of the child's 

 tears, abstracted the leather "rod of correction," and 



